Clarke retires hurt but helps Australia set Sri Lanka 393 to win 1st test

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOBART, Australia — Australia captain Michael Clarke helped set Sri Lanka a challenging victory target of 393 in the first test Monday before retiring hurt on day four in Hobart.

Australia declared its second innings at 278 despite losing three middle-order wickets for 35 runs after lunch, before Clarke and Mike Hussey accelerated the scoring rate with an aggressive 57 runs from 56 balls.

Clarke made 57 from 46 balls before walking off with a hamstring injury and Hussey smashed a 38-ball 31 before running out of partners at the other end.

Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath finished with figures of 5-96 to move ahead of England’s Graeme Swann as test cricket’s leading wicket taker for 2012. Herath has needed just nine tests for his 60 wickets, three fewer than Swann has played.

Sri Lanka must now hit its highest ever winning total if it is to record a first win from 11 attempts on Australian soil. The West Indies made the highest successful run chase against Australia with 417-8 at St. John’s in 2003.

The Clarke-Hussey partnership has been crucial to both Australia innings at Bellerive Oval. The pair added 106 runs after coming together at a potentially tricky 198-4 in the first innings and the home side could not get going after lunch until they again joined forces.

Shane Watson stumbled to 5 from 17 balls before he was stumped by Prasanna Jayawardene off the bowling of Herath and Phil Hughes followed for a sluggish 49-ball 16, bowled by Shaminda Eranga.

Matthew Wade was pushed up the order to No. 5 and at least tried to push things along, but managed just 11 runs before he was caught by Nuwan Kulasekara while slashing at Herath.

That made it 181-5 with time running out to set an imposing total until Clarke and Hussey showed their experience.

Clarke recorded his 24th half century to take his test total for 2012 to 1,489 runs, before heading back to the stands when on-field treatment proved unsuccessful.

Hussey smashed the next ball for six and the tail kept wagging as the wickets tumbled. Ben Hilfenhaus came out to bat at last man despite being unfit to bowl with a side strain, facing eight balls before becoming Herath’s final victim for 0.

23:44ET 16-12-12