Australia once again had the lower-order batting strength to ensure South Africa will not have an easy target to chase as the hosts reached 228-7 at stumps on the third day of the first Test in Perth on Friday.
South Africa made up for their disappointing collapse to Mitchell Johnson at the end of the second day with a stout day’s effort and they now trail by 322 runs with three more Australian wickets to claim.
Mark Boucher (26), Dale Steyn (8) and Makhaya Ntini (5*) lifted South Africa’s overnight score of 243-8 to 281, reducing the first-innings deficit to 94.
Australia had an hour to bat before lunch and aimed to build on that lead, with Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting taking the attack to the bowlers after Dale Steyn had been gifted a caught-and-bowled decision straight off the beleaguered Matthew Hayden’s pad.
Australia were 49 -1 at lunch, but the South African attack roared back with three wickets for 66 runs in the second session.
Their resident ”golden arm”, Jacques Kallis, made the breakthrough when he ended Katich’s dangerous stay, an away-swinger finding the batsman flat-footed, the edge finding a safe home in Mark Boucher’s gloves. He was out for 37.
Boucher also assisted in dismissing Ponting, who was set on 32, when the Australian captain tried to force spinner Paul Harris off the back foot and was undone by extra bounce.
Michael Hussey’s painful 55-minute stay for eight runs was ended when his attempted pull off Ntini was bottom-edged and knocked his stumps out of the ground.
Australia were then 88-4, but their lower-order withstood the pressure as South Africa’s efforts to wrap up the innings once again fell short.
Michael Clarke (25) and Andrew Symonds (37) added 60 runs for the fifth wicket before both gifted their wickets. Clarke edged a short and wide delivery from Dale Steyn to Kallis in the slips and Symonds once again tried a lofted drive off Harris and gave Graeme Smith an easy catch at mid-on.
AB de Villiers then took a spectacular diving catch at third slip to reward the impressive Kallis with Brett Lee’s wicket, but South Africa’s celebrations were put on hold by an unbeaten eighth-wicket stand of 66 between Brad Haddin and Jason Krejza.
Krejza can certainly do damage with the bat, and he had stroked five fours in going to 28 not out, while Haddin was numb to the pressures as he stroked 39 not out, with two sixes.
It was a case of a top-class all-round bowling effort by the South Africans, with Steyn, Harris and Kallis each taking two wickets.
Kallis was the most impressive as he maintained a probing line and length, conceding just 19 runs in the 11 overs he bowled.
South Africa have gone some of the way to mending the damage done by Johnson on the second evening.
He dismissed Steyn on the third morning as he finished with 8-61, the best figures by an Australian against South Africa.
With the second new ball due in five overs, South Africa’s scarred batsmen will want to chase no more than 350.