Injuries galore, Tahir's nightmare continues

Another day, another man down. James Pattinson had bowled one ball of his 10th over when the pain he felt in his side was too much to bear. Without a hint that it was affecting him - no clutching at his left side or wincing on his face - he handed the ball over to Peter Siddle and trooped off the field. With that, Pattinson joined the list of injured fast bowlers.

When AB de Villiers was dismissed, there was a buzz around when Jacques Kallis was expected to walk in at No.7 because of the time he spent off the field injured. Five wickets had fallen but it was Dale Steyn who came out. It was not until 40 minutes before lunch that Kallis made an appearance at No.9. It was not quite the standing ovation of Sydney 2009 when Graeme Smith walked out to bat with a broken hand but there was generous appreciation for his presence.

The cricket family always enjoys it when one of their own is in town and today there was someone they were delighted to see. Viv Richards was in attendance and appeared on the lunch-time broadcast but it was his visit to the South African dressing-room that escaped the cameras. Richards had a meet and greet with the players, some of whom had never met him before and it was a bowler who was happiest to see him. Vernon Philander has always admired Richards and was first to have his picture taken with the West Indian legend.

Imran Tahir thought his nightmare had ended when Ed Cowan was caught at extra cover after failing to pick the googly. In his customary style, Tahir took off down the pitch, arms in the air, a smile on his face, a roar from his lips and the troubles of the first innings well behind him. But only for a few seconds. The umpires checked for the no-ball and it was soon clear that Tahir had overstepped for the sixth time in the match. Inexcusable for the spinner and now, a source of heartbreak too.

Very few scores under 20 get greeted as warmly as Ricky Ponting's was. After playing on to Dale Steyn, Ponting's contribution to the match ended without much to celebrate but he was clapped off the Adelaide Oval, the ground he will come back to watch Test cricket, warmly. The reception was more than just recognition of one of the country's greats, it could also have been goodbye. With Ponting under pressure for his place, the crowd may suspect they won't see him again and wanted to make the most of it, one more time.