Confident Hughes guides Australia

Sri Lanka v Australia, 3rd Test, Colombo, 4th day

Tea Australia 316 and 127 for 2 (Hughes 78*, Ponting 0*) trail Sri Lanka 473 (Mathews 105*, Dilshan 83, Sangakkara 79, M Jayawardene 51, Siddle 4-91) by 30 runs
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	Angelo Mathews finished unbeaten on 105 © AFP Enlarge

Phillip Hughes made a confident half-century as Australia carved their way into Sri Lanka's lead, but two wickets gave the hosts some hope of the victory they need to level the series. At tea on the fourth day, Australia still trailed by 30 runs, and they were 127 for 2, with Hughes well set on 78 and Ricky Ponting yet to score.

The Australians had just lost Shaun Marsh in strange circumstances, when he was given out caught at bat-pad off the bowling of Rangana Herath for 18. Replays showed Marsh's gloves and bat were nowhere near the ball, but he did not choose to review the decision, which would suggest he either mistakenly thought he had made contact, or forgot the DRS was an option.

Either way, it was a good end to the session for Sri Lanka, after Marsh and Hughes put on 60 for the second wicket. Hughes was in fine form, and his driving through cover was especially strong. He also cleared the midwicket boundary with a slog off Herath and brought up his fifty with another slog sweep, this time off Tillakaratne Dilshan, from his 67th delivery.

It was a much-needed half-century for Hughes, who hadn't passed fifty in his past ten innings. He and Shane Watson had given Australia a strong start with a 62-run opening partnership that ended when Watson (21) took a huge stride forward and was given not out lbw to Herath, but the decision was overturned when Sri Lanka requested a review.

Sri Lanka needed something to go right after the first session significantly hurt their chances of victory, as Angelo Mathews crawled to his maiden Test century. They added only 45 runs to their overnight score in an hour and a half of batting, and were eventually dismissed for 473, with a 157-run lead. Their main concern was that they had to bowl Australia out a second time and then potentially chase a target, and by tea they had only four sessions to do it.

Mathews remained unbeaten on 105 after he lost three of his final four partners while en-route to triple figures. The Australians were happy to set the field back, knowing Mathews would not take singles early in an over to expose the No.11 Suranga Lakmal, and it was a long drawn-out process for him to post his first Test hundred.

Eventually, he got there from his 229th delivery with a drive through cover for four off Peter Siddle, and it was a relief for a man who had twice been out in the nineties. The final wicket fell when Lakmal was bowled by Mitchell Johnson for 13, after Siddle picked up the early breakthroughs.

Siddle started the day by bowling Eranga for 12 with a fullish ball that caught the inside edge and cannoned on to the leg stump, and he followed up by trapping Herath lbw for 3. Herath had the decision reviewed but to no avail, and a few overs later Chanaka Welegedara was run out in a major mix-up with Mathews.

Welegedara pushed to mid-on and took off for a single but ended up at the bowler's end alongside his partner Mathews, and the ball was relayed to Brad Haddin who whipped the bails off at the other end. The session went as well as Australia could have hoped, and although they lost two wickets before tea, on a good batting surface, time could still be on their side.