Australia hit back with three wickets but South Africa’s run grind continued on the second day of the third cricket Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
Century-maker Ashwell Prince (119) and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (5) fell to contentious umpiring decisions in the middle session as the Proteas maintained their rigid, disciplined approach to blunt the Australian attack.
At tea, the South Africans had crawled to 390 for six off 139 overs, adding just 160 runs off 65 overs at just less than two-and-a-half runs an over on Tuesday.
Prince, who put on a record 219 runs for the fourth wicket with Jacques Kallis (111), was struck well outside off-stump not offering a stroke to a prodigious Warne leg-break on the hour after lunch.
”Hawkeye” technology suggested the ball was missing off-stump.
Prince batted for 395 minutes and faced 271 balls with 13 fours and it was Warne’s 658th Test wicket.
Boucher looked to receive another dubious umpiring decision when he was caught top-edging an attempted sweep shot off MacGill for five.
Replays showed that the ball hit into the ground before it bounced up for Gilchrist to dive full-length to take a diving catch from behind the stumps.
Kallis was rock solid in raising his 23rd Test hundred and just his second against Australia before he was caught by Glenn McGrath at fine leg off Andrew Symonds nearing lunch.
He carved his runs out of 275 balls in just a tick over six hours with 17 boundaries.
Kallis and Prince broke the previous record South African fourth-wicket partnership between Charles Frank and Arthur Nourse of 206 against Australia in Johannesburg in 1921/22.
Prince, who has steadily improved in confidence and form during the series, scored centuries against Zimbabwe and the West Indies last March and April.
The extended two-and-a-half-hour morning session yielded just 80 runs off 35 overs at a rate of 2,28 runs an over.
It was unproductive going for Australia’s two premier leg-spinners.
Warne had taken 1-71 off 28 overs and MacGill 1-102 from 29 overs by tea. — Sapa-AFP