CAPE TOWN: Australia ended the third day of the third Test on 102 for two, still trailing South Africa by 340 runs with eight wickets remaining in Cape Town yesterday.
Australia, who clinched the series by winning the first two Tests, were bowled out for 209 before South Africa made 651, their highest ever score against the touring side.
Captain Ricky Ponting’s poor match continued as he followed his first-innings duck with just 12, edging an expansive drive at a delivery outside off stump from Dale Steyn to be caught behind.
Opening batsman Phillip Hughes blazed his way to 32 before a hesitant prod at spinner Paul Harris’s third delivery was edged to skipper Jacques Kallis at slip.
Fellow opener Simon Katich and Michael Hussey then survived an anxious last hour with Katich ending on 44 and Hussey on 13.
Steyn, who made the batsmen jump in a fiery second spell, finished with one for 32 in nine overs.
Earlier, AB de Villiers’ innings of 163 led the way as South Africa amassed a huge score.
South resumed after lunch on 508 for six and De Villiers hit four consecutive sixes off medium-pacer Andrew McDonald, becoming the third batsman after Indian Kapil Dev and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi to achieve the feat in Tests.
Albie Morkel was bowled for 58 but De Villiers then received staunch support from Paul Harris (27) and reached his 150 in 285 minutes off 181 balls.
Asif’s legal bill
Meanwhile in Karachi, Pakistan’s banned pace bowler Mohammad Asif is contesting a bill of 6.5 million rupees ($80,770) presented by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for legal help.
The board’s finance department want to recover the amount it says was spent on helping Asif during his 19-day detention in Dubai last June after he was stopped at the airport for carrying 0.24 grams of opium in his wallet.
Asif was released by the Dubai authorities without facing any criminal charges after the PCB hired a law firm to represent him.
“They have sent me a bill of around 6.5 million rupees but I have said I am not in a position to pay this amount,”Asif said yesterday.
“I have been paid nothing by the board nor earned anything since last July because of the ban.” Asif, who has played 11 tests, is serving a one-year ban after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone during the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year. He has denied intentionally using drugs.
