Sri Lanka makes 21-0 at tea on day 2 after Australia declares at 450-5

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOBART, Australia — Sri Lanka reached 21-0 without loss by tea Saturday after Mike Hussey’s 19th century put Australia firmly in control on day two of the first test in Hobart.

Hussey’s unbeaten 115 laid the platform for an aggressive declaration of 450-5 by Australia captain Michael Clarke, who left the tourists with about 30 minutes to bat under floodlights.

Sri Lanka looked short of ideas in the field but openers Tillakaratne Dilshan (8) and Dimuth Karunaratne (13) started their team’s innings positively, offering little to the home bowlers.

The tourists need the pair to hang around as long as possible to have any real chance of improving a record of no wins and eight defeats from 10 previous tests in Australia.

Hussey looked to have shown the way to score on the Bellerive Oval pitch, accumulating singles before reaching his ton with a big swing that Angelo Mathews spilled onto the long on boundary.

But despite overcast conditions that necessitated the floodlights being switched on after rain forced a two-hour lunch break, the Australian pace attack was unable to extract much swing from the pitch.

Karunaratne in particular was seeing the ball early and placing it with confidence.

01:25ET 15-12-12