Clarke ton to beat Ponting best

MELBOURNE: Captain Michael Clarke trumped Ricky Ponting as Australia's highest run scorer in a calendar year with another century as his team clamped an iron grip on the second Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Clarke eclipsed Ponting's previous national record of 1,544 runs and went on to score 106 to continue his stellar 2012 as another heavy defeat loomed for the hapless Sri Lankans in Melbourne after losing the opening Test by 137 runs.

At the close on the second day Australia were 440 for eight, with 200-wicket paceman Mitchell Johnson -- enjoying a great all-round match -- on 73 and Nathan Lyon yet to score. It was Johnson's seventh Test half-century.

Australia had extended their lead over the tourists to 284 runs with two wickets intact. They left the undermanned Sri Lanka, skittled for 156 off 43.4 overs on Wednesday, looking down the barrel of defeat on the third day.

"It's nice to get that monkey off my back to get my first hundred in Melbourne," Clarke said.

"In regards to beating Ricky, in my eyes he was certainly the greatest batsman I was lucky enough to play with, so to beat any record that Ricky holds is very special, that's for sure."

Clarke went into the Melbourne Test needing 56 runs to break Ponting's national record and has now amassed 1,595 runs at 106.33 in Australia's final Test of the year.

Only Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf (1,788), West Indian Viv Richards (1,710) and South Africa's Graeme Smith (1,656) have scored more runs than Clarke in a calendar year.

"Numbers have never really bothered me too much," Clarke said. "It's nice to be making runs and leading by example as one of the leaders in the team and the captain of the team, but to me it's about winning games."

Clarke was finally caught by rival skipper Mahela Jayawardene in the slips off Shaminda Eranga after 251 minutes at the crease.

The Australian captain, who was in doubt ahead of the game with a hamstring injury, has also scored a triple century and three double centuries in an extraordinary year. (AFP)