Hussey finds form after Watson 95
Australia's batsmen were pegged back after a rampant start to their two-day tour game against England Lions at Canterbury, losing four wickets for 100 in the second session to go to tea on 263 for 6. It was, nevertheless, another successful session in terms of their preparation for Thursday's Ashes decider at The Oval, with the out-of-sorts Mike Hussey building on Shane Watson's morning onslaught to ease to a composed 65 from 101 balls.
Watson himself set the tone for the second session when he gave his wicket away with a century in the offing. He had hurtled to 92 not out from just 80 balls before lunch, his fourth half-century in consecutive innings since succeeding Phillip Hughes at the top of Australia's order, but then fell to the first ball of Liam Plunkett's second over after the interval, as he prodded indeterminately outside off, for Steven Davies to pocket a simple edge.
That left the innings in the capable but under-performing hands of Hussey, who has endured some scratchy form on the tour so far. He and Marcus North added 37 low-key runs for the fourth wicket, before North - looking comfortable on 18 - carved violently to backward point, where Michael Carberry took off with his right hand outstretched to pluck the chance out of thin air for the most spectacular of his four catches.
Mitchell Johnson got off the mark with a low edge through the slips off Kirby, but it was the spinner Gary Keedy who ended his stay for 15, as he was beaten in the flight and clipped a simple lob to Carberry at midwicket. Undeterred, Hussey brought up his half-century from 87 balls with a reverse sweep off Keedy, and then repeated the dose two balls later. But, with tea approaching, he attacked a short ball from Kirby with too much relish, and Carberry once again was on hand to claim the catch at point.
Earlier in the day, the Lions had made a last-minute change to their team when Joe Sayers stepped in for Jonathan Trott, who was withdrawn by the ECB ahead of his probable Test debut on Thursday, but having won the toss Jamie Dalrymple decided to bowl first. The decision paid early dividends when Simon Katich cut loosely at his fourth delivery for the first of Carberry's four catches, but that merely brought Ricky Ponting to the crease - to loud and, lately, unfamiliar applause from an appreciative Canterbury crowd, and he responded with a pleasing cameo of 45 from 61 balls.
Ponting didn't have it all his own way at first. He got off the mark by inside-edging Kirby past the keeper for four, and was then jammed painfully on the gloves by a Plunkett lifter before thrashing airily through point in the same over. But it didn't take long for he and Watson to settle into their morning's work.
An otherwise tidy spell from the 19-year-old Harris was dented when Watson climbed into his seventh over, with three fours and a two, including a drive that burst through the fielder's half-formed defences at extra cover. Ponting then followed suit, by clubbing Plunkett's very next over for 17, including three fine cover-drives and a hook, as his first four-over spell was dispatched for a sorry 36 runs.
There were 14 boundaries in the first hour alone, as Australia reached drinks on 72 for 1, and it took the introduction of Chris Woakes to restore some order, as Ponting snicked the final ball of his first over through to Steven Davies, to depart for 45 from 60 balls. Watson would then have been run out on 41 if a shy from the covers had hit, but followed up by launching Woakes for six to move to 48, and in the next over brought up his half-century from 58 balls.
By lunch, Watson was really beginning to click through his gears, and needed just 22 balls for his next 42 runs. But the lunch break ruined his momentum, and unsettled Australia's serene progress.
Australia's batsmen were pegged back after a rampant start to their two-day tour game against England Lions at Canterbury, losing four wickets for 100 in the second session to go to tea on 263 for 6. It was, nevertheless, another successful session in terms of their preparation for Thursday's Ashes decider at The Oval, with the out-of-sorts Mike Hussey building on Shane Watson's morning onslaught to ease to a composed 65 from 101 balls.
Watson himself set the tone for the second session when he gave his wicket away with a century in the offing. He had hurtled to 92 not out from just 80 balls before lunch, his fourth half-century in consecutive innings since succeeding Phillip Hughes at the top of Australia's order, but then fell to the first ball of Liam Plunkett's second over after the interval, as he prodded indeterminately outside off, for Steven Davies to pocket a simple edge.
That left the innings in the capable but under-performing hands of Hussey, who has endured some scratchy form on the tour so far. He and Marcus North added 37 low-key runs for the fourth wicket, before North - looking comfortable on 18 - carved violently to backward point, where Michael Carberry took off with his right hand outstretched to pluck the chance out of thin air for the most spectacular of his four catches.
Mitchell Johnson got off the mark with a low edge through the slips off Kirby, but it was the spinner Gary Keedy who ended his stay for 15, as he was beaten in the flight and clipped a simple lob to Carberry at midwicket. Undeterred, Hussey brought up his half-century from 87 balls with a reverse sweep off Keedy, and then repeated the dose two balls later. But, with tea approaching, he attacked a short ball from Kirby with too much relish, and Carberry once again was on hand to claim the catch at point.
Earlier in the day, the Lions had made a last-minute change to their team when Joe Sayers stepped in for Jonathan Trott, who was withdrawn by the ECB ahead of his probable Test debut on Thursday, but having won the toss Jamie Dalrymple decided to bowl first. The decision paid early dividends when Simon Katich cut loosely at his fourth delivery for the first of Carberry's four catches, but that merely brought Ricky Ponting to the crease - to loud and, lately, unfamiliar applause from an appreciative Canterbury crowd, and he responded with a pleasing cameo of 45 from 61 balls.
Ponting didn't have it all his own way at first. He got off the mark by inside-edging Kirby past the keeper for four, and was then jammed painfully on the gloves by a Plunkett lifter before thrashing airily through point in the same over. But it didn't take long for he and Watson to settle into their morning's work.
An otherwise tidy spell from the 19-year-old Harris was dented when Watson climbed into his seventh over, with three fours and a two, including a drive that burst through the fielder's half-formed defences at extra cover. Ponting then followed suit, by clubbing Plunkett's very next over for 17, including three fine cover-drives and a hook, as his first four-over spell was dispatched for a sorry 36 runs.
There were 14 boundaries in the first hour alone, as Australia reached drinks on 72 for 1, and it took the introduction of Chris Woakes to restore some order, as Ponting snicked the final ball of his first over through to Steven Davies, to depart for 45 from 60 balls. Watson would then have been run out on 41 if a shy from the covers had hit, but followed up by launching Woakes for six to move to 48, and in the next over brought up his half-century from 58 balls.
By lunch, Watson was really beginning to click through his gears, and needed just 22 balls for his next 42 runs. But the lunch break ruined his momentum, and unsettled Australia's serene progress.
