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Andrew Symonds posted his highest test score after sharing a century partnership with Brett Lee to help Australia post a daunting first innings total of 463 in the second cricket test against India yesterday.
Symonds added 25 runs to his overnight 137, eclipsing his previous best of 156 with an unbeaten 162 prior to running out of partners before lunch on the second day at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
While Symonds was relatively subdued after his swashbuckling display on Wednesday, the Australian tailenders tore into the Indian attack.
Lee chipped in with a sparkling 59, his fourth test half-century, as he and Symonds piled on 117 for the eighth wicket on a flat pitch still heavily favouring the batsmen.
Lee fell just five runs short of his highest test score when he was trapped leg before wicket by spinner Anil Kumble but his dismissal failed to stop the run feast. Mitchell Johnson smacked four boundaries in a quickfire 28 from 30 balls before he holed out to Sourav Ganguly in the deep off Kumble.
The Indian skipper mopped up the final wicket, trapping Stuart Clark leg before wicket for a duck, to finish with figures of four for 108 after left-arm seamer R. P. Singh had taken four wickets on Wednesday.
Symonds, who admitted he should have been given out for 30 to a catch behind on day one, struck 18 fours and two sixes in his 226-ball knock, beating his 156 against England in the Melbourne Ashes test in December, 2006.
He also featured in two century partnerships, including a 173 seventh-wicket stand with Brad Hogg, who made 79, that enabled Australia to recover from 134 for six.
Victory in Sydney would equal the side's world record of 16 consecutive test wins.
- Reuters
