Close South Africa 154 and 209 for 2 (Kirsten 82*, Kallis 32*) need 191 to avoid an innings defeat
scorecard

A funny thing happened at the Sydney Cricket Ground this afternoon. Only two wickets went down in the follow-on, after six sacrificial lambs were slaughtered in a morning session that became a procession. South Africa are still a long way from avoiding defeat in the third Test, but a big partnership between Gary Kirsten and Boeta Dippenaar restored some pride and belief in their dressing-room.

Chief limpet, as so often, was Kirsten. Freer of stroke than usual early in his innings, he ground to a halt and camped in the seventies for 79 minutes before driving Brett Lee through the covers for the four that posted the 200.

Actually Kirsten shouldn't have been there at all, as Australia dropped a chance for once. And the culprit was Test cricket's leading catcher, Mark Waugh. It came soon after Lee straightened a screamer into Herschelle Gibbs, who was on 10, and sent the off stump flying (17 for 1). Kirsten had stuttered to 12 when he edged Lee waist-high to second slip. Waugh dropped it, and Aussie jaws dropped too.

It was an expensive miss. Kirsten likes nothing better than to bat for a day or two. He survived 878 minutes for 275 against England at Durban in 1999-2000. And England were on the receiving end of a 650-minute cameo at Old Trafford in 1998, during which Kirsten made 210 without ever looking in form. Whether he can manage the same on an SCG pitch increasingly resembling crazy-paving, as the cracks open up, is another matter.

Kirsten put on 149 with Dippenaar. He was a revelation, driving well and collecting 11 fours in South Africa's first half-century of the match. He waited on the bad balls, of which there were more than usual from Shane Warne, and either drove them or used an unusual short-arm jab-pull. He sprinted to 50 in 51 balls, but took 65 more to inch to 74. Frustrated, he slogged a full-toss from Stuart MacGill straight to midwicket (166 for 2). It was the 11th catch of the short series for Ricky Ponting.

Jacques Kallis, the second-innings hero of Adelaide and Melbourne, started quickly for once, scoring 21 of the first 22 runs during his stay, and once blasting a Warne full-toss close to Matthew Hayden's head en route to the midwicket boundary. He had reached 32 by the close.

And so, despite some rasping spinners from Warne and MacGill, Australia claimed only two wickets in two sessions after enforcing the follow-on.

It was a strikingly different story before lunch. Neil McKenzie hadn't added to his overnight 20 when he played inside the day's third ball, from Warne – but it was a top-spinner not a leggie and it rattled the stumps (93 for 5). Next over Justin Ontong went back to a Warne legbreak that pitched on leg and straightened, and David Shepherd raised the finger (98 for 6). Ontong, on his birthday, was gone for 9.

Shaun Pollock (6) reached out to drive Glenn McGrath, but sent it uppishly to cover. Damien Martyn was smiling even before the catch reached him (111 for 7).

Just when South Africa thought it couldn't get any worse, up popped the comedy run-out. Nicky Boje turned McGrath into a gap at square leg. But in turning for the third Boje slipped. MacGill, running round the boundary, screamed at the helmeted Justin Langer to throw to the bowler, and McGrath took off the bails with Boje yards short (121 for 8). The spikeless Boje was run out for 7.

After a minor fightback Mark Boucher, who top-scored with 35, leant forward to one from Warne that drifted in, then zipped away. He pad-batted it low to Ponting at silly point (148 for 9).

Twenty minutes before lunch it was all over. The ball after lofting a fine straight-drive back over MacGill's head for four, Claude Henderson (9) tried to repeat the shot, but sent it vertically to McGrath at mid-off.

With a handy lead of 400, Steve Waugh had no hesitation in enforcing the follow-on, and the early wicket of Gibbs sparked thoughts of an embarrassing three-day defeat. But despite this afternoon's defiant display, South Africa still have to bat out of their skins to avoid defeat, and their first series whitewash since 1931-32.

It was a record-breaking morning for Shane Warne. His third wicket took him past fellow legspinner Clarrie Grimmett's record bag of 77 Test scalps for Australia against South Africa, and also made him the top Test wicket-taker at the SCG. Charlie Turner, the 19th-century "Terror", was the previous record-holder with 45.

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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