South African cricket team in Australia in 2005-06
Encyclopedia
The South African cricket team toured Australia for cricket
matches during the 2005–06 season. South Africa
had already played two One Day International series during this season, beating New Zealand
4–0 at home before travelling to India
and drawing the series there 2–2. The team had been playing 14 successive ODIs (tour matches excluded) before arriving in Australia, with their last Test match
against West Indies
in April and May 2005. South Africa played one first class warm-up match, one three-day warm-up match without first class status, and one one-day
match before they embarked on the three-Test series, which began on 16 December and ended on 6 January. They also participated in the 2005–06 VB Series
, a three-team one-day tournament, along with Australia and Sri Lanka
, where they finished last.
The hosts Australia
, meanwhile, came off a win in the Frank Worrell Trophy
Test series against West Indies in November, where they won all three matches in the series. They also spent a week in New Zealand playing three ODIs for the Chappell–Hadlee Trophy while South Africa played their first warm-up games; Australia won that trophy after winning two of the three ODIs.
South Africa started with a draw, batting out 126 overs
in the fourth innings to draw the match at the WACA
, though they finished on a total of five for 287, well short of the winning target of 491. In the second Test match, South Africa trailed by 44 on first innings, but a century from Matthew Hayden
took Australia to a lead of 365 before declaring
, and Shane Warne
took four wickets in the second innings as Australia bowled their way to a 184-run win. South Africa came back to earn a lead of 92 on first innings in the third Test at the SCG
, but after 70 fourth-day overs were lost due to rain South Africa declared in the first session of the fifth day to give themselves a chance of victory and a series win. However, Ricky Ponting
hit 143 not out
to become the first batsman to hit centuries in both innings of his 100th Test, and in the process took Australia past the winning target to secure a 2–0 win.
South Africa
began their tour on 5 December, 11 days before the first Test match, with a three-day tour match against Western Australia, who were still without a win in the first class form of the game. However, an elbow injury to Jacques Kallis
and a finger injury to Graeme Smith
weakened the tourists' batting, and Adam Voges
hit 101 for Western Australia, putting on 156 in 43.2 overs with Marcus North
. Western Australia were three for 73 at lunch after Andre Nel
, Shaun Pollock
and Charl Langeveldt
had grabbed a wicket each, but Nel and Langeveldt were both taken for four runs an over, with only Langeveldt getting any further wickets, to end with four for 104. Nicky Boje
also got one wicket before Justin Langer
declared the innings closed on eight for 391. South Africa added 71 in the first 21 overs, but first class debutant Shawn Gillies
, born in Jamaica
, then had two wickets in his first over in first class cricket. Cricket Australia's report described Gillies' bowling as "continually troubling the batsmen" . Ben Edmondson
then took the next three wickets either side of the tea break, and spinner Beau Casson
rounded it off with four wickets, leaving South Africa all out for 179. Following on
212 behind, South Africa's batsmen yielded eight catches, with three wickets falling in six overs after lunch on day three, and Ashwell Prince
's 49 remained their top score thus far on tour as they were bowled out for 164 in the second innings. Beau Casson
took another four-wicket-haul, ending with eight wickets for the match (though number five Justin Kemp
was his highest-batting victim), while Steve Magoffin
ended with three for 37. Gillies was only called upon to bowl four overs, conceding 17 without taking a wicket, as Western Australia recorded their first first-class win of the season. Graeme Smith, South Africa's captain, claimed that he did not think the result was "a concern", and was confident his side would do "the hard work going into the first Test" .
The third match of the South Africans' tour was also against Western Australia, but this time against a team containing only two of the players they had played the previous week, and none of the players that had players the Warriors' recent Pura Cup
game. Yet, the Western Australia team outscored them on first innings after 145 from 20-year-old Luke Pomersbach, which gave them a lead of eight before declaring. Jacques Rudolph
then made a double ton for the South Africans, who scored 395 runs despite four wickets from Matthew Petrie, and Western Australia lost one wicket in reply before time ran out and the match ended in a draw.
After three warm-up matches, with one win, one draw and one loss, the South African team was ready for the top-ranked Australians, though they had to make do without Jacques Kallis
. After the early wicket of Matthew Hayden
who mis-timed a shot to Jacques Rudolph
in the gully on his second ball, Australia batted to lunch with no further loss, and having added 96 in the first 26 overs before lunch they continued with 15 in four overs after it - before Justin Langer
top edged a shot to Graeme Smith
, and Makhaya Ntini
had his second wicket.
He was to get more - after Shaun Pollock
had removed Ricky Ponting
lbw
for 71, Brad Hodge
and Mike Hussey batted together until tea, with the score on three for 175. But Ntini took three wickets with thirteen balls, had Hodge, Hussey and Adam Gilchrist
all caught, and despite a stand of 33 between Shane Warne
and Brett Lee
, Australia were bowled out for 258 after Andre Nel
took a brace including Nathan Bracken
and Glenn McGrath
in the 76th over.
South Africa batted for seven overs before stumps on day one, and Brett Lee
was taken out of the attack after two of them, having conceded 15 with two no-balls; he came back to bowl 20.2 overs on the second day, more than any bowler bar Shane Warne
, and got five wickets on the day, his sixth career five-wicket-haul. Cricinfo journalist Siddartha Vaidyanathan claimed that the "pendulum [of control in the game] oscillated to and fro" on the second day, as South Africa first cut 55 runs off the target in 12.3 overs, before a wide one from Bracken found the edge of Graeme Smith
's bat and went to the hand of Ponting at second slip
for 34.
The next 14 overs saw slower scoring, as de Villiers and Gibbs put on 44, before Gibbs inside edged for 21. It was Gibbs' fifth innings at number three in the order, and he has still not passed 50 at this position. None of the following three batsmen in the order managed to pass 30, either, and Jacques Rudolph
and Justin Kemp
came and went in single figures to see South Africa were six for 185, and still needed 73 for a first-innings lead.
Those runs were taken by Shaun Pollock
and Mark Boucher
, who put on 77 together in a stand described as "sizzling" by Vaidyanathan - the two hit six fours in four overs after tea, before Lee returned to have Pollock bowled off the inside edge. Boucher put on 18 in the next half-hour with Andre Nel
, and Makhaya Ntini
hit 12 from ten balls as South Africa closed on 296, with a lead of 38. Those runs were exactly matched by Australia, but once again Hayden was dismissed for a sub-25 score, as he top edged to wicket-keeper Boucher for 20. Brett Lee
was left as nightwatchman
, and Langeveldt bowled a no-ball to level the scores two balls before the end of the day.
Australia's middle order performed much better in the second innings than in the first, however. After Lee had been dismissed for 32, Australia were two for 86, and after Ponting survived a catch off a ball that was incorrectly deemed a no-ball according to TV replays, Ponting made his way to 53, and by tea Australia were four for 185 with Hussey and Hodge at the crease.
The Test debutant Hodge, who had contributed with a two-hour 41 in the first innings, survived a dropped catch on 13 – and never looked back. He added an unbroken 126 with Hussey before stumps on day three, made his century off 198 balls on the fourth morning despite Hussey departing in the second over of the day, and took a further 134 balls to make it a double. Ponting then declared, and tea was taken with an Australian total of eight for 528 – which set a target of 491 for South Africa, which would have been a world record chase. With both openers out before the end of the fourth day, South Africa needed a further 406 runs to win for their last eight wickets.
With a victory out of the question, South Africa entered the fifth day with only one objective: survival. The Proteas' remaining eight batsmen would have to bat out ninety overs in over six hours. Gibbs was dismissed 12 overs into the morning session, caught low-down at slip by Warne off the bowling of Brett Lee for 33, and just before the luncheon interval Ashwell Prince
was also dismissed after an innings lasting 55 minutes and yielding eight runs. Warne was the perpetrator, and he got his fifth wicket for the match as South Africa went into lunch with the score at four for 140.
However, the afternoon session brought no wickets to Australia, as Jacques Rudolph
and Justin Kemp
scored 50 runs in a session lasting 28 overs. Rudolph bought up his half-century during this time, his 50 coming off 150 deliveries, and South Africa were four for 190 at tea, with only about thirty overs until the close of play. Australia needed a wicket every five overs, but instead, they only got one in the whole session; the 112-run partnership between Rudolph and Kemp was broken late in the final session, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne combining to dismiss Kemp for 55 (166 balls, 213 minutes). With only a handful of overs remaining, Rudolph brought up a century, his 102 coming from 283 balls and 431 minutes. Rudolph and Mark Boucher batted out the remaining overs, and Australia and South Africa would go into Melbourne's
Boxing Day Test with the series drawn at 0–0. The Melbourne Herald Sun claimed in their post-match report that the Australian captain Ponting "was dealing with one of the biggest blunders of his career", after Australia failed to win the match, and that Terry Alderman
accused Ponting of "a lack of imagination".
Justin Kemp
failed a fitness test before the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
, while Jacques Kallis
recovered from an elbow injury and would take Kemp's place. For Australia, Phil Jaques
made his debut, replacing the injured Justin Langer
. Spin bowler Stuart MacGill
also replaced pacer Nathan Bracken
. However, after Australia's captain Ponting had won the toss and set Jaques in to bat with Matthew Hayden, Shaun Pollock got a breakthrough in the third over by having Jaques caught at short leg, and Ponting had to start batting in the fourth over. South Africa could have had another wicket three balls later, as Ponting edged through the spread-out slips cordon
, and Ponting was also dropped on 17 by Andre Nel
.
Ponting and Hayden batted until lunch, however, adding 58 in 17 overs before the break was taken, and a further 37 overs was played in the afternoon session. Through 34 of them, Australia lost no further wicket, before Hayden edged a ball from Pollock to Graeme Smith
at slip for 65. Pollock got one further wicket on the day, removing Brad Hodge
for 7 with the score at three for 176, but Ponting stuck in, getting his 26th Test century in the 68th over. He pushed on to 117 before he was caught off Nel, who paid back for his dropped catch with four wickets in eight overs; he also got Andrew Symonds for a duck
, Adam Gilchrist for two and Shane Warne for nine. Makhaya Ntini
then ended the day five balls before the scheduled minimum of 90 overs by having Brett Lee
lbw
on four, which left Mike Hussey not out on 23 overnight with Stuart MacGill and Glenn McGrath (both with Test batting average
s below 10) yet to bat.
On the second morning, MacGill came in to bat with Hussey, and departed in the third over having made four. McGrath was more stubborn, however, totalling 11 not out
in his 28-over, 107-run stand with Hussey, who batted until lunch and made 122. The stand of 107 was an Australian tenth-wicket record in Tests against South Africa. South Africa then batted out the day, scoring 169 in 58 overs with both AB de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs
completing half-centuries, while Andrew Symonds
bowled the most overs of the three spinners with 13.
On the third day, Brett Lee
took two South African middle-order wickets, getting Kallis and Rudolph bowled
before Mark Boucher
settled in with the top-scorer of the innings, Gibbs. The two batted together for 11 overs, but Symonds removed them both within three overs before getting Shaun Pollock
lbw
for 9. His seven-over spell yielded three wickets, and spinners Warne and MacGill took care of the last batsmen as South Africa were bowled out for 311. Australia closed the third day on two for 110, with Matthew Hayden
on 45, and he continued onto his century on the fourth day.
Hayden and Hussey shared a stand of 62 in 23 overs after Hodge was dismissed early on, but when Graeme Smith
had Hussey caught, Hayden and Symonds hit out. Symonds hit a six with his third ball, a straight loft, and the pair hit eight sixes and 124 runs in 85 balls. Jacques Kallis
then had three men caught in an over with the new ball, and Australia declared with a lead of 365. Symonds continued on his efforts with the bat, and according to Cricinfo journalist Anand Vasu, he lifted "Australia to within a dreadlock's breadth of victory" . After Smith, de Villiers and Gibbs had been dismissed by the experienced bowlers of Warne and McGrath, South Africa were three for 58, and needed a rebuilding effort from Kallis and Ashwell Prince
. However, after 39 minutes of batting, Kallis dabbled at a ball outside off, and the ball caught the edge and went into Gilchrist's hands to leave South Africa four down. Symonds got a further wicket, ending with 4–2–6–2, and another wicket fell before the close of play, as Australia needed four more wickets on the fifth day for victory. South Africa, meanwhile, needed 267 runs.
South Africa lasted a little more than a session, with Shaun Pollock
batting for two and a half hours in a futile attempt to save the draw. However, Ashwell Prince
departed just before the drinks break, dismissed by Warne for the fourth time in the series, and Boje held out for an hour before edging a ball from McGrath onto his stumps for 13. One over after lunch, it was all over, with Makhaya Ntini
bowled by MacGill as South Africa were all out for 181, losing by 184 runs and going 0–1 down before the third and final Test in Sydney.
South Africa
batted first at the SCG
after winning the toss, in conditions that were "ideal for seam bowling" according to Cricinfo journalist S Rajesh . No play was possibly before lunch due to drizzle, and when play started overhead conditions were cloudy and the pitch was visibly green. It enabled Australia to take three wickets in the first session, with AB de Villiers caught behind for two in the sixth over off Brett Lee
. Lee was also able to grab Graeme Smith
, leaving South Africa at three for 86, but Ashwell Prince
and Jacques Kallis
batted out the six overs until the tea break, before enjoying conditions that "gradually became batsman-friendly" . The two put on 146 unbeaten runs on the first day to take South Africa to three for 230 at stumps.
Though Brett Lee
opened the second day's play with what was described as a "torrid spell" , where he had the batsmen beaten and hit on the body, and even had a "legitimate lbw shout" against Kallis when on 85. Kallis went on to make 111 before he was caught off the bowling of Symonds
(his only wicket of the innings), while his batting partner, Prince, registered his third Test century before he was given out for 119 to a ball that "would have missed off" . Prince and Kallis' partnership was a South African fourth-wicket record against Australia , while Australia's slow bowlers, Warne and MacGill, ended with a combined analysis of three wickets for 208. In the final session of the day, Shaun Pollock
and Test debutant Johan Botha (who had come in for the injured Ntini
) put on 49 for the eighth wicket to take South Africa past 400, and they eventually declared on nine for 451. Then, the last hour of the second day yielded three wickets, with Langer
and Hayden
inside edging Langeveldt
to be bowled before the last ball of the day was fended to short leg to see Hodge
out for 6. Australia were three for 54, still 397 behind.
On the third day, a century from Ponting
and late hitting from Gilchrist
helped Australia to limit the deficit and prevent the follow on, but they were still behind on first innings. An hour's play was lost due to rain, but when it did start Ponting and Hussey batted together for two and a half hours, adding 130 before Botha got his first Test wicket when a straighter ball from the spinner had Hussey caught behind. The Cricinfo report claimed that Hussey was "extremely lucky to survive an lbw shout on 9 off Nel" , but he did go on to make 45; Ponting was on 97 when the partnership was broken, and brought up the century with a flick wide of mid-on. He thus became the sixth man to score a century in his 100th Test.
Just before tea, South Africa took three wickets for four runs, with Ponting (lbw to Kallis 120), Symonds
(lbw to Nel 12) and Warne
(caught behind off Nel for a golden duck
) out, and Australia were seven for 226, trailing by 225 and with Adam Gilchrist
and Brett Lee
at the crease. Lee left after an 11-over stand with Gilchrist which had yielded 37 runs, but Stuart MacGill
upped the ante with Gilchrist, and the pair hit at more than five an over in a ninth-wicket partnership worth 59. When MacGill went for 29 off 21 balls, Gilchrist then shielded McGrath
from the strike, as the No. 11 faced twelve balls in his half-hour innings worth one run, and though Gilchrist eventually gloved a ball to the keeper, he had made 86 runs and helped cut the deficit to 92.
South Africa started their innings with four runs off McGrath
's first over, but in the next over de Villiers became Lee's victim once again; in the first innings, he had been caught behind for two, now he was lbw for 1. The South African opener thus saw his average fall by seven runs during this series, after his three single-figure scores in the six innings .
The fourth day saw 70 overs of play lost due to rain, and though Gibbs
hit 67 off 74 balls before he was run out by Hodge
, South Africa's other batsmen could only add 23 in the 20.3 overs of play. Smith
had been given lbw in the second over of the morning, though it was suggested that the ball "would have sailed over the stumps". Gibbs and Kallis
then added 86 in 19 overs during showers, and shortly afterwards an early tea break was taken; the players never returned on the fourth day.
South Africa batted for 20 more overs on the fifth day before declaring, with the total on six for 194 after Kallis had got his half-century and Pollock
added 26 not out
in a 42-run seventh-wicket stand with Kallis. The declaration was described as "extremely sporting" by the Cricinfo reporter . Australia were left to chase 287 in 76 overs, and though Langer
was dismissed four balls before lunch was taken, South Africa got only one more wicket. Captain Ponting took over from Langer, and accumulated runs on both sides of the wicket , ending his innings with a strike rate of 90. His strokeplay was described as "delectable" , and in the two sessions post-lunch, South Africa could not get him out. His century was brought up shortly after tea, and as he was supported by Hayden, who hit 90 in a 182-run second-wicket partnership, Ponting could guide Australia to a 2–0 win margin. With 143 not out
, he also became the first batsman to hit two centuries in his 100th Test . For his efforts, Ponting was named both Man of the Match, and Man of the Series after his 515 runs at a batting average of 103.
Garnett Kruger
got his international debut in what was South Africa's second Twenty20
international, and turned out to be their fifth loss on tour, as they barely made 50 % of Australia's score. The crowd of 38,894 was a record for any sporting event at the Brisbane Cricket Ground
, and they got to watch the home side put out "an utterly convincing and breathtaking performance" according to the Cricinfo report. Australia opened the batting with James Hopes
and Damien Martyn
, and after Hopes was out having made 17 in a 57-run first-wicket partnership, Martyn and Ponting continued. Ponting was caught off Johan Botha for 27, in the spinners' first over, but in the next over Martyn brought up his fifty, and with Symonds hitting a half-century as well, Australia closed on 3 for 209, with Symonds hitting 20 off Monde Zondeki
with the last five balls of the last over. Martyn was out with the first ball of that over, hitting to Gibbs
at point for 96, four short of the first century in Twenty20 International cricket.
South Africa lost Boeta Dippenaar
and Gibbs in the third over, with Nathan Bracken's opening spell yielding both to end with bowling figures
of 3–0–9–2. Hopes then got the wicket of Smith
, who had been out for 22, and that was to be the third-highest score of the innings. Boucher
made 29 and Pollock
24, but by the end of the fourteenth over they were both out, with the score six for 92. Mick Lewis
got the last two wickets of Kruger and Zondeki to end the match in the nineteenth over, with South Africa bowled out for 114; all five bowlers got a wicket, though the Cricinfo reporter claimed that the fall of wickets was "not so much due to tight bowling as outrageously slick fielding and catching"
after losing the final game by 76 runs.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches during the 2005–06 season. South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
had already played two One Day International series during this season, beating New Zealand
New Zealand cricket team
The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the...
4–0 at home before travelling to India
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
and drawing the series there 2–2. The team had been playing 14 successive ODIs (tour matches excluded) before arriving in Australia, with their last Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
against West Indies
West Indian cricket team
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,...
in April and May 2005. South Africa played one first class warm-up match, one three-day warm-up match without first class status, and one one-day
One-day cricket
Limited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
match before they embarked on the three-Test series, which began on 16 December and ended on 6 January. They also participated in the 2005–06 VB Series
VB Series 2005-06
The 2005–06 edition of the VB Series was a three-team One Day International men's cricket tournament held in Australia in January and February 2006, between the hosting nation's team, South Africa and Sri Lanka...
, a three-team one-day tournament, along with Australia and Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
, where they finished last.
The hosts Australia
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
, meanwhile, came off a win in the Frank Worrell Trophy
Frank Worrell Trophy
The Frank Worrell Trophy is awarded for the winner of the West Indies - Australia Test match series in cricket.The trophy is named after the former West Indies captain Sir Frank Worrell, and was first awarded at the end of the 1960-61 series...
Test series against West Indies in November, where they won all three matches in the series. They also spent a week in New Zealand playing three ODIs for the Chappell–Hadlee Trophy while South Africa played their first warm-up games; Australia won that trophy after winning two of the three ODIs.
South Africa started with a draw, batting out 126 overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
in the fourth innings to draw the match at the WACA
WACA Ground
The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association....
, though they finished on a total of five for 287, well short of the winning target of 491. In the second Test match, South Africa trailed by 44 on first innings, but a century from Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
took Australia to a lead of 365 before declaring
Declaration and forfeiture
In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
, and Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
took four wickets in the second innings as Australia bowled their way to a 184-run win. South Africa came back to earn a lead of 92 on first innings in the third Test at the SCG
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
, but after 70 fourth-day overs were lost due to rain South Africa declared in the first session of the fifth day to give themselves a chance of victory and a series win. However, Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
hit 143 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
to become the first batsman to hit centuries in both innings of his 100th Test, and in the process took Australia past the winning target to secure a 2–0 win.
Squads
South Africa:
|
Australia Test:
|
Tour match: Western Australia v South Africans, 5 December–7 December
Western Australia beat the South Africans by an innings and 48 runsSouth Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
began their tour on 5 December, 11 days before the first Test match, with a three-day tour match against Western Australia, who were still without a win in the first class form of the game. However, an elbow injury to Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
and a finger injury to Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
weakened the tourists' batting, and Adam Voges
Adam Voges
Adam Charles Voges is an Australian cricketer. In domestic cricket, he plays for the Western Warriors. He is a right-hand batsman and part-time left-arm orthodox bowler.-Early career:...
hit 101 for Western Australia, putting on 156 in 43.2 overs with Marcus North
Marcus North
Marcus James North is an Australian cricketer, who scored centuries on both his Test and Ashes debuts. He has also played for the Australian Cricket Academy, Western Australia, Australia A, Durham, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Lancashire and Hampshire.He is a left-handed batsman and right arm...
. Western Australia were three for 73 at lunch after Andre Nel
Andre Nel
André Nel is a South African cricketer who played Test cricket and ODIs as a fast bowler but has since retired opting to play county cricket for Surrey.-International career:...
, Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
and Charl Langeveldt
Charl Langeveldt
Charl Kenneth Langeveldt is a South African ODI and Test cricketer. He is one of four Cape Coloureds in the South African side, with the others being Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and Ashwell Prince....
had grabbed a wicket each, but Nel and Langeveldt were both taken for four runs an over, with only Langeveldt getting any further wickets, to end with four for 104. Nicky Boje
Nicky Boje
Nico "Nicky" Boje is a South African cricketer who played in 43 Tests and 115 One Day Internationals for South Africa, and attended Grey College in Bloemfontein...
also got one wicket before Justin Langer
Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
declared the innings closed on eight for 391. South Africa added 71 in the first 21 overs, but first class debutant Shawn Gillies
Shawn Gillies
Winston Shawn Gillies is a Jamaican born, Australian cricketer who has played first class matches for Western Warriors...
, born in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, then had two wickets in his first over in first class cricket. Cricket Australia's report described Gillies' bowling as "continually troubling the batsmen" . Ben Edmondson
Ben Edmondson
Ben Matthew Edmondson is an Australian cricketer who has played for the Western Warriors, Southern Redbacks and Gloucestershire. He is a right-arm fast-medium bowler....
then took the next three wickets either side of the tea break, and spinner Beau Casson
Beau Casson
Beau Casson is a former Australian cricketer who played for Western Australia and New South Wales, in a career spanning from 2002 to 2011, and has represented Australia at Test cricket. Primarily a left arm wrist spinner, Casson is also capable with the bat and has a highest First-class score of 99...
rounded it off with four wickets, leaving South Africa all out for 179. Following on
Follow-on
Follow-on is a term used in the sport of cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after its first, because the team was not able to get close enough to the score achieved by the first team batting in the first innings...
212 behind, South Africa's batsmen yielded eight catches, with three wickets falling in six overs after lunch on day three, and Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Gavin Prince is a cricketer who plays Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. A left-handed middle order batsman, he has a high-batted stance and is strong through the offside. He is noted for his gritty style of batting and also for being an athletic fielder in the covers...
's 49 remained their top score thus far on tour as they were bowled out for 164 in the second innings. Beau Casson
Beau Casson
Beau Casson is a former Australian cricketer who played for Western Australia and New South Wales, in a career spanning from 2002 to 2011, and has represented Australia at Test cricket. Primarily a left arm wrist spinner, Casson is also capable with the bat and has a highest First-class score of 99...
took another four-wicket-haul, ending with eight wickets for the match (though number five Justin Kemp
Justin Kemp
Justin Miles Kemp is a South African cricketer who has played Test and ODI cricket for South Africa since the 2000–01 season. Kemp is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler. His batting is noted for the high frequency of sixes, particularly those which are hit out of the stadium...
was his highest-batting victim), while Steve Magoffin
Steve Magoffin
Steven James "Steve" Magoffin is an Australian cricketer currently playing with the Queensland cricket team...
ended with three for 37. Gillies was only called upon to bowl four overs, conceding 17 without taking a wicket, as Western Australia recorded their first first-class win of the season. Graeme Smith, South Africa's captain, claimed that he did not think the result was "a concern", and was confident his side would do "the hard work going into the first Test" .
Tour match: Cricket Australia Chairman's XI v South Africans, 9 December
South Africans beat Cricket Australia Chairman's XI by eight wicketsTour match: Western Australia XI v South Africans, 11 December–13 December
Western Australia XI drew with South AfricansPura Cup
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during...
game. Yet, the Western Australia team outscored them on first innings after 145 from 20-year-old Luke Pomersbach, which gave them a lead of eight before declaring. Jacques Rudolph
Jacques Rudolph
Jacobus Andries Rudolph , popularly known as Jacques Rudolph, is a South African Test and ODI cricketer currently playing in England with Yorkshire CCC and in South Africa with Titans.He had an unbeaten 222 in his debut Test inning...
then made a double ton for the South Africans, who scored 395 runs despite four wickets from Matthew Petrie, and Western Australia lost one wicket in reply before time ran out and the match ended in a draw.
First Test: Australia v South Africa, 16 December–20 December
 AustraliaAustralian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
258 | & | 8-528 (dec Declaration and forfeiture In the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture are covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket... ) |
Match drawn |
RT Ponting Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very... 71 M Ntini Makhaya Ntini Makhaya Ntini is a former South African cricketer who was the first ethnically black player to play for the South African team. A fast bowler, he tends to bowl from wide of the crease with brisk, although not express, pace... 5-64 |
BJ Hodge Brad Hodge Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler.... 203* Not out In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress... CK Langeveldt Charl Langeveldt Charl Kenneth Langeveldt is a South African ODI and Test cricketer. He is one of four Cape Coloureds in the South African side, with the others being Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and Ashwell Prince.... 3-117 |
WACA Ground WACA Ground The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association.... , Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000.... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... Umpires: SA Bucknor Steve Bucknor The Honourable Stephen Anthony Bucknor OJ, also known as Steve Bucknor, is a former international cricket umpire. He was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 31 May 1946. He became a high school mathematics teacher and sports coach, before becoming an international football referee and a cricket umpire... (WI West Indian cricket team The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,... ) and B Doctrove Billy Doctrove Billy Raymond Doctrove is a former international football referee, but is best known as an international cricket umpire.- Career as a FIFA referee :... (WI West Indian cricket team The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,... ) Man of the Match: BJ Hodge Brad Hodge Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler.... (Aus Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... ) |
||
 South AfricaSouth African cricket team The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status... |
296 | & | 5-287 | |
AB de Villiers 68 B Lee Brett Lee Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket... 5-93 |
JA Rudolph Jacques Rudolph Jacobus Andries Rudolph , popularly known as Jacques Rudolph, is a South African Test and ODI cricketer currently playing in England with Yorkshire CCC and in South Africa with Titans.He had an unbeaten 222 in his debut Test inning... 102* SK Warne Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet... 3-83 |
After three warm-up matches, with one win, one draw and one loss, the South African team was ready for the top-ranked Australians, though they had to make do without Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
. After the early wicket of Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
who mis-timed a shot to Jacques Rudolph
Jacques Rudolph
Jacobus Andries Rudolph , popularly known as Jacques Rudolph, is a South African Test and ODI cricketer currently playing in England with Yorkshire CCC and in South Africa with Titans.He had an unbeaten 222 in his debut Test inning...
in the gully on his second ball, Australia batted to lunch with no further loss, and having added 96 in the first 26 overs before lunch they continued with 15 in four overs after it - before Justin Langer
Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
top edged a shot to Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
, and Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini is a former South African cricketer who was the first ethnically black player to play for the South African team. A fast bowler, he tends to bowl from wide of the crease with brisk, although not express, pace...
had his second wicket.
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
had removed Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
lbw
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
for 71, Brad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
and Mike Hussey batted together until tea, with the score on three for 175. But Ntini took three wickets with thirteen balls, had Hodge, Hussey and Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
all caught, and despite a stand of 33 between Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
and Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
, Australia were bowled out for 258 after Andre Nel
Andre Nel
André Nel is a South African cricketer who played Test cricket and ODIs as a fast bowler but has since retired opting to play county cricket for Surrey.-International career:...
took a brace including Nathan Bracken
Nathan Bracken
Nathan Wade Bracken is a former Australian cricketer. A tall left-arm fast-medium bowler, Bracken is capable of swinging the ball both ways. He has represented Australia in all forms of the game...
and Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
in the 76th over.
South Africa batted for seven overs before stumps on day one, and Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
was taken out of the attack after two of them, having conceded 15 with two no-balls; he came back to bowl 20.2 overs on the second day, more than any bowler bar Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
, and got five wickets on the day, his sixth career five-wicket-haul. Cricinfo journalist Siddartha Vaidyanathan claimed that the "pendulum [of control in the game] oscillated to and fro" on the second day, as South Africa first cut 55 runs off the target in 12.3 overs, before a wide one from Bracken found the edge of Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
's bat and went to the hand of Ponting at second slip
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
for 34.
The next 14 overs saw slower scoring, as de Villiers and Gibbs put on 44, before Gibbs inside edged for 21. It was Gibbs' fifth innings at number three in the order, and he has still not passed 50 at this position. None of the following three batsmen in the order managed to pass 30, either, and Jacques Rudolph
Jacques Rudolph
Jacobus Andries Rudolph , popularly known as Jacques Rudolph, is a South African Test and ODI cricketer currently playing in England with Yorkshire CCC and in South Africa with Titans.He had an unbeaten 222 in his debut Test inning...
and Justin Kemp
Justin Kemp
Justin Miles Kemp is a South African cricketer who has played Test and ODI cricket for South Africa since the 2000–01 season. Kemp is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler. His batting is noted for the high frequency of sixes, particularly those which are hit out of the stadium...
came and went in single figures to see South Africa were six for 185, and still needed 73 for a first-innings lead.
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
and Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
, who put on 77 together in a stand described as "sizzling" by Vaidyanathan - the two hit six fours in four overs after tea, before Lee returned to have Pollock bowled off the inside edge. Boucher put on 18 in the next half-hour with Andre Nel
Andre Nel
André Nel is a South African cricketer who played Test cricket and ODIs as a fast bowler but has since retired opting to play county cricket for Surrey.-International career:...
, and Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini is a former South African cricketer who was the first ethnically black player to play for the South African team. A fast bowler, he tends to bowl from wide of the crease with brisk, although not express, pace...
hit 12 from ten balls as South Africa closed on 296, with a lead of 38. Those runs were exactly matched by Australia, but once again Hayden was dismissed for a sub-25 score, as he top edged to wicket-keeper Boucher for 20. Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
was left as nightwatchman
Nightwatchman (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a nightwatchman is a lower-order batsman who comes in to bat higher up the order than usual near the end of the day's play...
, and Langeveldt bowled a no-ball to level the scores two balls before the end of the day.
Australia's middle order performed much better in the second innings than in the first, however. After Lee had been dismissed for 32, Australia were two for 86, and after Ponting survived a catch off a ball that was incorrectly deemed a no-ball according to TV replays, Ponting made his way to 53, and by tea Australia were four for 185 with Hussey and Hodge at the crease.
The Test debutant Hodge, who had contributed with a two-hour 41 in the first innings, survived a dropped catch on 13 – and never looked back. He added an unbroken 126 with Hussey before stumps on day three, made his century off 198 balls on the fourth morning despite Hussey departing in the second over of the day, and took a further 134 balls to make it a double. Ponting then declared, and tea was taken with an Australian total of eight for 528 – which set a target of 491 for South Africa, which would have been a world record chase. With both openers out before the end of the fourth day, South Africa needed a further 406 runs to win for their last eight wickets.
With a victory out of the question, South Africa entered the fifth day with only one objective: survival. The Proteas' remaining eight batsmen would have to bat out ninety overs in over six hours. Gibbs was dismissed 12 overs into the morning session, caught low-down at slip by Warne off the bowling of Brett Lee for 33, and just before the luncheon interval Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Gavin Prince is a cricketer who plays Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. A left-handed middle order batsman, he has a high-batted stance and is strong through the offside. He is noted for his gritty style of batting and also for being an athletic fielder in the covers...
was also dismissed after an innings lasting 55 minutes and yielding eight runs. Warne was the perpetrator, and he got his fifth wicket for the match as South Africa went into lunch with the score at four for 140.
However, the afternoon session brought no wickets to Australia, as Jacques Rudolph
Jacques Rudolph
Jacobus Andries Rudolph , popularly known as Jacques Rudolph, is a South African Test and ODI cricketer currently playing in England with Yorkshire CCC and in South Africa with Titans.He had an unbeaten 222 in his debut Test inning...
and Justin Kemp
Justin Kemp
Justin Miles Kemp is a South African cricketer who has played Test and ODI cricket for South Africa since the 2000–01 season. Kemp is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler. His batting is noted for the high frequency of sixes, particularly those which are hit out of the stadium...
scored 50 runs in a session lasting 28 overs. Rudolph bought up his half-century during this time, his 50 coming off 150 deliveries, and South Africa were four for 190 at tea, with only about thirty overs until the close of play. Australia needed a wicket every five overs, but instead, they only got one in the whole session; the 112-run partnership between Rudolph and Kemp was broken late in the final session, Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne combining to dismiss Kemp for 55 (166 balls, 213 minutes). With only a handful of overs remaining, Rudolph brought up a century, his 102 coming from 283 balls and 431 minutes. Rudolph and Mark Boucher batted out the remaining overs, and Australia and South Africa would go into Melbourne's
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Boxing Day Test with the series drawn at 0–0. The Melbourne Herald Sun claimed in their post-match report that the Australian captain Ponting "was dealing with one of the biggest blunders of his career", after Australia failed to win the match, and that Terry Alderman
Terry Alderman
Terence Michael Alderman is a former Australian cricketer.He began his first-class career in 1974 with Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield and came to international prominence when he was chosen for the Australian national team to tour England in 1981...
accused Ponting of "a lack of imagination".
Second Test, Australia v South Africa, 26 December–30 December
| Australia Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
355 | 7–321 (dec) | Australia won by 184 runs | |
MEK Hussey Michael Hussey Michael Edward Killeen Hussey is an Australian cricketer, a left-handed specialist batsman. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname Mr Cricket. Hussey was a relative latecomer to both the one-day international and Test Australian teams, debuting at 28 and 30 years of age in the respective... 122 A Nel Andre Nel André Nel is a South African cricketer who played Test cricket and ODIs as a fast bowler but has since retired opting to play county cricket for Surrey.-International career:... 4–84 |
ML Hayden Matthew Hayden Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record... 137 JH Kallis Jacques Kallis Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both... 3–58 |
Melbourne Cricket Ground Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light... , Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... Umpires: Asad Rauf Asad Rauf Asad Rauf, in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, was a first class cricketer and is now a member of the Emirates ICC Elite Umpire Panel.- Playing Days :His career as a first-class cricket player lasted from 1977/78 to 1991/92... (Pak Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan... ) and SA Bucknor Steve Bucknor The Honourable Stephen Anthony Bucknor OJ, also known as Steve Bucknor, is a former international cricket umpire. He was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 31 May 1946. He became a high school mathematics teacher and sports coach, before becoming an international football referee and a cricket umpire... (WI West Indian cricket team The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as the West Indies or the Windies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of 15 mainly English-speaking Caribbean countries, British dependencies and non-British dependencies.From the mid 1970s to the early 1990s,... ) Man of the Match: MEK Hussey Michael Hussey Michael Edward Killeen Hussey is an Australian cricketer, a left-handed specialist batsman. Hussey is also widely known by his nickname Mr Cricket. Hussey was a relative latecomer to both the one-day international and Test Australian teams, debuting at 28 and 30 years of age in the respective... (Aus Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... ) |
||
| South Africa South African cricket team The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status... |
311 | 181 | ||
HH Gibbs Herschelle Gibbs Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch... 94 A Symonds Andrew Symonds Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling.... 3–50 |
SM Pollock Shaun Pollock Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in... 67* SK Warne Shane Warne Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet... 4–74 |
Justin Kemp
Justin Kemp
Justin Miles Kemp is a South African cricketer who has played Test and ODI cricket for South Africa since the 2000–01 season. Kemp is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler. His batting is noted for the high frequency of sixes, particularly those which are hit out of the stadium...
failed a fitness test before the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
, while Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
recovered from an elbow injury and would take Kemp's place. For Australia, Phil Jaques
Phil Jaques
Philip Anthony Jaques is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-handed opening batsman who has played first-class cricket for New South Wales, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire and Worcestershire, as well as international cricket for Australia...
made his debut, replacing the injured Justin Langer
Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
. Spin bowler Stuart MacGill
Stuart MacGill
Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill is a former right-arm leg spin bowler of the Australian cricket team, with a domestic career at Western Australia, New South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Devon and Somerset...
also replaced pacer Nathan Bracken
Nathan Bracken
Nathan Wade Bracken is a former Australian cricketer. A tall left-arm fast-medium bowler, Bracken is capable of swinging the ball both ways. He has represented Australia in all forms of the game...
. However, after Australia's captain Ponting had won the toss and set Jaques in to bat with Matthew Hayden, Shaun Pollock got a breakthrough in the third over by having Jaques caught at short leg, and Ponting had to start batting in the fourth over. South Africa could have had another wicket three balls later, as Ponting edged through the spread-out slips cordon
Slip (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a slip fielder is placed behind the batsman on the off side of the field. They are placed with the aim of catching an edged ball which is beyond the wicket-keeper's reach. Many teams employ two or three slips...
, and Ponting was also dropped on 17 by Andre Nel
Andre Nel
André Nel is a South African cricketer who played Test cricket and ODIs as a fast bowler but has since retired opting to play county cricket for Surrey.-International career:...
.
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
at slip for 65. Pollock got one further wicket on the day, removing Brad Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
for 7 with the score at three for 176, but Ponting stuck in, getting his 26th Test century in the 68th over. He pushed on to 117 before he was caught off Nel, who paid back for his dropped catch with four wickets in eight overs; he also got Andrew Symonds for a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
, Adam Gilchrist for two and Shane Warne for nine. Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini is a former South African cricketer who was the first ethnically black player to play for the South African team. A fast bowler, he tends to bowl from wide of the crease with brisk, although not express, pace...
then ended the day five balls before the scheduled minimum of 90 overs by having Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
lbw
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
on four, which left Mike Hussey not out on 23 overnight with Stuart MacGill and Glenn McGrath (both with Test batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
s below 10) yet to bat.
On the second morning, MacGill came in to bat with Hussey, and departed in the third over having made four. McGrath was more stubborn, however, totalling 11 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
in his 28-over, 107-run stand with Hussey, who batted until lunch and made 122. The stand of 107 was an Australian tenth-wicket record in Tests against South Africa. South Africa then batted out the day, scoring 169 in 58 overs with both AB de Villiers and Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch...
completing half-centuries, while Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
bowled the most overs of the three spinners with 13.
On the third day, Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
took two South African middle-order wickets, getting Kallis and Rudolph bowled
Bowled
Bowled is a method of dismissing a batsman in the sport of cricket. This method of dismissal is covered by Law 30 of the Laws of cricket.A batsman is out bowled if his wicket is put down by a ball delivered by the bowler...
before Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
settled in with the top-scorer of the innings, Gibbs. The two batted together for 11 overs, but Symonds removed them both within three overs before getting Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
lbw
Leg before wicket
In the sport of cricket, leg before wicket is one of the ways in which a batsman can be dismissed. An umpire will rule a batsman out LBW under a series of circumstances which primarily include the ball striking the batsman's body when it would otherwise have continued on to hit the batsman's...
for 9. His seven-over spell yielded three wickets, and spinners Warne and MacGill took care of the last batsmen as South Africa were bowled out for 311. Australia closed the third day on two for 110, with Matthew Hayden
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
on 45, and he continued onto his century on the fourth day.
Hayden and Hussey shared a stand of 62 in 23 overs after Hodge was dismissed early on, but when Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
had Hussey caught, Hayden and Symonds hit out. Symonds hit a six with his third ball, a straight loft, and the pair hit eight sixes and 124 runs in 85 balls. Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
then had three men caught in an over with the new ball, and Australia declared with a lead of 365. Symonds continued on his efforts with the bat, and according to Cricinfo journalist Anand Vasu, he lifted "Australia to within a dreadlock's breadth of victory" . After Smith, de Villiers and Gibbs had been dismissed by the experienced bowlers of Warne and McGrath, South Africa were three for 58, and needed a rebuilding effort from Kallis and Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Gavin Prince is a cricketer who plays Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. A left-handed middle order batsman, he has a high-batted stance and is strong through the offside. He is noted for his gritty style of batting and also for being an athletic fielder in the covers...
. However, after 39 minutes of batting, Kallis dabbled at a ball outside off, and the ball caught the edge and went into Gilchrist's hands to leave South Africa four down. Symonds got a further wicket, ending with 4–2–6–2, and another wicket fell before the close of play, as Australia needed four more wickets on the fifth day for victory. South Africa, meanwhile, needed 267 runs.
South Africa lasted a little more than a session, with Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
batting for two and a half hours in a futile attempt to save the draw. However, Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Gavin Prince is a cricketer who plays Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. A left-handed middle order batsman, he has a high-batted stance and is strong through the offside. He is noted for his gritty style of batting and also for being an athletic fielder in the covers...
departed just before the drinks break, dismissed by Warne for the fourth time in the series, and Boje held out for an hour before edging a ball from McGrath onto his stumps for 13. One over after lunch, it was all over, with Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini is a former South African cricketer who was the first ethnically black player to play for the South African team. A fast bowler, he tends to bowl from wide of the crease with brisk, although not express, pace...
bowled by MacGill as South Africa were all out for 181, losing by 184 runs and going 0–1 down before the third and final Test in Sydney.
Third Test, Australia v South Africa, 2 January–6 January
| South Africa South African cricket team The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status... |
9–451 (dec) | 6–194 (dec) | Australia won by 8 wickets | |
AG Prince Ashwell Prince Ashwell Gavin Prince is a cricketer who plays Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. A left-handed middle order batsman, he has a high-batted stance and is strong through the offside. He is noted for his gritty style of batting and also for being an athletic fielder in the covers... 119 B Lee Brett Lee Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket... 3–82 |
HH Gibbs Herschelle Gibbs Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch... 67 SCG MacGill Stuart MacGill Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill is a former right-arm leg spin bowler of the Australian cricket team, with a domestic career at Western Australia, New South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Devon and Somerset... 3–33 |
Sydney Cricket Ground Sydney Cricket Ground The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian... , Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... Umpires: Aleem Dar Aleem Dar Aleem Sarwar Dar is a retired Pakistani first-class cricketer and a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. He won three consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards 2009, 2010 and 2011, after being nominated twice in 2005 and 2006. Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel are the only umpires to have received the... (Pak Pakistan Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan... ) and BF Bowden Billy Bowden Brent Fraser "Billy" Bowden is an international cricket umpire from New Zealand. He was a player until he began to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis and took up umpiring... (NZ New Zealand cricket team The New Zealand cricket team, nicknamed the Black Caps, are the national cricket team representing New Zealand. They played their first in 1930 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the... ) Man of the Match: RT Ponting Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very... (Aus Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... ) Man of the Series: RT Ponting Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very... (Aus Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... ) |
||
| Australia Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
359 | 2–288 | ||
RT Ponting Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very... 120 A Nel Andre Nel André Nel is a South African cricketer who played Test cricket and ODIs as a fast bowler but has since retired opting to play county cricket for Surrey.-International career:... 4–81 |
RT Ponting Ricky Ponting Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very... 143* CK Langeveldt Charl Langeveldt Charl Kenneth Langeveldt is a South African ODI and Test cricketer. He is one of four Cape Coloureds in the South African side, with the others being Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and Ashwell Prince.... 1–52 |
South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
batted first at the SCG
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
after winning the toss, in conditions that were "ideal for seam bowling" according to Cricinfo journalist S Rajesh . No play was possibly before lunch due to drizzle, and when play started overhead conditions were cloudy and the pitch was visibly green. It enabled Australia to take three wickets in the first session, with AB de Villiers caught behind for two in the sixth over off Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
. Lee was also able to grab Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
, leaving South Africa at three for 86, but Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Prince
Ashwell Gavin Prince is a cricketer who plays Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa. A left-handed middle order batsman, he has a high-batted stance and is strong through the offside. He is noted for his gritty style of batting and also for being an athletic fielder in the covers...
and Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
batted out the six overs until the tea break, before enjoying conditions that "gradually became batsman-friendly" . The two put on 146 unbeaten runs on the first day to take South Africa to three for 230 at stumps.
Though Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
opened the second day's play with what was described as a "torrid spell" , where he had the batsmen beaten and hit on the body, and even had a "legitimate lbw shout" against Kallis when on 85. Kallis went on to make 111 before he was caught off the bowling of Symonds
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
(his only wicket of the innings), while his batting partner, Prince, registered his third Test century before he was given out for 119 to a ball that "would have missed off" . Prince and Kallis' partnership was a South African fourth-wicket record against Australia , while Australia's slow bowlers, Warne and MacGill, ended with a combined analysis of three wickets for 208. In the final session of the day, Shaun Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
and Test debutant Johan Botha (who had come in for the injured Ntini
Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini is a former South African cricketer who was the first ethnically black player to play for the South African team. A fast bowler, he tends to bowl from wide of the crease with brisk, although not express, pace...
) put on 49 for the eighth wicket to take South Africa past 400, and they eventually declared on nine for 451. Then, the last hour of the second day yielded three wickets, with Langer
Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
and Hayden
Matthew Hayden
Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM is a former Australian cricketer, and was signed to the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL until the 2010 season. Hayden is a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman, known for his ability to score quickly at both Test and one day levels.Hayden holds the record...
inside edging Langeveldt
Charl Langeveldt
Charl Kenneth Langeveldt is a South African ODI and Test cricketer. He is one of four Cape Coloureds in the South African side, with the others being Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and Ashwell Prince....
to be bowled before the last ball of the day was fended to short leg to see Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
out for 6. Australia were three for 54, still 397 behind.
On the third day, a century from Ponting
Ricky Ponting
Ricky Thomas Ponting , nicknamed Punter, is an Australian cricketer, a former captain of the Australian cricket team between 2004 and 2011 in Test cricket and 2002 and 2011 in One Day International cricket. He is a specialist right-handed batsman, slips and close catching fielder, as well as a very...
and late hitting from Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
helped Australia to limit the deficit and prevent the follow on, but they were still behind on first innings. An hour's play was lost due to rain, but when it did start Ponting and Hussey batted together for two and a half hours, adding 130 before Botha got his first Test wicket when a straighter ball from the spinner had Hussey caught behind. The Cricinfo report claimed that Hussey was "extremely lucky to survive an lbw shout on 9 off Nel" , but he did go on to make 45; Ponting was on 97 when the partnership was broken, and brought up the century with a flick wide of mid-on. He thus became the sixth man to score a century in his 100th Test.
Just before tea, South Africa took three wickets for four runs, with Ponting (lbw to Kallis 120), Symonds
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds is a former Australian cricket team all-rounder. A two-time World Cup winner, Symonds is a right-handed middle order batsman and alternates between medium pace and off-spin bowling....
(lbw to Nel 12) and Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
(caught behind off Nel for a golden duck
Golden duck
A Golden duck may refer to:* A cricket 'golden' duck in which a batsman is out for nought on the first ball he faces* Złota kaczka, Polish for Golden duck, a legendary creature from Warsaw's urban legends...
) out, and Australia were seven for 226, trailing by 225 and with Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist AM , nicknamed "Gilly" or "Churchy", is an Australian international cricketer who currently captains Kings XI Punjab and recently captained Middlesex. He is an attacking left-handed batsman and record-breaking wicket-keeper, who redefined the role for the Australian national...
and Brett Lee
Brett Lee
Brett Lee is an Australian cricketer.After breaking into the Australian Test team, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket...
at the crease. Lee left after an 11-over stand with Gilchrist which had yielded 37 runs, but Stuart MacGill
Stuart MacGill
Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill is a former right-arm leg spin bowler of the Australian cricket team, with a domestic career at Western Australia, New South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Devon and Somerset...
upped the ante with Gilchrist, and the pair hit at more than five an over in a ninth-wicket partnership worth 59. When MacGill went for 29 off 21 balls, Gilchrist then shielded McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
from the strike, as the No. 11 faced twelve balls in his half-hour innings worth one run, and though Gilchrist eventually gloved a ball to the keeper, he had made 86 runs and helped cut the deficit to 92.
South Africa started their innings with four runs off McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
's first over, but in the next over de Villiers became Lee's victim once again; in the first innings, he had been caught behind for two, now he was lbw for 1. The South African opener thus saw his average fall by seven runs during this series, after his three single-figure scores in the six innings .
Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch...
hit 67 off 74 balls before he was run out by Hodge
Brad Hodge
Bradley John Hodge is an Australian and Victorian cricketer. He attended St Bede's College in Mentone, Victoria. He is a right hand batsman who bats in the middle order, as well as a part time right arm off spin bowler....
, South Africa's other batsmen could only add 23 in the 20.3 overs of play. Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
had been given lbw in the second over of the morning, though it was suggested that the ball "would have sailed over the stumps". Gibbs and Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
then added 86 in 19 overs during showers, and shortly afterwards an early tea break was taken; the players never returned on the fourth day.
South Africa batted for 20 more overs on the fifth day before declaring, with the total on six for 194 after Kallis had got his half-century and Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
added 26 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
in a 42-run seventh-wicket stand with Kallis. The declaration was described as "extremely sporting" by the Cricinfo reporter . Australia were left to chase 287 in 76 overs, and though Langer
Justin Langer
Justin Lee Langer AM is a former international cricketer who represented Australia in 105 Test matches and the current Assistant Coach and Batting Coach of the Australian cricket team. A left-handed batsman, his opening partnership with Matthew Hayden was one of the most successful of all time...
was dismissed four balls before lunch was taken, South Africa got only one more wicket. Captain Ponting took over from Langer, and accumulated runs on both sides of the wicket , ending his innings with a strike rate of 90. His strokeplay was described as "delectable" , and in the two sessions post-lunch, South Africa could not get him out. His century was brought up shortly after tea, and as he was supported by Hayden, who hit 90 in a 182-run second-wicket partnership, Ponting could guide Australia to a 2–0 win margin. With 143 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
, he also became the first batsman to hit two centuries in his 100th Test . For his efforts, Ponting was named both Man of the Match, and Man of the Series after his 515 runs at a batting average of 103.
Twenty20 International, Australia v South Africa, 9 January
| Australia Australian cricket team The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877... |
209/3 (20 overs) | Australia won by 95 runs |
DR Martyn Damien Martyn Damien Richard Martyn is a former Australian cricketer. He played for the national team sporadically in 1992–1994 before becoming a regular ODI player in 1999–2000 and a regular Test player in 2001 until his retirement in late 2006... 96 (56) SM Pollock Shaun Pollock Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in... 4–0–34–1 |
Brisbane Cricket Ground Brisbane Cricket Ground The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located.... , Woolloongabba, Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... Umpires: BNJ Oxenford Bruce Oxenford Bruce Nicholas James Oxenford is an Australian cricket umpire.-Playing career:Oxenford played in eight first-class matches for Queensland during the 1991/92 and 1992/93 seasons.-Umpiring career:... (Aus Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... ) and PJ Parker Peter Parker (umpire) Peter Douglas Parker, known affectionately as 'Porky' or 'Spiderpig', , is an Australian Test cricket match umpire. He has been a member of the International Panel of ICC Umpires since April 2003.... (Aus Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... ) Man of the Match: DR Martyn Damien Martyn Damien Richard Martyn is a former Australian cricketer. He played for the national team sporadically in 1992–1994 before becoming a regular ODI player in 1999–2000 and a regular Test player in 2001 until his retirement in late 2006... (Aus Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... ) |
|
| South Africa South African cricket team The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status... |
114 (18.3 overs) | |
MV Boucher Mark Boucher Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and... 29 (21) NW Bracken Nathan Bracken Nathan Wade Bracken is a former Australian cricketer. A tall left-arm fast-medium bowler, Bracken is capable of swinging the ball both ways. He has represented Australia in all forms of the game... 3–0–9–2 |
Garnett Kruger
Garnett Kruger
Garnett John-Peter Kruger is a South African cricketer. Kruger started his first-class cricket career in 1997–98 for Eastern Province B, moving up to the A team in 1999–2000. In 2003–04 he played for Gauteng, before moving to the Lions on the reorganisation of South African first-class cricket in...
got his international debut in what was South Africa's second Twenty20
Twenty20
Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in England for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket...
international, and turned out to be their fifth loss on tour, as they barely made 50 % of Australia's score. The crowd of 38,894 was a record for any sporting event at the Brisbane Cricket Ground
Brisbane Cricket Ground
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. It is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located....
, and they got to watch the home side put out "an utterly convincing and breathtaking performance" according to the Cricinfo report. Australia opened the batting with James Hopes
James Hopes
James Redfern Hopes is an Australian cricketer. Hopes plays domestic cricket for Queensland and for Delhi Dare Devils in the Indian Premier League, he has represented Australia in One Day International and Twenty20 cricket.A medium pacer whose aggressive batting has been shuffled around the...
and Damien Martyn
Damien Martyn
Damien Richard Martyn is a former Australian cricketer. He played for the national team sporadically in 1992–1994 before becoming a regular ODI player in 1999–2000 and a regular Test player in 2001 until his retirement in late 2006...
, and after Hopes was out having made 17 in a 57-run first-wicket partnership, Martyn and Ponting continued. Ponting was caught off Johan Botha for 27, in the spinners' first over, but in the next over Martyn brought up his fifty, and with Symonds hitting a half-century as well, Australia closed on 3 for 209, with Symonds hitting 20 off Monde Zondeki
Monde Zondeki
Monde Zondeki is a South African cricketer who has played five Tests and 7 One Day International for South Africa, and three One Day Internationals for the African XI...
with the last five balls of the last over. Martyn was out with the first ball of that over, hitting to Gibbs
Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch...
at point for 96, four short of the first century in Twenty20 International cricket.
South Africa lost Boeta Dippenaar
Boeta Dippenaar
Hendrik Human Dippenaar , known as Boeta Dippenaar, is a cricketer who has played Test and One Day International cricket for South Africa and the ACA African XI. He has played as a specialist batsman in most of his matches, and has played Test cricket in all batting positions from one through seven...
and Gibbs in the third over, with Nathan Bracken's opening spell yielding both to end with bowling figures
Bowling analysis
In the sport of cricket, a bowling analysis usually refers to a notation summarising a bowler's performance in terms of overs bowled, how many of those overs are maidens , total runs conceded and number of wickets taken...
of 3–0–9–2. Hopes then got the wicket of Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
, who had been out for 22, and that was to be the third-highest score of the innings. Boucher
Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
made 29 and Pollock
Shaun Pollock
Shaun Maclean Pollock is a retired South African cricketer who is considered a bowling all-rounder. From 2000 to 2003 he was the captain of the South African cricket team, and also played for Africa XI, World XI, Dolphins and Warwickshire. He was also chosen as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in...
24, but by the end of the fourteenth over they were both out, with the score six for 92. Mick Lewis
Mick Lewis
Michael Llewellyn "Mick" Lewis is an Australian cricketer.-Grade career and state career:Born in Greensborough, Victoria, Lewis was a grade cricketer who played for Northcote and the Victorian Bushrangers gave him his first-class debut in the 1999/2000 season...
got the last two wickets of Kruger and Zondeki to end the match in the nineteenth over, with South Africa bowled out for 114; all five bowlers got a wicket, though the Cricinfo reporter claimed that the fall of wickets was "not so much due to tight bowling as outrageously slick fielding and catching"
One-day Internationals
South Africa failed to make the final of the VB Series, being knocked out by Sri LankaSri Lankan cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team is the national cricket team of Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test cricket playing nation...
after losing the final game by 76 runs.