Boxing Day - aesthetically billed in the context of this heavyweight showdown between Australia and South Africa - is, in theory, the biggest day on the Australian cricket calendar.

But, for far from the first time in recent years, rain in Melbourne made for a rather unsatisfactory, anti-climactic and incomplete experience all round today as the two teams endured an abbreviated opening to the Second Test.

Invited to bat first on an intermittently lively pitch, South Africa had struggled to 3/89 by the time that play was finally abandoned at 6:27pm.

The tourists lost Herschelle Gibbs (14) and Gary Kirsten (10) to outside and under edged strokes at Glenn McGrath (2/28) respectively, and then Boeta Dippenaar (26) to a stunning gully catch from Matthew Hayden as he issued a full-blooded cut at Brett Lee (1/38).

But the position might have been worse.

Jacques Kallis (22*) looked surprisingly uncomfortable at times in fending short-pitched deliveries from McGrath and Andy Bichel (0/15) off the line of his throat.

And, as he joined with Neil McKenzie (14*) to guide his team to stumps, he was twice dropped off the bowling of a desperately unlucky Bichel. Third slip fieldsman Ricky Ponting spilt a very tough chance, one handed and low to his right, with Kallis on 6. Then Lee, on the verge of the fine leg boundary rope, grassed a top edged hook as he attempted to clutch the ball to his chest with the elegant right hander's score at 11.

The Australian pace attack bowled well, though Gibbs and Kirsten resisted them with ease in a first session limited to a total of just 40 minutes.

Also compromising the Australians' attempts to take wickets was the persistent arrival of drenching rain. Along with the 80 minutes lost at the start of the day, there were then another three stoppages to follow.

The lights in the towers that surround the stadium were even switched on at lunch to counteract a backdrop of charcoal-coloured skies. And the umpires, captains and match referee continually did their best to produce more cricket too - even agreeing to the prospect of an elongated 170-minute final session.

Yet - in front of a largely undaunted and good-natured gathering of 61,796 spectators - a total of 50 overs was still surrendered.

It's tradition for Melbourne's Test to be staged in the week that follows Christmas; sadly, though, another sort of tradition is quickly enveloping the event.

This Test had already been serially afflicted by rain over each of the past three years and Boxing Day itself has rarely been spared in recent times. The entire day was lost to the elements when England toured in 1998-99 and then only three hours of play were possible before the Second Test against India in 1999-2000 continued to have all five days affected by weather stoppages.

Even more ominously perhaps, only four hours of play were possible over the entirety of the match's opening three days when South Africa visited the city in 1993-94.

Ironically, bushfires were raging across a scalded Sydney (next week's Test venue) all the while today. There were also canopies of bright blue sky in both Brisbane and Hobart, where Tests were ravaged by rain earlier in the season.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd