Hove (England), June 25: Australia XI’s pace quartet reduced Sussex to 219/6 by tea on Day Two of their Ashes tour opener in Hove on Thursday.

Australia XI captain Ricky Ponting, having declared on his side’s overnight score of 349/7, got the best out of his pacemen to take three wickets before lunch, and the feat was repeated after the break.

Siddle (2/33) and fellow quick Ben Hilfenhaus reduced Sussex to 98/3 at lunch. Tasmania’s Hilfenhaus took the first wicket to fall when, in only Friday’s fourth over, he nipped one back off the seam to have Sussex captain Michael Yardy leg before playing no stroke.

Left-hander Ed Joyce, the former England batsman, seemed comfortable enough against the pace of Brett Lee but did not last long against Siddle after he was hurried into a pull shot which he skied to short fine leg where wicketkeeper Brad Haddin took a good catch on the run. Haddin, whose 69 on Wednesday helped Australians recover from a top-order collapse, then took an even better catch when he dived in front of first slip to hold a one-handed chance after Carl Hopkinson had played away from his body against Siddle.

Chris Nash went for a stylish 45 to Stuart Clark (3/46), before Luke Wright (22) and Rory Hamilton-Brown (37) fell to Brett Lee (2/46). Australians have one more match, against the England Lions next week, before the first Ashes Test starts in Cardiff on July 8.

— Agencies