Waugh in rescue act

The pair has added an invaluable 129 for the fifth wicket after Australia had slumped to 77 for four mid-way after lunch.

After Mark Taylor had decided to bat first, the Australian batsmen struggled to come to terms on a sparsely grassed two paced pitch.

The batsmen seldom drove on the front foot and only Waugh managed a boundary, driving medium paceman Brian McMillan on the front foot for one of his eight boundaries.

Australia progressed to 44 for three at lunch and then to 92 for four at tea before Waugh and Ponting took charge.

Their alliance went from strength to strength with the arrival of the second new ball. The 10 overs with the second new ball contributed 49 runs to the total.

Ponting, in particular, made things happen with his hair-raising running between the wicket and with the use of his feet against off-spinner Pat Symcox.

Ponting, who had batted for 150 minutes had a narrow shave on 17 when he took off for a single as Jacques Kallis threw down the stumps.

An inconclusive television replay forced third umpire Bill Sheahan to give Ponting the benefit of doubt.

Ponting reached his half century with a pulled boundary off Shaun Pollock and followed it up with a another, punching it to the cover boundary on the back-foot. He has hit seven boundaries.

Waugh blunted the seven bowlers used by Hansie Cronje throughout his 244-minute grind and reached his 36th half century in a 99-match Test career. It also helped him come out a poor form in the One-day series when he captained the side.

He managed the scores of one, seven, zero and zero against South Africa and New Zealand. He also scored two for New South Wales against South Australia in a first-class fixture.

The only blemish of his 173-ball innings was when he was dropped on 86 by Gary Kirsten at point in the last over off the day bowled by Pollock. Three runs earlier, he was caught off a no ball by Richardson off Allan Donald.

Fast bowler Donald could have won the first psychological battle for South Africa in the first over of a series that would decide the unofficial Test champions.

Donald started with a no-ball, but with his fourth legal delivery, squared Matthew Elliott with an outswinger. But Kallis at third slip grassed a sitter.

South Africa did remove Elliott soon. Elliott had managed six runs off 33 balls before he top edged a catch to ‘keeper Dave Richardson.

The catch helped Richardson move ahead of Johnny Waite’s South African career record of 141 dismissals.

Taylor displayed impeccable judgment for 98 minutes after before cutting a Brian McMillan long-hop to Gary Kirsten at point.

Mark Waugh was dismissed for naught when he slashed at a Donald delivery and was caught behind.

Greg Blewett (26) had added 33 with Steve Waugh when he yorked himself, charging Symcox and wicket-keeper David Richardson effected only the second stumping of a 40-Test career.

SCOREBOARD

Australia (1st innings):

M T Elliott c Richardson b Klusener 6, M A Taylor c Kristen b McMillan 20, G S Blewett st Richardson b Symcox 26, M E Waugh c Richardson b Donald 0, S R Waugh batting 87, R T Ponting batting 56, Extras (b1, lb5, nb5) 11

Total (4 wickets, 90 overs) 206

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-42, 3-44, 4-77

Bowling: Donald 17-5-35-1 (2nb), Pollock 21-5-56-0, Klusener 15-3-28-1 (2nb), McMillan 10-3-19-1, Symcox 19-3-46-1, Kallis 4-2-5-0, Cronje 4-2-11-0.