S. Africa's Donald shines but Asutralia still in command
By Vic Mills
MELBOURNE (JP): Lacking the spite of previous days, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch has set up what could be a fascinating finish to this first Test between Australia and South Africa.
At stumps on the fourth day yesterday, South Africa was 79-1 chasing a target of 381 for victory. Australia had earlier been bowled out for 257 in its second innings with both Paul Reiffel and Allan Donald achieving career landmarks.
With the pitch relatively benign compared to the previous evening, the first hour of the morning belonged to Australia as Mark Taylor and Ricky Ponting regained the initiative with some spirited batting.
In the form of his young life, Ponting made his intentions clear by dancing down the wicket to force Pat Symcox through the covers. To deliveries dropped short, he simply rocked onto the back foot and pulled them gleefully through square leg.
Taylor, too, was not slow to go on the offensive as he brought up the Australian hundred with an imperious pull off Shaun Pollock. In the face of such resourceful batting the South African attack began to wilt.
There was more than a little relief then when a subtle change of pace by Pollock deceived Ponting (32) into hitting a return catch to leave Australia 106-5.
Undeterred, Taylor posted his 50 shortly after. The tide was turning, however, and three wickets in the hour before lunch brought South Africa back into contention.
With the score on 128, Taylor's (59) high-class innings came to a close when he pushed forward to Symcox and was caught by Daryll Cullinan at slip. Without addition to the score, Donald bowled Ian Healy (4) to leave Australia 128-7.
Shane Warne (10) hit out belligerently until he became Donald's fifth victim of the innings as he arrowed a catch to Symcox in the gully. It was Donald's 9th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and his second against Australia. The dismissal also drew Donald level with Hugh Tayfield as South Africa's leading Test bowler with 170 wickets.
A morning of ebb and flow saw Australia go to lunch on 146-8, the overall lead a tantalizing 269.
Runs
In sharp contrast to what had gone before, the afternoon brought a veritable avalanche of runs as Australia's last two wickets added 111 to effectively put the game beyond South Africa.
Paul Reiffel and Michael Kasprowicz, in carefree manner, added 62 for the ninth wicket with shots running the full range from regal to rustic. Their partnership took the gloss off Donald's eventual elevation to leading wicket-taker in South African Test history with the dismissal of Kasprowicz (19).
The fun was still not over, however, as a further 49 was added for the last wicket before Pollock had Paul McGrath (19) caught in the slips to leave Australia 257 all out, and South Africa needing 381 to win or to bat out four sessions to draw.
Reiffel (79) received a standing ovation from the 18,895 in attendance as he marched off the MCG with his highest Test score, while Donald shared the applause with his best Test figures against Australia of 6-59 from 27 overs.
Nor had Reiffel finished as, shortly after tea, he found the gap between Gary Kirsten's bat and pad to bowl the hero of the first innings for a duck. The wicket was the Victorian's 100th in Test cricket.
The dismissal brought together two of South Africa's young guns in Adam Bacher and Jacques Kallis. Belying their lack of form, they began in positive fashion, picking up the runs where offered and looking increasingly solid in defense.
The introduction of Warne brought few terrors as the slowness of the pitch and lack of bounce allowed the batsmen time to adjust their shots.
Taking full advantage of the conditions, South Africa was 79-1 at stumps with Bacher (34) and Kallis (40) unbeaten and looking the part.
With a fascinating final day in prospect, South Africa needs an improbable 302 runs for victory, while Australia must take nine wickets. Given that the pitch may still have the last laugh, Australia looks the more likely to go one up in this three-Test series.