Australia v South Africa, 2005-06
Australia v South Africa, 2005-06
Neil Manthorp
15-Apr-2006
At Melbourne, December 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 2005. Australia won by 184 runs. Toss: Australia. Test debut: P. A. Jaques.
What ended up as a convincing victory for Australia owed much to Michael Hussey,
who scored an improbable hundred to transform the shape of the match. Hussey was
left to ponder a remarkable start to a career already 15,000 first-class runs old before
he made his debut. After five Tests, he had 595 runs under his belt at an average of
85, second only to Don Bradman among Australians, and the sixth-best start of any
Test batsman.
Ponting's decision to bat was based more on wanting his two leg-spinners to bowl
last, which left him obliged to take first use of a green pitch that had been watered
so well the night before the game that the start was delayed by half an hour. The lefthander
Phil Jaques, opening on debut in place of the injured Justin Langer, quickly
prodded a nip-backer to short leg, and Ponting should have followed when a mistimed
pull looped to Nel at midwicket. Usually the safest of outfield catchers, he fumbled it
badly. Ponting concluded that crease-occupation was required, and the normally fluent
Hayden spent almost four hours - and 177 balls - battling for 65 in a stand of 152
before Pollock finally found the edge. Ponting's reprieve came at 17, and he added
exactly 100 more before lashing a cut to gully off Nel, who was clearly pumped up
by the huge first-day crowd of 72,000. It was the start of a love-hate relationship
between Nel and the Australian public, and also kicked off a stunning spell of four
for 11 in 25 balls which reduced Australia to 239 for eight by the close.
MacGill was soon bowled on the second morning, leaving Hussey, who had 27 at
the time, with little option but to attack. Before a run was added, he flashed at Pollock and edged a straightforward catch to second slip: inexplicably, Kallis dropped it. Smith
responded by spreading the field for Hussey, allowing him singles off the fourth ball of every over. But McGrath comfortably negotiated the deliveries he was left to face,
while Hussey blossomed. Consecutive sixes off Nel over long-off were the highlights,
but he cut, pulled and drove with complete authority and dominated proceedings to
such an extent that McGrath faced only a third of the balls bowled during the 28 overs
he was at the crease. McGrath joined New Zealand's Nathan Astle as the only men
to have experienced two tenth-wicket hundred partnerships in Tests, while Hussey
followed Wilfred Rhodes and Alec Stewart of England, and Australia's Reggie Duff,
as the only ones to have shared century partnerships for both the first and last wickets.
Gibbs played some exquisite cover-drives, but the pace of his innings and the intensity
of his defence betrayed South Africa's desperation for a lead - and also their anxiety
and anger at having allowed their opponents to clamber off the canvas after knocking
them down for the second match running. After five hours and 47 minutes of unfamiliar
defiance, and just six runs short of a hundred, Gibbs was the seventh man out when
he played a Symonds inswinger into his stumps, and South Africa began their slide
to defeat.
Crunching pulls and dismissive on-the-up driving helped Hayden become the game's
third centurion - his 25th Test ton - during Australia's second innings, but, like the
others, he was dropped before reaching 30, a firm, low return chance eluding Nel at
27. Symonds, meanwhile, had started the match with an average of 85 with the ball
and 12.62 with the bat after five Tests as his country's all-rounder. To say he was under
pressure is an understatement. But he had collected a career-best with the ball the day
before, and now arrived at the crease with a lead of 237, tired and part-time bowlers
in operation, and his best friend Hayden at the other end. He lofted his third ball back
over Smith's head for six, and never looked back, reaching 50 from 40 deliveries and
clubbing half a dozen sixes and five fours in a blacksmith's innings of 72 from 54
balls.
Sensitive to the criticism he received after the First Test, Ponting gave the signal to
hit out or get out 40 minutes before tea, presenting Kallis with three cheap wickets
in the final over before the declaration. South Africa survived that awkward spell, but
Warne was not about to waste a scuffed, tired pitch that had some inviting bowlers'
footmarks to aim at. Three wickets after tea, plus two more from the rejuvenated
Symonds - still bowling useful swingers rather than his largely useless off-spinners -
effectively ended the contest.
Man of the Match: M. E. K. Hussey. Attendance: 192,930.
Neil Manthorp is a South African broadcaster and journalist, and head of the MWP Sport agency