Tasmanian captain Ricky Ponting used it as an opportunity to make history. And Jamie Cox used it as another chance to continue banging down the door for Australian selection.

But it has to be said that the fourth and final day of this Pura Cup match between New South Wales and Tasmania otherwise carried something of an air of uselessness as it inexorably resulted in a high-scoring draw.

Ponting celebrated a cool but sunny day here at the Sydney Cricket Ground by scoring twin centuries in a match for the fifth time in his first-class career. In so doing, he became the first Australian to achieve the feat as many times, snatching for himself a record that he had previously shared with Sir Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Stuart Law and Cox himself.

Though it was only constructed before a small crowd - herded into a tiny section of the ground - his 154 was a masterpiece in concentration and execution.

His strokeplay was just as effortless, in fact, as it had been in his first innings contribution of 126. Other than for a tired, top edged pull that finally brought about his undoing, the only real hint of a false stroke came with his score at 55 as he was nearly caught behind fiddling at a delivery down the leg side from left arm spinner Mark Higgs (0/46).

Cox's score of 80 also came from another fine innings, though it was a little rusty at times by his own high standards. He was dropped twice and played and missed more than once outside the line of off stump. The almost inevitable outcome was yet another big score against an opponent that he has grown to love.

Captains old and new complemented a 77-run stand for the opening wicket between Cox and Dene Hills (32) by forging another 127-run union for the second to ensure that Tasmania's progression to a finishing score of 3/356 was always going to be smooth.

Though the only sting left in the game by now was the one coming from the howling southerly wind ripping across the ground, there was time enough for Shane Watson (58*) to bat attractively and for Don Nash (2/62) to grab his first two wickets of the match. But there was no confusion by then that proceedings would be called off half an hour early.

"We knew this morning that we had to go out there and bowl them out," lamented New South Wales captain Shane Lee.

"I thought that if we could have got one or two quick wickets - particularly get Cox out and Ponting - anything was a chance. Unfortunately, that just didn't happen.

"We've got to lift a lot for our next game. We dropped five catches overall and that's too much in a first-class game. We definitely paid for that."

Where Ponting's batting was encouraging for Australian followers ahead of the opening Test against New Zealand on 8 November, the bowling of paceman Glenn McGrath (1/35) would also have heartened those close to the team. Though he only claimed the wicket of Hills - to a dubious lbw decision - his line and length was generally impeccable and he looked to be returning to something approaching his best.

At the end of a frustrating week, leg spinner Stuart MacGill (0/88) also bowled tidily. His figures would have been substantially improved if Michael Bevan had not spilled a mistimed cut by Cox (then on 27) or if he had held a sharp, low caught and bowled chance offered by the same batsman two runs later.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd