Relief for Kleinveldt, Smith the Survivor

The sound of Michael Clarke's middle stump being neatly removed by a swift delivery from Morne Morkel that might have just nipped back a fraction was sweet relief for South Africa after the damage Australia's captain had inflicted on the visitors over two innings. Clarke had made 489 runs before his first dismissal of the series, which came during Australia's slip from 4 for 482 to 550 all out. Clarke drives beautifully down the ground but often leaves enough of a gap for a bowler to exploit if he can find some movement or angle, as Morkel did on this occasion.

Two matches and 41.1 overs into his Test career, Rory Kleinveldt finally claimed a first wicket when Peter Siddle fended a bouncing delivery to slip. His celebrations were put on hold however when the umpire Billy Bowden decided to check for a possible no-ball. There were groans among South African supporters when the first replay suggested Kleinveldt had gone very close to delivering the sort of marginally illegal delivery that Siddle and Morkel managed in Brisbane, but ultimately the third umpire Asad Rauf decided that some part of Kleinveldt's boot had landed behind the line. No-one was more relieved than the bowler.

Graeme Smith had 46 and South Africa 86 without loss when Clarke fooled his opposite number as he advanced down the pitch. A little dip and turn had the ball skipping between Smith's bat and pad, and Matthew Wade had moved in line with the stumps to accept the ball. Unsighted by Smith's body, Wade's gloves closed a fraction early, and the ball bounced out towards square leg. Had a clean take been made Smith would surely have been stumped, but instead the restive Friday crowd were left to murmur Brad Haddin's name.

As he had done in Brisbane, James Pattinson again ventured around the wicket to try to extract an outside edge from Smith, and on 78 the ball appeared to singe the bat on its way through to Wade. Australia went up spontaneously and the umpire Richard Kettleborough raised his finger. But Smith paused, consulted with Hashim Amla and referred the decision. His reticence about leaving the crease would be vindicated by a series of replays that could confirm nothing more than the fact the bat had been very close to the ball. Hot-Spot showed no trace of an edge, and Kettleborough was left to cross his arms in the gesture of a decision reversed. Ricky Ponting was unimpressed, sidling up to Smith to suggest that there had indeed been a nick.