South Africa were calling for rain or miracles as they ended the third day of the second Test against Australia on 198 for seven — 196 runs behind — at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.
After Australia had extended their first innings from 280 for six to 394 all out, South Africa slumped from 102 for two in the over before tea.
Home-town hero Peter Siddle claimed three wickets, while off-spinner Nathan Hauritz dismissed two sweeping South African batsman, Mark Boucher (3) and key man Jacques Kallis (26), who fell in the over before tea.
Siddle then beat AB de Villiers for pace and bowled him off his back pad for seven, having earlier had Graeme Smith, reaching for a drive at a full, wide delivery, caught behind for a determined 62.
After wasting so many wickets, South Africa rallied briefly in the final hour as JP Duminy, who scored an unruffled 34 not out, and Morne Morkel (21) added 43 for the seventh wicket.
Kallis and Smith were busy restoring the South African innings, after the early dismissals of Neil McKenzie (0) and Hashim Amla (19), with a third-wicket stand of 63, but Kallis went on the sweep against Hauritz with just two balls remaining before the break, the ball hitting him on the glove and looping to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
The Australians, who had dominated the first session, came out firing for the South African innings, which began straight after lunch.
Siddle made the initial breakthrough. The Victorian, who looked a trundler in Perth, had some serious gas on Saturday and he bowled McKenzie with his fifth delivery. The out-of-form opening batsman was unsure whether to leave a delivery or not, using an unusual method of shouldering arms by bringing the bat inside the line of the ball, but Siddle’s delivery came in off the pitch and hit the off stump.
Amla played a busy innings before cutting powerfully at Mitchell Johnson, the ball going like a rocket to gully, where Andrew Symonds hung on to a fine catch.
Smith, the leading run-scorer in Test cricket this year, was severe on Brett Lee and Johnson whenever they sprayed the ball around and showed again that, despite the leg side being his favoured area of scoring, he has a heck of a cut shot on him too.
Australia’s tail had earlier wagged once again to reach 394 all out.
Michael Clarke, so moribund on the first afternoon, was revitalised and able to tear into the bowling as he moved from his overnight 36 not out to 88 not out in just 51 more deliveries.
While Clarke played a series of classy strokes off front and back foot, Lee, Hauritz and Siddle provided valuable support with runs accumulated via an equal mix of good fortune and skill.
Lee lived particularly dangerously from the start of the day in scoring a run-a-ball 21. He had just unfurled a wonderful straight drive for four off Dale Steyn, when the fast bowler followed up with a marvellous away-swinger, a flatfooted drive edging the ball to Kallis at second slip.
Johnson met his end three balls later without getting off the mark, Steyn recovering from two balls wide down the leg side with a delivery angling into off stump, which the left-hander played on.
New man Hauritz proved difficult to shift as he scored 12 in half-an-hour before Steyn, with the help of Smith and the TV umpire, claimed his wicket and completed his 10th five-wicket haul in 29 Tests. Hauritz was back in the crease and prodding defensively at an away-swinger, the ball flying low to first slip. Smith moved smartly forward and caught the ball, but was uncertain whether it had bounced and suggested to the on-field umpires that they refer the decision to the third umpire. A tight decision went Smith’s way and the captain became the second South African after Kallis to take 100 Test catches.
But Siddle then scored an invaluable 19 as the last wicket added 42 runs to begin a top-class Australian fightback.