Politics and Aussie openers prevail on day one

Two recurring themes were prevalent on the opening day of the third Test: South Africa's divisive selection politics and the brilliant batting of Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer.

One of the reasons for South Africa's woes on this tour has undoubtedly been the political pressure under which the team has suffered. With Lance Klusener having flown home to rediscover form and be with his pregnant wife after being dropped for the third Test - although the order in which those events were decided is unclear - it was expected uncapped batsman Jacques Rudolph would make his debut in Sydney.

Captain Shaun Pollock said as much leading into the Test, a dead rubber from the point of view of the this series, which would have allowed for the overdue blooding of Rudolph without too many negative consequences. However, it is well known that South Africa has racial quotas to fill, and though Gibbs serves as the one mandatory coloured player, it has become increasingly evident the unofficial quota demands at least two non-white players. Thus an out-of-form Justin Ontong was selected as Klusener's replacement at No. 6, as Pollock was made to look like he was contradicting himself again.

Whatever the merits or otherwise of the policy in assisting South Africa's transformation process, from the outside it appears it has been implemented poorly, with a lack of understanding between the team, the selectors and the authorities who rule on the matter. The Australian media have noticed the confusion, and along with the tourists' reported refusal to give interviews, it has helped contribute to a miserable tour.

Imagine being Ontong, a batsman and part-time spinner who Pollock said was picked as a specialist No. 6, knowing that you were not selected on merit and that your captain wanted someone else? The atmosphere cannot be conducive to the team producing its best cricket, on the one tour where South Africa would not have wanted any distractions.

Emphasising the lack of communication, legendary batsman and now South African selector Graeme Pollock said on ABC radio he felt South Africa would have been better served by sending Dippenaar to No. 6 and selecting Rudolph at three, but that the powers-that-be had subsequently dictated otherwise. He explained that although one non-white player was the minimum requirement, there was an expectation that more than one was selected whenever possible. That the authorities do not trust the selectors to make that judgement says much about the unease in South African cricket.

Pollock also said it was a critical time for South African cricket, and "talking form and cricketing sense, there's no reason he (Ontong) should be playing."

It was in this atmosphere that South Africa entered the match, with Nicky Boje rushed into the side a day after arriving in Sydney to provide a second left-arm spinner in place of Nantie Hayward. For Australia, Stuart MacGill at last made the XI on his home patch, with the unlucky Andy Bichel making way.

Steve Waugh won his third toss of the series and elected to bat, unsure of how the hard pitch would play in the first session, as the character of the SCG wicket has changed to assist pace as much as spin. As it turned out, the deck had appreciable pace and movement in the early Donald and Pollock overs, with even Pollock zipping it off the seam after a rather lacklustre two Tests.

Hayden and Langer were beaten at regular intervals through most of the first hour, made to bat like it was, well, the start of a Test match. They were forced to battle for survival, doing so well enough to see off Donald after a spell of five overs. Langer struggled for timing through most of the opening hour and Hayden had some difficulty judging which balls to leave, twice struck on the pad shouldering arms to Pollock.

Overcoming the testing beginning, Langer found his feet by driving and then cutting two successive Kallis deliveries to the cover fence. Kallis, around the wicket from the outset, did little other than allow the openers to pick which ball they wanted to hammer. When committed to their shots, there were some glorious drives and pulls, and the pair were soon into a familiar stride.

After failing to achieve a breakthrough in favourable morning conditions, one wondered whether South Africa might quickly lose spirit with nothing to play for, as their formula again had not worked. Langer, the less convincing of the two, was wise enough to throw the bat forcefully at those deliveries he went after, so when the edge was found a couple of times it had the velocity to fly over the slips.

When Henderson was introduced for the 25th over Langer tried to thrash him through the covers but found only the fielder. Third ball, he went down the wicket again and lofted high and handsomely over mid on for six. From a fraught beginning, Langer had overtaken Hayden by the break, with another large partnership blossoming. Australia were 93/0 at lunch, with Langer 46 and Hayden 42.

Langer drove a wide ball from Kallis over cover to raise both his fifty and the century partnership, which was merely an indication of the milestones to come in another outstanding partnership. Kallis was flayed, either too full or too short, and his directionless offerings were symptomatic of South Africa's overall effort. Langer looked to attack him at every opportunity, peeling 16 from an over which saw Kallis pulled from the attack with figures of 0/66 from 11 overs. The four boundaries came from successive balls, with Langer driving through cover, pulling, edging a drive to third man then driving through cover again. Was this really South Africa? There were few signs of fighting spirit, as the tourists marched through their overs mechanically and the runs mounted.

Langer's cavalier batsmanship left Hayden in his wake, the Queenslander remaining solid and watchful, refusing to be carried away by Langer's spirit. At least, not until he hoisted Pollock over mid wicket for six to raise the 150 partnership, celebrating with another handshake. In the words of commentator Kerry O'Keefe, Hayden and Langer have shared "more handshakes than an insurance salesmen's convention."

At 168/0 and in the middle of being thoroughly bullied, South Africa should have broken the union. Hayden was 63 when he swept Henderson low to Dippenaar at square leg. The ball went straight to him and Dippenaar held it in his midriff for a second before somehow contriving to spill it. After Hayden took two brilliant catches to dismiss Dippenaar in Melbourne, he could not return the favour by even holding a straightforward one.

Langer's hundred was the twelfth of his career, fourth of the season and fifth in his last seven Tests, coming from 147 balls with 16 fours and a six. Remarkably, his hundreds-to-innings ratio is level with Arthur Morris at a hundred every 6.58 innings, behind only Bradman, Greg Chappell and Neil Harvey in Australian Test history.

The double-century opening stand with Hayden was the fourth of the season between them, a truly phenomenal feat, as they are only the second pair to stage four such stands after West Indian combination Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes. So confident and positive were they, after surviving the first hour of play they never looked like doing anything else, though South Africa could have prevented it. Nicky Boje was not brought on until a quarter of an hour before tea at 190/0, and could have made a difference in his second over when he had Langer dropped by Boucher edging behind. The catch never made it into the gloves, deflecting off them and falling short of slip.

Hayden started 2002 the way he finished 2001, lofting Ontong over his head in the last over before tea to reach his hundred, from 187 balls with 14 fours and one six. His timing and power was again a feature. Having brilliantly dominated the session, Australia went to tea at 215/0, the relentless centurions continuing to torment South Africa.

In some ways it is just as well Australia have been provided fantastic starts by their openers, for the middle order, specifically Ponting and the Waughs, have not been anywhere near as productive as when placed under the pressure of early wickets. Australia had added just a further four runs when Hayden fell for 105, steering a catch to slip off Pollock. Hayden had appeared ripe to bat through the entire day but suffered a rare moment of tentativeness in a decisive innings to offer an even rarer slips catch, which Kallis held.

Accurate and deceptive, Pollock must have wished he had introduced Boje much earlier, before the Australian score had got out of hand. In combination with Pollock, Boje's pressure helped create the run out of Ricky Ponting, out for 14 to make it 247/2. In virtually identical circumstances to his run out in the first innings of the first Test, Langer called Ponting through for a suicidal single to cover, with Ontong's throw to Boucher from close range good enough to find him just short.

Australia had suffered a minor slump of 3/34 after the other centurion, Langer, succumbed to a surprisingly crafty Boje for 126. Boje prevented the batsmen from driving him by being deceptive in flight, bowling economically as a result. A few balls prior to his dismissal, Langer pushed a delivery in the air square of the wicket, then departed in the same fashion by prodding forward again and pushing a catch off pad and glove to McKenzie at silly mid off.

The double century partnership should have all but ensured Australia built an unassailable position, yet the South Africans hit back splendidly in the last session, with more like the indomitable spirit expected, to keep themselves in the match. First it was Pollock and Boje, then Pollock and Donald with the second new ball. In the meantime, the Waughs staged a 49-run partnership that appeared to steady the innings, with Kallis continuing to bowl some rubbish, but it was illusory.

Not for the first time this season has Australia's batting collapsed in the last session of the day, with 5 wickets falling for 89 runs after Pollock and Donald excised the Waughs. Twenty minutes before stumps, Pollock penetrated Steve Waugh's defence, nipping one back off the seam to bowl him through the gate as he tried to get forward to drive. If any more proof was needed, it demonstrated the best way to dismiss Waugh before he is truly set is by pitching up.

With Martyn exposed to a nasty period before stumps, Donald and Pollock were superb, beating both he and Mark Waugh both ways off the seam. It was also an indication that the wicket is an excellent one for bowling with a new ball. In the last over of the day, Mark Waugh was out for 19 in a manner not becoming a batsman of his experience. Needing only to see off four more balls, Waugh played a lazy back-foot waft to a shorter length Donald delivery, simply swishing at the ball for the edge to Boucher.

At 308/5, the South Africans were rightly jubilant, as they had created a window of opportunity to bowl themselves back into the match after the possibility of that occurring had looked extremely remote after two sessions.

Scorecard: Australian 1st innings | South Africa 1st innings
Images: Day 1
Match report: Day 2