October 04 Friday 2002
Ton-up Ponting exposes Pakistan's flawed selection

COLOMBO: Australian batsman Justin Langer (L) congratulates skipper Ricky Ponting on his half-century during the first Test match against Pakistan at the Tamil Union ground on October 3, 2002

COLOMBO: Ricky Ponting hit an aggressive 141 as Australia made Pakistan pay dearly for a selection blunder on the opening day of the first cricket Test here on Thursday.  Ponting's 11th Test century and his 183-run partnership with Justin Langer (72) for the second wicket lifted Australia to a commanding 330-5 before bad light ended play 12.4 overs early. Pakistan, missing a second spinner after surprisingly leaving out leggie Danish Kaneria at the last minute, hit back with three wickets in the final session.

At stumps, Damien Martyn was unbeaten on six while Adam Gilchrist was on one. Mark Waugh roared back into form with 55, joining twin brother Steve and Allan Border as the only Australians to score 8,000 Test runs when he reached 51. 

The elegant right-hander, battling to keep his Test career afloat, took 17 balls to get off the mark after surviving a confident leg-before appeal by Shoaib Akhtar. 

He then settled down to hit nine boundaries before mistiming a drive to give off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq an easy return catch towards the end of play. 

Saqlain claimed another wicket just before close when Steve Waugh, who won the toss and elected to bat, gloved a catch to short-leg after making 31. 

Pakistan stood down Kaneria before the toss, preferring to go in with an extra seamer in Mohammad Sami. Kaneria's omission was felt as the slow wicket at the Tamil Union ground, home of Sri Lanka's famed off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, gave no assistance to the seam bowlers. 

Captain Waqar Younis picked up two for 64, but speedster Shoaib Akhtar went wicketless and Sami was plundered for 70 runs in his 15 overs. 

"Dropping a second spinner was a mistake," said former Pakistani captain Rameez Raja. "There will be something for the slow bowlers later in the match." 

Barely 100 Sri Lankan spectators were at hand to watch the start of the three-Test series, which was shifted to Colombo and Sharjah after Australia declined to tour Pakistan for security reasons. Pakistan began on a sensational note when Matthew Hayden was dismissed off the fifth ball of the day, top-edging a drive off Waqar to Imran Nazir in the covers. 

But the next wicket did not fall till midway through the afternoon session as Ponting and Langer blunted the Pakistani attack after the wicket lost its initial freshness. 

Langer hit four boundaries in one over from Waqar, following a ferocious pull shot with three straight drives. 

The pair took the score to 138 by lunch and then moved to 188-1 before left-handed Langer edged Razzaq and was caught low down by wicket-keeper Rashid Latif. 

Ponting, 97 at that stage, reached his century in Razzaq's next over with a superbly-timed on-drive for four. He hit 23 boundaries when he fell 30 minutes after tea, edging a tired drive off Waqar to Younis Khan at lone slip. 

Australia kept faith in the trusted combination of three fast bowlers and leg-spinner Shane Warne with Martyn retaining the number six spot ahead of Darren Lehmann.