Close Australia 439 and 3 for 0 lead South Africa 374 (Gibbs 78, McKenzie 87, Boucher 64, Warne 5-113) by 68 runs
scorecard

Australia still held the upper hand by the end of the third day of the first Test of the World Championship decider series – but a fine partnership between Neil McKenzie and Mark Boucher ensured that South Africa's deficit was slimmer than once looked likely. It was a record day for Shane Warne, who took five wickets for the first time at Adelaide, including his 50th of 2001 and his 415th in Tests, to put him past Wasim Akram into fourth place on the overall list. Ironically, Warne wasn't quite at his brilliant best.

Australia's openers had to negotiate three fiery overs at the end of the day. Matthew Hayden survived confident leg-before appeals from both Nantie Hayward and Shaun Pollock, but he and Justin Langer survived to fight again in the morning. Steve Waugh will be the happier captain, although a draw now seems the likeliest result. Pollock, who had to go into this match without his talismanic fast bowler Allan Donald, will be happy with that.

The big stand started after Warne bamboozled Lance Klusener shortly after lunch. At first it was slow going, as both McKenzie and Boucher struggled to make much of Warne, who was bowling round the wicket into the right-handers' pads. After a spurt of 35 runs in the first five overs after lunch, only 51 more came in the rest of the afternoon session.

But Steve Waugh took the new ball immediately after tea, and the runs started coming at a great rate. McKenzie and Boucher came out swinging, and collected 54 runs – with ten fours – in the first eight overs.

McKenzie, compact and correct, dealt mainly in boundaries. He moved into the eighties with his 16th four, when he skipped down the track to take one from Warne on the full and ease it through midwicket. The stand had reached 141 when Waugh conjured an unlikely wicket. Damien Martyn, the first-innings batting hero, was given a trundle – and in his third over he jagged one back at McKenzie, and trapped him lbw for 87 to deprive him of a century in his first Test innings against Australia (355 for 7).

Boucher was also in boundary mode after a sluggish start. He was at sea against Warne earlier on, but after he got his eye in against the new ball it was a different story. He cracked Lee for five fours in two overs, two of them vicious pulls and another a wristy flick to square leg. He reached his fifty – twice, according to the scoreboard – with an off-driven three off McGrath, then stroked Warne past mid-off for another four.

It was all over soon after the big stand ended. Pollock stabbed at a perfect legspinner from Warne, and edged it to Adam Gilchrist before he'd scored (356 for 8). With Makhaya Ntini looking bemused by Warne's variations, Boucher slogged, top-edged, and was caught by Langer in the covers for 64, from 149 balls with eight fours (365 for 9).

Last man Hayward, his batting technique borrowed from the Babe Ruth slugging manual, somehow survived a Bodyline over from Lee, who twice pinged Ntini on the helmet before turning his attention to Hayward. Two vicious balls whistled by Nantie's nose as he twisted away towards square leg. Hayward's spell to Lee in the second innings will be worth watching.

The fun ended next over, when Ntini slogged Warne to Ricky Ponting at cow corner (374 all out).

Earlier, the morning session was a tale of two halves. South Africa looked good in the first hour, possibly helped by the pitch-deadening roller. The early star was the nightwatchman Claude Henderson, who made a composed 30 before he dropped a delivery from Glenn McGrath at his feet. Herschelle Gibbs hurtled through for a quick single, but Henderson wasn't sure where the ball was, and started slowly. McGrath followed through and, as Henderson finally took off, had the presence of mind to lob the ball over the galloping batsman to Lee, who broke the stumps. The batsman wasn't even in the frame (155 for 3).

Gibbs, who had quietly moved past his half-century, then took centre stage. He clobbered McGrath over mid-on for three and swept Warne confidently. But shortly before lunch Australia made a double breakthrough. First Warne removed Gibbs for an attractive 78. Gibbs was lured down the track as Warne pitched wide of leg stump. It turned in and beat the attempted on-drive, and Adam Gilchrist completed the stumping (178 for 4). It was a great piece of glovework, as he was unsighted by the batsman until the last moment. Even Ian Healy was impressed.

With no addition to the score, Jacques Kallis was trapped in front by a reverse-swinging yorker from McGrath (178 for 5). Kallis made only 5, continuing his modest record against Australia – he averages around 23 against them, against 47 overall.

South Africa made a bright start after lunch, adding 35 in the first five overs – but then Warne spoiled the party by removing the dangerous Klusener. He had hurtled to 22, lancing McGrath for two fours which zoomed dangerously close to fourth slip. Warne was pitching it up to Klusener and turning it in, and eventually he hit a footmark and the ball speared into middle stump (214 for 6).

Then came that enterprising seventh-wicket stand, which almost matched the combined feats of Australia's seventh and eighth wickets – a tale of two tails.

This Adelaide pitch has behaved better than many expected after a first day on which the bounce was worryingly uneven. There are a few cracks, but they haven't come into play – yet. Warne might still enjoy bowling on the final day, though.

One feature of the third day was that Australia were deprived of two – probably three – wickets by no-balls. Henderson edged Lee to Gilchrist when he had made 8, and McKenzie did likewise at 53. Later McGrath choked off a confident leg-before appeal against McKenzie when he heard the no-ball call. On the first day Pollock had had Ponting caught at midwicket off another one. Spookily, all four no-balls were called by the eagle-eyed Simon Taufel.

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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