Hall makes his mark, but Australia hold the upper hand

During the past four years Andrew Hall has been shot in the hand at point-blank range by a mugger and, just two months ago, been driven around in his own car with a gun pointed at his head by two hijackers. After this, even facing Brett Lee (recorded at 157.4km/h on Friday) probably doesn't seem that daunting.

Hall made 70 out of South Africa's 239 all out on the first day of the second Castle Lager/MTN Test match at Newlands before Australia replied with 46 no wicket off just eight overs before the close. It is fair to say that Australia once again had the better of the day, but Hall, one of three South Africans making his debut, at last produced some of the fighting spirit the side has lacked over the course of the summer.

Before the match, a fair bit was made of the possibility that the three new South Africans might not be carrying the scars produced by four successive beatings at the hands of the Australians. In Hall's case the speculation proved to be spot on. Even Adam Gilchrist acknowledged that Hall had played with a confidence and assurance lacking in much of the cricket South Africa have played this summer.

The first two-thirds of the day followed a predictable course after Mark Boucher had won a rare toss for South Africa. He opted to bat and the three Australian seamers picked up a wicket apiece in their opening spells with Shane Warne, in his 100th Test match, snatching a fourth when he bowled Neil McKenzie as lunch beckoned.

McKenzie and Jacques Kallis had taken South Africa from 25 for three to 70 for four, and the loss of McKenzie for 20 came at a critical time for the batting side.

Glenn McGrath underlined this point in the fourth over after the interval when he produced a well-nigh unplayable delivery that square Kallis up, kicked off just back of length and took the outside edge to give Adam Gilchrist the first of four catches in the innings.

From 73 for five South Africa were quickly 92 for six as McGrath accounted for Ashwell Prince, beautifully caught by Gilchrist one-handed at full stretch to his left. After Boucher made 29, Gilchrist repeated the trick, this time going full stretch to his right. South Africa seemed all but finished at 147 for seven, but Paul Adams joined Hall for what was to prove the best stand of the innings.

Gilchrist acknowledged afterwards that Australia had possibly attacked the eighth-wicket pair too vigorously in a bid to wrap up the tail, but Hall, hitting powerfully off his legs, and Adams, who has patented his own unique style, kept the bowling at bay. It was hugely entertaining stuff, mainly, perhaps, because South Africa were at last taking the fight back to Australia, and between them Hall and Adams added 69.

Adams made 35, his Test best, before falling to a sharp catch by Shane Warne at slip off Jason Gillespie, and it was Gillespie who finally undid Hall after more than three hours at the crease.

Warne finished off the innings to leave Australia to face eight overs before the close and Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer made the most of it. Dewald Pretorius, the 24-year-old who grew up in a Bloemfontein orphanage, took the brunt of the onslaught, conceding 33 runs in his first three overs in Test cricket as Langer, in particular, went after him.

There were nine fours in Australia's 46, five of them going to Langer, who ended the day on 28, and four to Hayden who will resume on Saturday with 17 and South Africa were once again on the back foot.

But for once there had been some resistance and Hall and Adams brought the Newlands crowd, subdued for much of the day, alive before and after tea.

The pitch, though, flattened out noticeably as the day wore on and Australia should have the best of it on the second and, probably, the third days. By making four changes, South Africa had hoped somehow to check the momentum built up by Australia in the first four contests between the two sides this summer. They came close to it on Friday, but probably not close enough.