Close Australia (315 and 159 for 8; Ponting 34, S Waugh 34*, Kallis 3-18) lead South Africa (167) by 307 runs
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If ever you needed proof that Australia no longer deal in dead rubbers, it was provided in spades on an enthralling second day's play at Durban. At tea, South Africa were dead in the water after being hustled out for a measly 167 in their first innings. By the close Steve Waugh was clinging to the wreckage of Australia's second innings, as first David Terbrugge, and then Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini and Paul Adams hauled South Africa back into contention with a spirited and consistent bowling display.

Matthew Hayden fell for a duck, Adam Gilchrist made just 16, Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting gave away solid starts, and at one stage Australia were 128 for 7. That they recovered to 159 for 8, and that all-important lead of 300, was down to the defiance of their captain, who has rarely looked so out of touch. But by the close he had gritted his way to 34 not out – and was taking Australia's ambitions of a double clean sweep very personally indeed.

Australia took a lead of 148 into their second innings, but faltered from the start. Terbrugge, who dismissed Justin Langer with his first ball of the first innings, required just ten deliveries second time around to claim both Langer and Matthew Hayden. Hayden had scored four centuries and a 96 in his previous five Tests, but could manage just 28 and 0 in his sixth.

Ricky Ponting cavorted to 34 off 32 balls before miscuing a pull to Terbrugge on the fine-leg boundary (77 for 3), and when Mark Waugh (30) and Damien Martyn fell in the same Jacques Kallis over (90 for 5), South Africa sensed an opportunity.

Kallis, whose bowling throughout the series had been innocuous at best, then unleashed the ball of the match to remove Adam Gilchrist for 16, and Australia led by 262 runs with just four wickets left. Fractionally back of a length, the ball pitched on off, straightened and scraped the edge on its way through to Mark Boucher as Gilchrist flinched defensively (114 for 6). It was going to take a jaffa to remove Gilchrist in his current run of form, and a fruity special is precisely what he received.

Warne was snaffled at silly point by Neil McKenzie off Adams (128 for 7), and Gillespie cut Adams to slip, where Kallis took a fine catch diving to his right (150 for 8). Waugh, who had once again been tied in knots by Paul Adams, was very grateful to take the offer for bad light, and lives to fight another day.

If South Africa had known how their day would finish, perhaps they might have batted with more conviction. Despite another cameo from Herschelle Gibbs, they slumped from 74 for 1 to 167 all out. Adams, the nightwatchman, steered a wide one from Lee to a diving Hayden in the gully (74 for 2), Graeme Smith nibbled at McGrath and edged to Gilchrist for 1 (75 for 3), and though Gibbs retaliated by swatting a Lee no-ball for four to bring up his 50 from 59 balls, Gillespie found the edge to give Gilchrist his second catch of the day (85 for 4).

Shane Warne's first ball was thumped straight over midwicket for six by McKenzie, but two overs later, Kallis drove loosely at a well-flighted delivery, and chipped a firm catch straight back to Warne for 16 (109 for 5).

South Africa's predicament worsened straight after lunch. Ashwell Prince (0) skewed a high full-toss from Warne to a tumbling Lee at mid-on (119 for 6), and Warne struck again four balls later, as Boucher bobbled another full-toss off the leading edge and back to the bowler (119 for 7).

McKenzie and Andrew Hall, South Africa's last recognised batsmen, added 29 for the eighth wicket, with Hall carrying on in the same positive vein he had showed on debut at Cape Town. But the end was nigh when Martyn pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at point to dismiss McKenzie for a diligent 25 from 87 balls. His uppercut looked to have cleared Martyn by a good two feet, but with a perfectly timed leap he plucked the catch from nowhere with his left hand.

Ntini slogged Warne for six before holing out to McGrath on the long-on boundary (167 for 9), and Terbrugge lasted just two balls before feathering an edge to Gilchrist off Lee. South Africa had conceded a lead of 148, and the game seemed as good as up. But appearances can often be deceptive.

Teams
South Africa 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Gary Kirsten, 3 Graeme Smith, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Neil McKenzie, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (capt & wk), 8 Andrew Hall, 9 Paul Adams, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 David Terbrugge.

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 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath.

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