First blood to Australia

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Mar 02 2009 16:03

Ricky Ponting's young Australian team took the first step towards saving their number-one Test position when they beat a more experienced South Africa by 162 on the final day of the first Castle Lager Test at the Wanderers on Monday.

Chasing a mammoth total of 454 for victory, South Africa were all out for 291, eight balls after tea on the final day.

South Africa started the final day on 178 for two, still needing 297 to win -- 19 more than their highest fourth innings score of 278 at the Wanderers, when they lost to India in 2006/07.

Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis brought up their 50-run partnership off the first ball of the day, and they battled it out for nearly an hour, adding 28 runs before Amla chipped a Peter Siddle delivery straight to Phil Hughes at midwicket for 57.

The hero of the first innings -- and of South Africa's victory in Perth last year -- AB de Villiers entered the fray but faced just seven balls before being given out leg before wicket to Andrew McDonald for three.

He requested a player review, but the umpire's decision was confirmed.

The other hero from Perth, JP Duminy, came to the crease with seven overs to go before the introduction of the new ball, but it was Kallis who was the victim of the new ball. In the first over, Kallis was given out leg before to Johnson, but a player review overturned Billy Bowden's decision.

However, Johnson got his man in his next over, when Kallis got an inside edge and the ball flicked his leg before hitting his stumps. He was out for 45, and with South Africa's premier batsman gone, any chance of winning or even saving the match appeared to have slipped away.

Duminy and Mark Boucher, both gritty and determined players, battled out the 30 minutes before lunch, and carried on for nearly an hour after the break until Ricky Ponting caught a ball that ballooned off the outside edge of Duminy's bat from a Siddle delivery to dismiss Duminy for 29. Duminy was at the crease for two hours and 10 minutes, and faced 75 balls.

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Morne Morkel played the same shot that got him out in the first innings, with a hoick off a delivery from Mitchell Johnson, which Hughes caught easily at mid-on. Morkel made two.

There were subdued cheers when South Africa passed the 278 mark, but the crowd of nearly 10 000 knew the game was all but gone. Paul Harris and Dale Steyn went through to tea, but Harris was caught by Simon Katich off Siddle off the last ball of the first over after tea for eight. Two balls later, Steyn was bowled by Johnson for six.

Australia have taken a 1-0 lead in the three Test series and the winner of the series will be crowned Test champions of the world.

South Africa will have a hard job to bounce back for the second Test, which begins at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday. -- Sapa

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