Milestones
It was not just Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey who left batting records trailing in their wake, Stuart Clark and Brett Lee rubbed salt into gaping England wounds by battering 50 runs in 34 minutes to establish a ninth-wicket record against England at the Gabba.
Magic moment
Stuart Clark, a handy No 10, sent the crowd into raptures when he struck successive balls from James Anderson for six over long-on. England’s noses had been well rubbed in it.
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Shot of the day
From that man Ricky Ponting again. His on-driving throughout his innings was worthy of masterclass status and one such shot early in the day off James Anderson was an absolute joy. Dismissing him for less than 200 was a small triumph for England amid 71/2 hours’ torture.
Ball of the day
Matthew Hoggard’s superb inswinger from around the wicket that curled into Adam Gilchrist to have him leg-before for a duck, England’s one satisfying moment of the day.
Pitch report
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Conditions were still good for batting, although Ponting felt that the pitch was harder work than on the first day. Minimal seam movement for the pace bowlers, but plenty of bounce and good carry for edges. A dry surface has some cracks beginning to open up. Turn expected for Shane Warne.
Crowd report
The attendance of 39,315 represented another ground record. The Australia supporters again drowned out much of the noise made by their England counterparts.
Numbers game
20.11 Adam Gilchrist’s average in his past ten innings against England after his duck yesterday — 49 not out is his highest score. He has scored only 181 runs against them since the start of the 2005 Ashes.
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32.09 The percentage of Stephen Harmison’s balls that the batsmen left alone. They left 60 out of 187 balls, an indication that he was bowling far too wide.
106.5 Brett Lee’s batting average at the Gabba after scores of 62 not out, 61, 47 and 43 not out in his past four innings. He has the second highest average for an Australian at the Gabba, behind Greg Chappell’s 111.77.
196 Ricky Ponting’s highest score against England, beating his match-saving 156 at Old Trafford last year.
209 The partnership between Ponting and Mike Hussey was the highest for the fourth wicket at the Gabba, beating the 198 between Alvin Kallicharran and Lawrence Rowe, of West Indies, in 1975.
602-9 The third highest total at the Gabba. Before this Test, there had been three totals in excess of 600 at Brisbane and Australia had scored all of them: 645 and 601 for eight against England in 1946 and 1954, and 607 for six against New Zealand in 1993.
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(Exclusive Ashes statistics supplied in association with cricinfo.com)