Close South Africa 101 for 2 (Gibbs 42*, Kirsten 47) are 338 runs behind Australia (439; Langer 116, Martyn 124*, Henderson 4-116)
scorecard

A late double strike from Glenn McGrath tipped the match Australia's way as the shadows lengthened, after South Africa's openers had made a solid start on the second day of the first Test of the World Championship decider series.

Gary Kirsten, the arch-nudger and nurdler, had flicked and nicked to 47 when he lost sight of a full-toss from McGrath, who was bowling round of the wicket and may have been delivering from wide of the sightscreen. Kirsten froze, was hit high on the pad, and umpire Simon Taufel answered McGrath's screeched appeal in the affirmative (87 for 1). TV replays suggested the ball was indeed homing in on the stumps, although Kirsten was outside his crease at the time.

The second wicket was a classic, and emphasised the difference between the sides in the field. Boeta Dippenaar sprinted off the mark with a scorching square-drive for four off McGrath, then slashed at the next ball. Ricky Ponting took off in the gully, and grabbed the ball in his left hand at the high point of his salmon-leap (93 for 2). It was an astonishing catch – especially for someone nursing a bad back – and exactly the sort of chance the South Africans had spurned. Shaun Pollock put down two screamers in the same position when centurymaker Damien Martyn was in the nineties.

Nightwatchman Claude Henderson just clamped down on McGrath's first delivery, a reverse-swinging yorker, and survived somewhat nervously to the close. Herschelle Gibbs, the other opener, was still there with 42. He mixed some good strokes – he muscled Warne to the midwicket boundary when he dropped short, and swept him confidently for another four – with some iffy ones, notably when he bottom-edged Warne so close to the stumps that another coat of varnish would have seen him vanish.

Gibbs also escaped a run-out chance when he had made 24. Brett Lee, at backward point, missed the stumps with Gibbs stranded down the pitch after a yes-no interlude with Kirsten. He played Warne well, though, once leaning confidently down to squash the spin in a high-tossed looper that was snaking away towards the slips.

Earlier, the main contributor to Australia's imposing total of 439 was Martyn, whose unbeaten 124 was the highest of his three Test centuries, all of them scored this year. It was also his first Test hundred in Australia – his previous-highest at home was a modest 67 not out, against West Indies at Melbourne as long ago as 1992-93. He started quietly, but was flying by the end, when he took three fours in an over from the impressive Henderson. There was a touch of the Nervous Nineties: at 90 Martyn slashed Makhaya Ntini through the hands of Pollock, who had just stationed himself at a wide fourth slip. And at 95 he thick-edged Nantie Hayward to the same spot, but the pace again forced the ball through Pollock's despairing grasp.

Martyn added 84 with Warne for the seventh wicket, before Warne was bowled by Lance Klusener's fast offcutter for 41 (332 for 7). And then, to add to South Africa's discomfort, Martyn piled on a further 77 with Lee, who played the batsman with some aplomb before he drove too early at Hayward's slower ball and chipped it high to mid-off (409 for 8).

Jason Gillespie, the local hero, managed only 3 before he swiped at Henderson and top-edged a steepler. Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher circled nervously under it, but held on in the end (434 for 9).

Glenn McGrath was soon banged on the bowling hand by Hayward, then unwisely loped a single off the last ball of a Henderson over to let himself in for another burst from Hayward, who was working up a fair head of steam. The last ball of the 141st over zeroed in on the stumps, and Australia were all out. A slightly frustrated Martyn was marooned on 124.

The mottled pitch played better than expected on the second day, but it is turning and bouncing, and South Africa will have their work cut out tomorrow. Their first target will be the follow-on target of 240 – and after that they will need to carve out a big lead. Otherwise that man Warne might well enjoy the final innings at the Adelaide Oval.

Teams
Australia 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Justin Langer, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Mark Waugh, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Damien Martyn, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath.

South Africa 1 Gary Kirsten, 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Neil McKenzie, 5 Boeta Dippenaar, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Lance Klusener, 8 Shaun Pollock (capt), 9 Claude Henderson, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Nantie Hayward.

Steven Lynch will be sending exclusive bulletins on the play from Australia for Wisden.com throughout the series against South Africa. And Ian Healy, the former Australian wicketkeeper, will be delivering his authoritative Session by Session reports at lunch, tea and the close on each day of the series.

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