CARDIFF, (Reuters) – Australia captain Ricky Ponting  and opener Simon Katich scored unbeaten centuries during a  second wicket partnership of 189 on the second day of the first  Ashes test against England yesterday.

At the close, Australia had reached 249 for one in reply to  England’s 435 all out with Ponting on 100 and Katich on 104.

Ponting, who became the fourth man to score 11,000 test  runs, scrambled a single to reach his 38th test hundred off the  penultimate ball of the day. Katich’s painstaking innings, his  eighth test century, lasted nearly 4-1/2 hours.

England captain Andrew Strauss rotated his bowlers, adjusted  his fields and tried every ploy he could think of but was denied  a breakthrough by the combination of a slow pitch and the skill  and unremitting concentration of the two Australians.

Andrew Flintoff, returning to the team after a knee  operation, took the only wicket to fall during a magnificent  six-over spell immediately after lunch.

Australia opener Phillip Hughes, who scored 415 runs at  69.16 in his debut series in South Africa this year, gave a  glimpse of his penchant for the unorthodox by slashing four  boundaries through the off-side before lunch.

After the interval Strauss threw the ball to Flintoff and  the big all-rounder responded by charging in from around the  wicket from the River end and bowling four bouncers in his  opening over.

He regularly exceeded 145km an hour, beat Hughes several  times outside the off-stump and dropped Katich on 10 from a  difficult return chance low to his right hand.

Flintoff was finally rewarded when Hughes, who had scored  only eight runs in 24 deliveries after lunch to reach 36, edged  a catch to wicketkeeper Matt Prior who took a fine catch low to  his right.

Graeme Swann, whose breezy 47 not out from 40 balls in the  morning session helped push England beyond 400, bowled five  maiden overs in a row from the Cathedral Road end.

But the Australian batsmen resolutely refused to take any  chances with Katich content to work the ball both sides of the  pitch and Ponting pushing it for singles with the occasional  swift-footed pull.

James Anderson failed to get the ball to swing, Monty  Panesar’s left-arm spin proved innocuous and fast bowler Stuart  Broad left the field for treatment on a calf strain.

At the start of the day England added 99 in 16.5 overs after  resuming on 336 for seven.

Swann added 68 for the ninth wicket with James Anderson (26)  and looked set to reach his second test half-century when Monty  Panesar was caught at slip by Ponting off off-spinner Nathan  Hauritz for four.