01 March, 2009

Mitchell Johnson An unbeaten century from AB de Villiers was South Africa's only positive on the third day of the opening Test against Australia at the Wanderers, with the tourists reaching 1-51 when bad light stopped play - an overall lead of 297.

Responding to the massive 466 set by Ricky Ponting's team in the first innings, the home side endured a mid-morning collapse, before eventually being bowled out for 220 - a 246-run deficit and still 47 runs short of avoiding the follow-on.

But the visitors decided against putting their hosts back in, and by the time the bad light and heavy rain arrived, they had just crossed the half-century mark for the loss of Simon Katich, who got a fine edge off Morne Morkel to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for 10.

Debutant opener Phillip Hughes, who made a duck in his first innings, was 36 not out alongside captain Ponting as they took Australia to a position of total control.

Earlier, two wickets in four deliveries of the 58th over from Mitchell Johnson helped his team take charge after he had JP Duminy (17) and Mark Boucher (0) both caught by Brad Haddin in the seventh of a nine-over spell.

Resuming on 3-85 overnight, Neil McKenzie added just one more run to his score before he was dismissed in the fourth over of the morning.

Peter Siddle was the bowler, delivering a good ball that cut back off the pitch and hit the Proteas opener just below the knee roll with umpire Steve Bucknor having no doubt in giving the batsman out leg before wicket.

McKenzie was not convinced, though, and opted to use the first of two available referrals, which proved a wrong decision as he was given out for 36.

In Siddle's next over, he fired in a short ball to Duminy that looked to have clipped something along the way to Haddin, but after Ponting decided to go upstairs, he then reversed his call after the camera required for the replay broke down.

The South Africa batsman then received another let off when Ponting put down a relatively comfortable chance at second slip when he was on 13.

But the hosts threw away any initiative that had been slowly developing when Duminy, who added four more runs after that chance, tried to guide a leg-side delivery from Johnson past Haddin, but only succeeded in gloving the ball to the wicketkeeper.

Three deliveries later the same two Australian players combined to dismiss Boucher, who feathered behind for a duck - the South Africa batsman challenging Billy Bowden's call, but his fate was confirmed by third umpire Asad Rauf.

Morkel was next to follow when he tried to pull a short delivery from Siddle and only succeeded in a tame top-edge that was snapped up by the bowler for two.

In the very next over Marcus North picked up his first Test wicket by trapping Paul Harris leg before for one as Australia turned the screw on the hosts.

Resuming after lunch, Dale Steyn and De Villiers began their attempt to again rebuild.

The South African No.5 was dropped by Haddin soon after lunch, off the bowling of Siddle, when the New South Wales gloveman dived in front of North at first slip only to spill the chance.

De Villiers had one other scare in the early nineties when Ponting decided to refer a decision by Bowden not to give him out leg before wicket off an Andrew McDonald delivery, which proved the correct call by the on-field umpire.


The two then brought up the 50 partnership in 82 balls, but three balls later, Steyn's determined effort came to an end when he gave McDonald his first wicket of the game by edging him to North for 17.

De Villiers continued his charge towards an eighth Test century in his 50th match for his country, bringing up his ton in 181 deliveries in the first over with the new ball, when he pulled a short one from Ben Hilfenhaus through mid-wicket for four.

In the next over, Johnson cleaned up Makhaya Ntini for one, leaving his partner not out on 104 as the hosts were all out for 220 - still 47 short of the follow-on, which the tourists decided not to enforce.

Johnson was the pick of the bowlers claiming 4-25 in 18.1 overs, while Siddle bagged 3-76 in 21.