Australia takes hold of the First Test
Australia has taken control after day three of the First Test match against South Africa at the WACA Ground
in Perth.
Brad Hodge and, local boy, Mike Hussey have defied the Proteas' bowlers in the afternoon sessions for an
unbeaten fifth-wicket stand of 126 runs. They came together with Australia in a shaky position of 4-184.
Resuming overnight at 1-38, the Aussies made a blistering start to the day as the night-watchman, Brett Lee,
and opener, Justin Langer, added 49 runs before Charl Langeveldt struck and claimed his second wicket. Lee
(32) adjudged out lbw.
Langeveldt should have bagged a third wicket when Ricky Ponting hooked the ball to Jacques Rudolph at
square leg when he was on four. Ponting survived as umpire Billy Doctrove call it a no-ball, though TV replays
clearly showed otherwise.
Langer strained his hamstring while running in the first session and, despite being in a lot of discomfort,
soldiered on after the lunch break with Matthew Hayden as his runner. Australia was 2-120 at the main
interval with Langer and Ponting at the crease.
Langer's painful stay in the middle ended in the third over after lunch when he played the ball onto
his stumps.
Ponting took advantage of the earlier let-off to register another first-class 50 with his fourth boundary,
dismissed soon after for 53 just before the tea break, with an edge off Makhaya Ntini through to keeper Mark
Boucher.
Hodge and Hussey then combined to take the game away from South Africa.
|
Test Series - First Test |
| AUSTRALIA |
258 & 4/310 |
(Second Innings)
| Brad Hodge | 91* |
| Mike Hussey | 54* |
| Charl Langeveldt | 2/71 |
| Shaun Pollock | 1/60 |
|
| SOUTH AFRICA |
296 |
@ the WACA Ground, Perth
Match Summary :: Day Three |
Both batsmen received extra lives with catches not being snapped up. Hodge survived, when he was on 13,
after offering Justin Kemp the catch at third slip.
Langeveldt was the bowler then and again in the final over of play where he had to endure another dropped
catch as Hussey drove to AB de Villiers at mid-wicket. Next ball Hussey cut the short ball to the boundary to
notch up his 50.
Hodge at the close is 91 not out, his highest score from four Test innings so far. Hussey moved to 54 with
his seventh four on the final ball of the day.
After a flurry of wickets fell on the first two days, only three would fall today as Australia powered to
4-310 and an overall lead of 272 runs.
Play resumes tomorrow morning at 10:30am local time.
Full scorecard available
here.
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