Australia v South Africa
At Sydney, January 2, 3, 4, 5
15-Apr-2003
At Sydney, January 2, 3, 4, 5. Australia won by ten wickets. Toss: Australia. Test debut: J. L.
Ontong.
One of the most anticlimactic rubbers in memory ended late on the fourth day of the Third
Test, when Australia swept the series clean. What had been promoted as the "Title Fight" had
long since become a catchweight contest. The result had been in little doubt since tea on the first
day, when Australia were 215 without loss, with Hayden and Langer again set like concrete in
their fourth double-century opening partnership in ten starts. Only Gordon Greenidge and Desmond
Haynes had shared so many opening doubles in Tests, and they had taken 134 innings.
South Africa seemed present only to negotiate on a margin of defeat; they had already had to
negotiate the selection row which dominated the preliminaries. With the out-of-form Klusener sent
home, Jacques Rudolph was lined up for his debut. But on the eve of the match, their board
president, Percy Sonn, insisted the place should go to a "player of colour", Justin Ontong, in
accordance with the board policy of promoting non-whites when the opportunity arose. The
intervention was clumsily handled, though Ontong and Rudolph - who were room-mates -
responded with dignity, and Ontong did not disgrace himself on the field, either, making some
useful runs and running out Ponting.
After an uncertain start - 12 runs in eight overs - Hayden and Langer revealed a rich array of
strokes, rewarded by a fast outfield, and pounced on every bowler. When Henderson came on,
Langer hefted him into the crowd at mid-on. When he resumed after lunch, Langer hop-scotched
into a cover drive to the boundary. Pollock gave himself one more over: Hayden walloped a long-hop
over the mid-wicket fence. Donald was recalled: Langer slashed through gully for four. Kallis
returned: Hayden flailed three consecutive boundaries. Langer was the first to reach a hundred,
his 12th in Tests, and celebrated expansively; half an hour later, Hayden, who was perhaps even
more authoritative, marked his with the sign of the cross.
Not for the first time, Pollock's choices were flawed. Kallis, who was looted for almost a run
a ball, was overused, while Boje, the left-arm spinner returning after injury, was held back until
the 55th over, with 190 on the board, when he proved the most economical of the lot. Although
the Australians lost five for 93 in the final session, they were made impregnable on the second
day by 117 from Martyn, scored in 166 balls with 13 fours. With the tailenders pitching in usefully,
the last four wickets added 198 in less than 40 overs.
South Africa's attempt to reply lasted only five balls longer than Langer and Hayden's partnership.
After two early blows from McGrath, Australia showed why they had picked two spinners for the
first time in the series. MacGill secured a couple of key wickets by the close, and Warne struck
in his first two overs of the morning to maintain the impetus. South Africa were following on
before lunch, and looked like losing in three days when Lee whisked Gibbs's off stump away four
overs after the break. They might have done had Mark Waugh held a regulation chance at second
slip when Kirsten was 12. But the Australians grew impatient, conceding 22 boundaries in the
afternoon as they tried to force another breakthrough. Kirsten and Dippenaar added 149 for the
second wicket in 42 overs - South Africa's biggest stand of the series, and also their most fluent,
which cast doubt on their earlier policy of self-denial.
Though it was too much to hope for a real fight, this was a handy subsidiary bout. Australia
often tied Kirsten down, but took seven and a quarter hours to uproot him. After Dippenaar, several
batsmen wasted useful starts. South Africa led by only three runs when their ninth wicket fell.
Pollock struck 47 out of a last-wicket stand of 49 in 57 balls, including three sixes, one of them
from overthrows. But Langer and Hayden disposed of their target inside 11 overs before sharing
the match award. At the presentation ceremony, Steve Waugh announced that Australia would
donate their $A51,000 prize money to a public appeal for victims of bushfires, which had burned
out half a million hectares of forest round New South Wales during the Test.
Men of the Match: M. L. Hayden and J. L. Langer.
Man of the Series: M. L. Hayden
Man of the Series: M. L. Hayden