Day 2: Atherton cracks first 200 as England pile on the runs

The former England captain garnered a chanceless 210 before, as acting captain, he called off the run fest against a depleted Australian attack.

At the close on a second day reduced to three hours play by rain, the Australians were 30 without loss in reply to England's 469 for six declared. Test fringe contenders Matthew Elliott and Greg Blewett were on 14 and 11 respectively.

While Atherton's focused innings was probably the more significant, it was Graeme Hick's 125 that provided the entertainment.

But given the sorry state of the Australian attack, with Michael Kasprowicz, Paul Reiffel and Gavin Robertson injured and Brendon Julian the only available frontline bowler, the two innings probably meant little from a Test point of view.

Nevertheless Atherton's long innings of enormous concentration, interspersed with flowing off drives, suggests he is due for a decent Test score.

Until this match, Atherton was averaging only 19 after three Tests with a highest score of 41.

The stoic Lancashire opener batted for 483 minutes, faced 350 balls and hit 26 boundaries.

Atherton's previous highest first-class score was 199 in 1992 for Lancashire against Durham.

Hick, with a long history of disappointing form for England and an even longer one of terrorising ordinary bowlers, had a lively time.

Once he settled in he tore into the spare-parts bowlers, first with some imperious off drives and increasingly with enormous slogs.

He raced from 42 to 92 in a mere 18 balls. During that onslaught he passed 30,000 runs in first class cricket.

After being dropped by Stuart Law on 94, he charged on to his century and then went in grand style.

He took 22, including successive sixes, off the first five balls of a Michael Bevan over before being caught on the sixth on the long-off boundary by Nathan Webb, a 17-year-old Tasmanian and one of three substitutes on the field.

Webb completed an auspicious introduction to the elite company by taking a smart catch at cover to dismiss wicketkeeper Warren Hegg shortly afterwards, at which point Atherton called a halt to the slaughter.

Elliott and Blewett were untroubled in the 11 overs remaining, even though Alex Tudor, who worried the Australians in the second Test on Perth's pacy WACA wicket, made a few balls lift sharply.