Australia recovered from a top-order collapse to close the opening day of the first Test in South Africa on 254-5.
South Africa fail to capitalise on early wickets at the Wanderers
First TestJohannesburgAustralia 254-5 (R T Ponting 83, M J Clarke 68) v South Africa
Australia recovered from a top-order collapse to close the opening day of the first Test in South Africa on 254-5.
After opting to bat first in seam-friendly conditions at the Wanderers, the tourists slumped to 38-3 in the 15th over of the morning.
Captain Ricky Ponting (83) and his deputy Michael Clarke (68) launched a recovery with a 113-run alliance for the fourth wicket either side of lunch.
Both fell short of centuries in late afternoon but Marcus North (47no) and Brad Haddin (37no) continued the fightback with an unbroken 72-run partnership before bad light brought a premature halt to proceedings after 68 overs.
Inexperienced
Australia named three debutants - opening batsman Phillip Hughes, all-rounder North and seamer Ben Hilfenhaus - in their starting XI as they looked to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat to the Proteas on home soil at the turn of the year.
It was the first time for 24 years that a trio of Baggy Greens had been handed out on the same morning - the 20-year-old Hughes becoming his country's youngest Test cricketer since Craig McDermott in 1984.
But the new-look line-up was immediately under pressure when Dale Steyn struck twice with the new ball in juicy conditions.
Steyn removed Hughes for a duck with the fourth delivery of the innings - the rookie left-hander tried to slash a sharply rising delivery over the slips but only succeeded in getting an under edge through to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
Simon Katich (3) followed in the ninth over, brilliantly caught one-handed by a horizontal Neil McKenzie in the gully, to reduce Australia to 18-2.
That became 38-3 and approaching a full-scale crisis when Michael Hussey (4) edged to second slip after pushing at a full delivery from Morne Morkel (1-65).
Missed chance
Experienced duo Ponting and Clarke set about rebuilding the innings, although Ponting survived a chance in the final over of the morning session when opposite number Graeme Smith grassed a routine edge at first slip off Steyn.
The momentum turned in the hour after lunch as Australia collected 58 runs.
The fourth-wicket pair brought up their century stand in just under 25 overs, but just as Ponting appeared to be racing towards three figures, he misjudged an inswinging Makhaya Ntini (1-53) delivery, which cut back and brushed his pads en-route to the stumps.
Clarke and North added 31 for the fourth wicket, before the former threw his hands at a wide delivery from Steyn (3-82) and edged an easy catch to Boucher at slip for 68.
North and Haddin saw Australia to tea at 194-5 and continued their good work during a weather-shortened final session.
The sixth-wicket stand had reached 72 when an offer of bad light from umpires Billy Bowden and Steve Bucknor was accepted with 22 overs remaining.
Shortly afterwards, rain arrived at the Wanderers and play was abandoned for the day.
