Close South Africa (93 for 4) are 461 behind Australia (554; Langer 126, Hayden 105, Martyn 117, Boje 4-63)
scorecard

Australia put both boots across South Africa's windpipe on the second day at smoky Sydney, and a 3-0 series whitewash now seems inevitable. Four late wickets for the New South Wales MacAttack – Glenn McGrath and Stuart MacGill – left South Africa hapless, and almost hopeless.

Led by Damien Martyn's fourth Test century in seven months, Australia rampaged to 554. The torture finally ended for South Africa just before tea, after 54.5 overs today cost 246 runs. The torture in the field, that is. They then had to bat against McGrath and the twin legspinners, MacGill and Shane Warne, which turned out to be even worse.

Just when Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten seemed to have negotiated the phoney war – the new-ball burst before the legspinners took over – a wicket went down. Brett Lee took his sweater, and the whole crowd was expecting Warne to peel off his. Maybe Kirsten was too. But back came McGrath, homing in from round the wicket, and Kirsten edged his first ball high to Ricky Ponting at third slip for 18 (37 for 1).

Boeta Dippenaar looked anxious, probably expecting another fabulous catch to chop him off at the knees. Instead a fabulous ball did the trick. With Dippenaar on 3, McGrath snaked one back in through the gate and into middle stump (43 for 2).

Now MacGill took over. Putting enough revs on the ball to interest Michael Schumacher, he turned some deliveries a yard. Jacques Kallis, so solid at Adelaide and Melbourne, got off the mark with an imperious pull for four off McGrath, but in the next over he prodded forward at MacGill. It pitched just outside leg, then skeetered back towards off. Kallis, on 4, just got a touch and Adam Gilchrist did the rest (56 for 3).

Gibbs had grafted to 32 when MacGill tossed one up invitingly. Gibbs went for the drive, but the ball zapped away as it pitched, took the edge, and flew straight into the adhesive hands of Mark Waugh at slip (77 for 4).

Justin Ontong, a controversial selection, took 23 nervous balls to get off the mark. But he and Neil McKenzie somehow negotiated their trial by legspin to make it to the close. By then South Africa were 461 behind on a raging turner. Not even Dennis Lillee would risk a dollar at 500-1 here.

Earlier Australia had batted like the elders in the Fathers' match, doing almost as they pleased. The batting star was Martyn, last out for a cultured 117, which included 13 fours. Until he approached three figures Martyn played it by the textbook, but then seemed intent on becoming the first batsman in Test history to progress through the nineties with reverse-sweeps. Two of them bobbled to the boundary, but it was an authentic cut to third man which took him to three figures.

At the other end Adam Gilchrist sprinted to 34 before he top-edged Kallis to Mark Boucher (356 for 6). That was four balls after the drinks interval – another wicket for the water-cart.

In came Warne, one of the batting revelations of this southern summer. He soon heaved Nicky Boje for four, then lofted him over mid-on for another. It turned out he was only finding his range. A chopped cut off Claude Henderson brought up 400, and next over Warne sashayed down the pitch and slammed Boje into the stands near the old Hill for a huge six.

Shaun Pollock returned, but couldn't stop Warne playing a stylish one-legged pull – a mirror image of Graham Thorpe's trademark shot – for another four. The stand rose to 83 before Warne inside-edged the last ball before lunch into his stumps for 37 (439 for 7).

After the interval Lee made a stylish 29, including a crunching four back over Allan Donald's head to post the 500. Shortly afterwards he was bowled through his legs by a turner from Boje (502 for 8).

MacGill swung cheerfully before slogging Boje to midwicket, where Henderson pulled off a fine running catch (542 for 9). McGrath earned huge cheers for a single, but was left stranded – the only man not to reach double figures – when Martyn finally swept straight to McKenzie at square leg. It was a fourth wicket for Boje, who only arrived in Australia two days ago.

Boje's success was just about the only good news for South Africa. Today's newspaper headlines dissected their selection policy. Tomorrow's will examine their helplessness, as Australia steamroller on to an inevitable whitewash in a series that was supposed to be so close.

Teams
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 Stuart MacGill, 11 Glenn McGrath.

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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