Australia dominated the first day of the first Castle Lager Test at Newlands on Thursday. They dismissed the home team for 205 forty minutes after tea, and at the close were 63-1 in reply.
Australia seam bowler Stuart Clark started his Test career in the best possible way, with a five-wicket haul. Clark tore through the South African batting order, getting rid of Graeme Smith (19), Herschelle Gibbs (18), Jacques Kallis (6), Mark Boucher (16) and Nicky Boje (31).
South African captain Smith won the toss and chose to bat on an overcast day.
South Africa had suffered a body blow when Shaun Pollock was ruled out of the match because he had not recovered sufficiently from the lower back injury he sustained last Friday.
The first wicket fell in the 7th over of the morning, when AB de Villiers was bowled by Michael Kasprowicz for eight.
Clark then started his onslaught. Smith was caught behind by Adam Gilchrist and Kallis went two overs later, caught in the gully by Matthew Hayden. Gibbs stuck around for an hour and 11 minutes, and faced 46 balls before Clark removed his off-stump.
Kasprowicz grabbed his second wicket in the second over after lunch, when Jacques Rudolph was caught by Gilchrist for 10. Rudolph had actually steered the ball to Shane Warne, who fell on his back, and the ball bounced up for Gilchrist to take the catch.
Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher appeared to be settling things down until Boucher was caught by Gilchrist off Clark.
Prince was next, caught by Hayden off Brett Lee for 17, and South Africa were reeling on 124-7.
Andrew Hall and Nicky Boje put on 24 runs for the eighth wicket, before Hall was caught by Hayden off Lee, giving Hayden his 100th Test catch.
Boje was joined in the middle by Andre Nel, and they managed to put on another 25 runs before Boje was given out lbw to Clark, giving him his first ‘five-for’.
It was the tail-enders, Nel and Makhaya Ntini, who finally gave the home crowd something to cheer about, with a partnership of 32 off 37 balls — the highest partnership of the innings.
The first ball Ntini hit stopped just inches from the boundary, and the two bowlers each hit a six — Nel off Clark and Ntini off Shane Warne, while they batted with an air of enjoyment.
But all things come to an end, and Nel was finally given out lbw to Lee for 18, and South Africa were all out for 205. Ntini ended undefeated on 17.
Justin Langer was lucky to survive the second ball of the Australian innings, when the ball brushed his glove before landing in Boucher’s glove. But Billy Doctrove of the West Indies thought it had hit his thigh, and gave him not out.
Langer was to perish in the 10th over, when he was given out lbw to Nel by Aleem Dar of Pakistan for 16. Television replays appeared to show the ball had been a bit high.
At close of play, Australia were 63-, still trailing South Africa by 143 runs.
Hayden was not out on 22 and Ricky Ponting on 20. — Sapa