Andrew Symonds plundered 72 from 54 balls and delivered another crucial bowling burst on Thursday as Australia moved within four wickets of victory over South Africa.
On the brink of omission in the second Test, Symonds followed his career-best bowling haul in the first innings with his devastating knock in a 124-run stand with Matt Hayden (137) before Australia declared at 321-7.
He flayed six sixes and five fours in a partnership that rapidly turned the result in Australia’s favour.
With South Africa needing to score 366 to win or to survive 132 overs for a draw, Symonds took wickets in his second and third overs to again gut the tourists’ middle order.
South Africa limped to 99 for six at stumps on day four, with Symonds returning 2-6 in four overs and Shane Warne taking 3-43.
South Africa was still 266 runs behind with 90 overs remaining on Friday.
Hayden posted his fifth hundred in seven Tests before his dismissal sparked a collapse, with Ricky Ponting declaring the innings closed after Australia lost three wickets in four balls from Jacques Kallis (3-58).
Hayden batted for six hours and faced 244 balls to raise his 25th Test hundred, lifting his tempo when he was joined by Queensland teammate Symonds with the total at 193-4. He had 17 boundaries and two sixes and the fifth-wicket pair added their 124 runs in 66 minutes.
Both were out attempting to his Kallis out of the ground.
A renowned heavy hitter in limited-overs cricket, Symonds was averaging only 11,2 halfway through his sixth Test match and was under pressure to retain his place.
He strode to the crease five minutes after lunch when Mike Hussey (31) edged Graeme Smith to slip.
With quick runs in order, he belted his second ball, from Smith, straight down the ground for six and notched his 50 — 39 balls later — in the same fashion off Andre Nel.
Symonds put his newfound confidence down to his bowling on Wednesday, when he took 3-6 in 19 balls and returned 3-50 to help skittle South Africa for 311 and give Australia a 44-run first-innings lead.
”My idea was to be a bit more aggressive — play, ideally a situation like one-day cricket,” Symonds, the star of Australia’s limited-overs lineup, said of his innings. ”It was well set up.
”Hopefully that can kick-start me into this Test cricket caper.”
Despite batting through the last four sessions at Perth last week to force a draw after being set 491 to win in the first Test, the chances of a South Africa victory in Melbourne were remote.
Only one team has scored more than 300 runs in the fourth innings to beat Australia on home soil — England notched 332-7 at the MCG in 1928-29.
The record for a winning fourth innings in Australia belongs to the hosts: 369-6 against Pakistan at Hobart in 1999-2000.
The opening pair put on 39 before Adam Gilchrist stumped AB de Villiers (9) in Warne’s second over.
Warne bowled Herschelle Gibbs (9) in his fourth over and Glenn McGrath had Graeme Smith (25) caught behind in between as the South Africans slid to 54 for three.
Symonds struck in successive overs, having dangerman Kallis (9) caught behind and bowling Jacques Rudolph (4) to have South Africa reeling at 72-5.
Warne returned to dismiss Mark Boucher (5), who walked after edging a catch to a diving Ponting, making the total 82-6.
The South African attack was undermanned, with paceman Makhaya Ntini unable to bowl after injuring his left leg.
Ntini is in doubt for next week’s third Test in Sydney with medial ligament damage.
Some sloppy fielding hasn’t helped the Proteas’ cause, either.
All of Australia’s century-makers in Melbourne were dropped early in their innings.
Hayden was dropped on 27 by Nel late on Wednesday and, in the first innings, Ponting (117) and Mike Hussey (122) were dropped on 17 and 27. – Sapa-AP