02 March, 2009

Jacques Kallis South Africa's hopes of saving the first Test match against Australia at the Wanderers lay in the balance after day four, with the wickets of Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie in the final session leaving the tourists firmly in command.

The Proteas reached stumps at 2-178 in pursuit of an unlikely 454, but the dismissal of the captain especially, for a well-played 69 will certainly hurt them going into the final day.

After reaching tea at 57 without loss, McKenzie was first to go with the score on 76 when he edged a full delivery from Mitchell Johnson to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for 35.

Hashim Amla then came in and survived an early scare when he was almost run out after pushing Andrew McDonald straight to Michael Clarke at cover point, with the fielder narrowly missing the stumps as the batsman's hesitation left him well short of his crease.

But he survived and together with Smith, who brought up his half-century in 84 balls, took the score to 130, before the captain attempted to pull a short ball from Ben Hilfenhaus and only succeeded in top-edging to Johnson at mid-on.

But Amla (43) and Jacques Kallis (26) remained unbeaten at the close to help the hosts reduce the target on the final day - which will be 98 overs due to time lost over the previous three days - to 276.

Earlier, Kallis starred with the ball, taking three wickets and a stunning catch to help his side dismiss the tourists for 207 in their second innings.

The all-rounder claimed the wickets of Ricky Ponting (25), Michael Hussey (nought) and Marcus North (five) in a five-over burst that went for 22 - with Makhaya Ntini and Paul Harris also contributing to the cause with three and two scalps each.

Phillip Hughes, who is playing in his first match, made a rather fortunate 75, but watched as his country slipped from being 1-99 at one stage, to losing eight wickets for 75 runs by the time the extended morning session had ended.

After surviving when he gloved a Morne Morkel delivery to Mark Boucher for 21 late on Saturday - no-one, including umpire Billy Bowden, spotted the edge - the 20-year-old again received a let-off when the same thing happened on Sunday with his score on 36.

However, he rode his luck and went on to bring up his 50 in 85 balls when he punched Morkel for four through mid-off, before completing a half-century stand with Ponting as Australia looked the only side in the game.

But Kallis was then brought into the attack for the first time and his introduction proved a masterstroke move by captain Smith as he struck with the last two balls in the 27th over.

First the all-rounder tempted Ponting into pulling a shorter, slower delivery that he only succeeded in guiding straight to Amla at deep square-leg.

He followed that up with another short ball to Hussey, who could only top edge after he tried to pull the ball away and was snapped up by Ntini at square leg.

Kallis then pulled off a stunning catch two deliveries later when he took a sharp one-handed chance to his right at first slip to send Clarke on his way for a second ball duck.

Harris was the bowler this time, enticing the Australia vice-captain into a thick outside edge off a nicely flighted delivery.

First-innings centurion North survived the hat-trick delivery from Kallis, but could do nothing with the fifth ball of the over, which was pitched short but failed to rise as North expected before crashing into his off stump as the score quickly changed from 1-99 to 5-104.

Another superb catch ended Hughes' brave 123-ball stay, with AB de Villiers this time plucking a one-handed blinder with his left hand inches from the ground at leg slip after the debutant opener tried to turn the ball around the corner.

McDonald lasted just 11 deliveries before he was on his way after edging a wider Ntini delivery on the drive straight to Boucher for seven.


It could have been worse for the tourists an over later when Haddin was given out to Harris leg before wicket by umpire Bowden, but after calling for a review was deemed not out by Asad Rauf.

Ntini though did capture the eighth wicket in his very next over when his angled delivery to Johnson took a regulation edge straight to Kallis for one.

And the same bowler then had Haddin out caught by Boucher in the penultimate over before lunch for a vital 37, before Dale Steyn wrapped up the last wicket 20 minutes after the interval when he cleaned up Hilfenhaus for 16, leaving Peter Siddle unbeaten on 22.

South Africa began the massive run chase solidly with Smith and McKenzie helping it reach tea at 57 without loss.

The Proteas openers were largely untroubled in their pursuit, with the only real scare coming in the first over when Johnson struck the home captain with a seaming delivery on the pads and his opposite number Ponting decided to refer the decision after Bowden gave not out.

It proved the right call with replays clearly showing the ball making contact outside the line of the off-stump as the two batsmen continued to bat fluently to give their side real hope of at least saving the match.