Australia chase quick runs

A long, tense and possibly engrossing final day beckons at Cairns, provided the weather holds and Australia's bowlers strike early. The sun is shining brightly and play has begun as scheduled, half an hour early, with quick runs the order of the morning. In Damien Martyn and Matthew Hayden, chasing a hundred in each innings for the second time in his Test career, Australia have just the men for the job. With Adam Gilchrist up his sleeve, the captain Ricky Ponting's intention will presumably be to whip up a lead of 330 or so, declare sometime before lunch, and bowl Sri Lanka out.

He will fancy his team's chances. A maximum of 105 overs have been allocated for today to make up for yesterday's rained-out first session. The capitulation of Sri Lanka's lower order yesterday afternoon will also have given him heart. And the pitch, though still eminently trustworthy, is not so flat as to preclude a late-afternoon thriller. This wicket has been the subject of much gibberish in this match; before the first day it was considered green and bouncy, ever since it has been deemed too easy-paced. It fell to Jason Gillespie last night to put things into perspective, while sounding a slightly ominous warning. "There's still that bounce," said Gillespie. "And bounce is very important."