Close Australia 308 for 5 (Langer 126, Hayden 105)
scorecard

South Africa struck back at smoky Sydney, with five wickets in the final session after losing the toss on the first day of the third Test. Australia may have clinched the Test Championship decider series at Melbourne, but this late comeback by Shaun Pollock and his not-so-merry men regained some pride after a dire start.

However, Australia still hold the upper hand, scoring over 300 on a turning pitch, thanks to yet another massive opening stand between Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden.

The two left-handers added 219, their fourth double-century partnership since being thrown together in the last Test in England in August. There's been another century stand too, and one of 80. The only other pair to share four opening stands of more than 200 in Tests was Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge – and it took that legendary pair ten years rather than ten innings.

Langer led the charge, sprinting away after lunch in a purple patch which included four fours in one over from the dumbstruck Jacques Kallis. Shortly afterwards he turned the fulminating Allan Donald for the single that brought up his 12th Test century, his fourth of the Australian summer and the fifth in his last seven Tests.

Hayden waited until the last over before tea before posting his own fourth hundred of the season, shimmying down the pitch and clobbering the debutant Justin Ontong for four over mid-on. He contented himself with three fours off an over from Kallis, who was expensive all day. But the pick of Hayden's 14 fours was an off-drive off Donald, which scudded to the boundary before anyone could move. It was Hayden's seventh Test century, and he also passed 2000 Test runs during his innings.

Both openers also hit a six – Langer off Claude Henderson, and Hayden an insolent pull off Pollock. And both were dropped once too. At 68, Hayden pulled Henderson weakly to square leg, where Boeta Dippenaar grassed a simple chance. And Langer, at 102, got a big deflection to Nicky Boje, whose exaltation turned to exasperation as the edge hit Boucher's gloves and went down.

The big stand was finally demolished after tea. Pollock probed outside off stump, Hayden edged, and Kallis at slip clasped the catch to his chest as he fell backwards (219 for 1).

One wicket soon became three. First Langer pushed Boje into the covers and called for a quick single, but Ontong swooped. His return alongside the bails was too slick for Ricky Ponting, who the replays showed was out for 14 after more than four hours padded up in the pavilion (247 for 2).

Langer, who drove throughout as if auditioning for the next MCC coaching video, cracked the boundary that brought up Australia's 250, but next ball he bat-padded a sharp chance to Neil McKenzie at silly point (253 for 3). His 126 was his highest Test score against South Africa, and he hit 19 fours and that six.

It was a deserved reward for Boje, who only arrived in Australia yesterday. He was surprisingly held back until Australia had 190, but made his presence felt thereafter, keeping things quiet with 15-5-25-1.

The Waugh twins stopped the rot with a stand of 49. Steve was in run-stealing form, hotfooting it to 30 while his brother was content to potter into double figures, although he did send one delectable cut down the chute to the backward-point boundary off Jacques Kallis.

Another classic cut from Mark Waugh, off Donald, brought up the 300, which brought a call for the new ball. The decision paid off in the next over, when Pollock himself nipped one back through the gate and bowled Steve Waugh (302 for 4).

Then, with what turned out to be the last ball of the day, Donald ended Mark Waugh's 200th Test innings. He tried to clatter one through the covers without much foot-movement, and was caught behind (308 for 5).

All in all it was a good comeback for South Africa. Before tea they had seemed clueless as well as Klusenerless on a hot, hazy day at the SCG. One reason for that limp display might have been that their selectors were apparently denied the side they wanted by the South African Board, which reportedly vetoed the selection of Jacques Rudolph as Klusener's replacement, insisting that Ontong, a coloured player, should be included instead.

However, Australia have a double-edged secret weapon licking lips and fingers in the dressing-room. Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill are likely to bowl last on a pitch where Boje is turning it a lot already … and the cracks are beginning to open up. Not many people would bet against an Aussie whitewash now.

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

South Africa 1 Gary Kirsten, 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Boeta Dippenaar, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Neil McKenzie, 6 Justin Ontong, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Shaun Pollock (capt), 9 Nicky Boje, 10 Claude Henderson, 11 Allan Donald.

Steven Lynch is database director of Wisden.com.

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