Hughes and Warner fall short of tons, Australia 241-3 at tea on day 2 vs. Sri Lanka

By Stuart Condie

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SYDNEY, Australia — Phil Hughes and David Warner both fell just short of centuries Friday, leaving Australia on 241-3 at tea on day two of the third and final test against Sri Lanka, in response to the tourists’ 294.

With the Sydney pitch starting to offer the spinners some assistance, Warner was dismissed for 85 when he sliced an attempted slog off Tillakaratne Dilshan to Dhammika Prasad, who caught the high ball to end the opener’s 84-ball knock.

And 166-2 became 195-3 when Hughes tried another cut only to edge Rangana Herath to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal for 87.

Michael Clarke ended the session on 42 not out and Mike Hussey, who received a guard of honour from the tourists as he came out to bat in his final test, was 18.

The wickets revived Sri Lanka’s hopes of limiting Australia’s first-innings total and avoiding a series whitewash.

Sri Lanka made 294 on Thursday after being put into bat, the innings ending on the final ball of the day.

While his morning session was illuminated by a series of punchy cover drives, Warner slowed after a blistering start that included a first-ball boundary and 31 from the first 21 deliveries. Even so, he remained relatively untroubled until Dilshan lured him into a charge.

The opener, a Twenty20 entertainer who initially looked set for a score to rival his 69-ball century against India last year, skied it to the retreating Prasad.

That brought Clarke out to the middle but his partnership with Hughes never got established as the No. 3 fell to Herath, 2012’s leading wicket taker finally getting a bowl after lunch.

With the two left-handers back in the stands, Clarke carried on where he left off in 2012, when he hit an Australian record 1,595 runs in a calendar year. He smashed a huge six back over Herath’s head and chipped a boundary over mid-off from the next delivery.

Hussey got a standing ovation from the SCG crowd as he walked onto the pitch but struggled to get going against Herath, whose flight and change of pace frustrated him.

23:38ET 03-01-13