Lee strikes as Australia take control

HOBART, November 18: Australia were on track to stretch their winning Test run to 14 matches on Sunday with victory expected over beleaguered Sri Lanka in the second Test at the Bellerive Oval.
Spearheaded by paceman Brett Lee, the Australians cleaned up the tourists for 246 for a massive 296-run first innings lead, bolstered to 407 runs by stumps after skipper Ricky Ponting opted against enforcing the follow-on to refresh his bowlers.
At the close, Australia were 111 for one with in-form opener Phil Jaques chasing his third consecutive century on 53 and Ponting on seven. Muttiah Muralitharan claimed his 704th Test wicket, having Matthew Hayden leg before wicket for 33, to leave him just four wickets adrift of Shane Warne’s world record of 708 wickets.
Lee, man-of-the-match with eight wickets in last week’s Brisbane Test win, again spearheaded the Australian attack with 4-82 off 23.2 overs for the home side to take a firm grip on the Test.
"I’m really pleased with the way I’m bowling now. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am fitness-wise, especially after my ankle surgery," Lee said.
Mahela Jayawardene played a captain’s knock with a fighting 104, his 19th Test century and first against Australia as wickets tumbled around him.
Pacer supports skipper’s decision not to enforce follow-on
Brett Lee has supported Ricky Ponting’s decision not to enforce the follow-on in the Hobart Test despite the temptation of chasing a quick kill. "Ricky came down to me when they were about eight wickets down and said that we would have a bat if we got the last two wickets pretty quickly," Lee told a news conference on Sunday. "It’s just the fact that it was back-to-back Tests and back-to-back innings as well. The bowlers have all pulled up brilliantly after this first innings but it’s a precaution to make sure the bowlers are all looked after, go home and have a good night’s sleep and come back tomorrow at some stage."