Aussies on verge of victory
2005-12-29 10:16
Melbourne - Andrew Symonds emphatically answered doubts about his status in the Australian team with a genuine all-rounder performance to have the home town close to victory over South Africa in the second Test on Thursday.
The dreadlocked Symonds assailed the South African bowling with an exhilarating 72 off 54 balls, including six sixes and five fours, and then claimed 2-6 off four overs to have the Proteas teetering on the edge of defeat heading into Friday's final day.
Symonds, who could have faced the sack after a first-ball duck in Monday's first innings, has hit back spectacularly over the last two days of the Melbourne Test, claiming 3-50 in the first innings before Thursday's virtuoso performance with bat and ball.
At stumps South Africa had capitulated to 99 for six and were trailing by 266 runs with Ashwell Prince not out 16 in 100 minutes and Shaun Pollock on 13.
Australia had tightened the noose on the Proteas with a 237-run lead when Mike Hussey was dismissed shortly after lunch, bringing Symonds to the wicket at 193 for four.
Symonds immediately signalled his intentions, slamming Graeme Smith for six off the third ball he faced and then joining Matthew Hayden in a ferocious assault.
The two Queenslanders hammered a 124-run partnership in 66 minutes off 93 balls to set up a declaration at 321 for seven 40 minutes before tea on the fourth day.
Hayden's fourth century
Hayden claimed his fourth century in five years at the ground and his 25th Test ton overall, with 137 in 356 minutes including 17 fours and two sixes.
Symonds clobbered sixes off left-arm spinner Nicky Boje (3), off-spinner Smith (2) and paceman Andre Nel, while Hayden clubbed sixes off Nel and Jacques Kallis.
Symonds' tally of sixes was the most in a Melbourne Test, surpassing Virender Sehwag's five for India two seasons ago.
Hayden was out when he skied Kallis, for wicketkeeper Mark Boucher to glove the catch. Two balls later Symonds holed out to Nel and Adam Gilchrist hit one down the throat of Prince, forcing skipper Ricky Ponting's hand with three wickets falling in Kallis's 11th over.
Kallis finished with 3-58 and will be on a hat-trick when he bowls in the Sydney Test next week.
Ponting set South Africa 366 to win off a minimum 132 overs - a historically challenging target given that the highest last innings total to win a game at the MCG was England's 332 for seven in 1928.
South Africa put on 39 before Shane Warne made the breakthrough, drawing AB de Villiers forward to be stumped by Adam Gilchrist for eight.
Smith followed in the next over, edging Glenn McGrath's outswinger to Gilchrist for 25.
Three overs later Warne bamboozled first innings topscorer Herschelle Gibbs with a skidding top-spinner and bowled him middle stump for nine.
Symonds continued his Test resurrection with the crucial wicket of cricket's top-rated batsman Jacques Kallis for nine.
- SAPA