South Africa is in the ascendancy in the third Test against Australia after the first day at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, but Michael Clarke is still at the crease and remains a threat.
Clarke is on 70 not out with Australia on 264 for six and appeared numb to the pressures exerted by a fiery, consistent South African attack.
The fielding was a low point, however, in South Africa’s day with Clarke dropped twice and the ground fielding not being up to its normal high standard.
Australia won the toss and invited the visitors to bowl first and Matthew Hayden and Simon Katich sailed away, their opening stand being worth 62 in 13 overs.
The in-form Katich, in particular, chased the runs as he scored 47 off just 52 balls before he went after a Jacques Kallis delivery that was angled across him and offered AB de Villiers a catch at second slip.
The wicket South Africa really wanted followed almost immediately as Ricky Ponting was caught behind from the first ball, a delivery from Morne Morkel that cut back finding the inside edge as it sliced the batsman in half.
Hayden and Michael Hussey went to lunch on 78 for two and began to bat with more freedom after the break.
Hayden had batted patiently for nearly three hours in scoring 31 when he contrived to drag a full, wide delivery from Dale Steyn back on to his stumps.
Left-arm spinner Paul Harris then came on to bowl and had Hussey caught at slip for 30 with his sixth delivery.
Morkel, the most aggressive and dangerous of the South African bowlers on Saturday, was called on to rough up debutante Andrew McDonald and knocked the smile off his dial when he sent his helmet tumbling off his head.
McDonald fell after tea, caught behind off Makhaya Ntini for 15, to leave Australia tottering on 162 for five, but Clarke and Brad Haddin quickly steadied matters with a sixth-wicket stand of 75.
The second new ball arrived with a breakthrough urgently required by South Africa and captain Graeme Smith was yet again able to call on Steyn to deliver an unplayable ball, swinging in and then seaming off the pitch to hit the top of Haddin’s off stump.
Mitchell Johnson came in and scored a flurry of boundaries to give the scorecard more respectability. Johnson is on 17 not out and he and Clarke have already added 30, the Australian tail once again showing signs of being a bind for the South Africans.
Clarke’s watchful innings was punctuated with some marvellous strokes, particularly drives, as he collected nine fours off 151 balls.
While the South African seamers operated superbly as a unit, Harris was also impressive, although he met his match later in the day in Haddin, who collected most of his 38 runs off him.
But Australia once again face an uphill struggle in their efforts to remain in the number one spot in the rankings.
The momentum is South Africa’s and it will take a hefty innings from Clarke and stubborn resistance from the tail for that to change.