Australia beat the fading light and bowled South Africa out for 297 to win the second Castle Lager Test at Kingsmead by 112 runs on Tuesday.
Despite a battling partnership of 72 runs by Mark Boucher and Nicky Boje, the South Africans were unable to cope with the wiles of legendary legspinner Shane Warne, backed up by the seamers, and were all out with less than seven overs left to play.
While Boucher and Boje were still there, the Australians must have been casting anxious eyes towards the heavens, where ominous clouds were gathering, but the visitors were just too good for the home
side.
Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers, looking to bat for as long as possible, started off well, with a partnership of 91 runs. But when Adam Gilchrist, standing in as captain for Ricky Ponting, (who has food poisoning), brought Warne into the attack in the 17th over of the morning, the South African woes began. Four wickets fell before lunch — three of them to Warne.
De Villiers was first to go, caught by Gilchrist off Warne’s fourth delivery of the morning, for 46. Warne struck again four overs later, when Smith was caught by Justin Langer for 40. Television replays showed that the ball had come off Smith’s arm, and he looked disconsolate as he trudged off the field.
With the two openers gone, all hopes rested with two of the senior players, Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis. But Kallis also fell to Warne, given out lbw to a ball that he was trying to sweep. Six balls later, Warne had a hand in the fourth dismissal of the morning when he caught Gibbs for 17 off the bowling of Stuart Clark. South Africa went to lunch on 128-4, still needing 282 for victory, but also needing to survive 66 overs to save the match and stay in the series.
Ashwell Prince then ducked into a bouncer from Stuart Clark — but the ball hit the top of his bat handle and he was caught by Michael Hussey for seven.
Jacques Rudolph, who batted throughout a day to save the first Test in Perth, was looking good until he was caught by Hussey off Warne for 36, when he shouldered arms to a Warne delivery — the ball came off his pad, hit his glove and went straight into Hussey’s hands.
Local boy Shaun Pollock received a hero’s welcome from the sparse crowd, but he lasted just 16 minutes before he was bowled by Lee for four.
South African hopes finally died when Nicky Boje drove a Michael Kasprowicz delivery straight to substitute Michael Clarke at short cover for 48 — two short of what would have been his fifth Test half century, just before the new ball was taken.
But Andre Nel hung around for an hour and eight minutes to give South Africa new hope. He was finally caught in the slips by Matthew Hayden off Warne for a battling 14. Makhaya Ntini lasted for 13 deliveries but became Warne’s sixth victim, when he was given out lbw for nought.
Although South Africa will be disappointed at not saving the match, they achieved a moral victory by making Australia work hard for their win. — Sapa