CRICKET/Australia v South Africa, Second Test: Australia have a second-innings lead of 154 runs with eight wickets in hand after the third day of the second Test with South Africa in Melbourne.
Matthew Hayden ended the day on 45 not out as he and Phil Jaques, playing in his first Test match, put on 53 runs for the first wicket.
After a long pause, Jaques (28) was adjudged lbw by umpire Steve Bucknor.
Ricky Ponting joined Hayden but was also given out lbw after scoring 11.
That ended Ponting's run glut for the calendar year, taking his tally to 1544 Test runs and making him the leading run scorer in 2005.
Brad Hodge closed the day on 17 as Australia reached 110 for two at stumps.
An innings of 94 by Herschelle Gibbs could not prevent South Africa from being bowled out for 311 as they ended the first innings 44 runs behind.
Australia bowled well to restrict Gibbs and Jacques Kallis from scoring freely.
Kallis put another nine runs onto his overnight score before a hostile spell of bowling from Brett Lee proved to be his undoing, a fast- swinging yorker bringing his innings to an end.
Ashwell Prince was caught by Ponting off Shane Warne and Jacques Rudolph became Lee's third victim.
Mark Boucher and Gibbs resumed for the visitors after lunch as they attempted to increase a scoring rate below two runs per over.
Boucher took two consecutive fours off an over from Lee, and the South African 250 was brought up with a punch through to the cover boundary by Gibbs.
The wicketkeeper was unlucky to be given out lbw soon afterwards with a ball that nipped back and hit him high on the knee but looked to be going over the stumps.
Gibbs was the next to depart when Andrew Symonds claimed his second Test wicket and Shaun Pollock became his third victim.
Warne bowled Nicky Boje round his legs before Makhaya Ntini brought up the visitors' 300 with a lofted drive to the long-on boundary.
Michael Hussey claimed his first Test catch when Andre Nel swung at the ball and looped it to deep midwicket.
Tea was taken at the end of the innings, leaving Australia 37 overs in the day to increase their lead in an attempt to force a win.
Australia: First innings 355 (M. Hussey 122, R. Ponting 117, M. Hayden 65; A . Nel 4-84).
South Africa: First innings (Overnight: 169-2)
A. de Villiers lbw b McGrath 61
G. Smith lbw b Lee 22
H. Gibbs b Symonds 94
J. Kallis b Lee 23
A. Prince c Ponting b Warne 6
J. Rudolph b Lee 13
M. Boucher lbw b Symonds 23
S. Pollock lbw b Symonds 9
N. Boje b Warne 12
A. Nel c Hussey b MacGill 14
M. Ntini not out 10
Extras (b-2 lb-7 nb-15) 24
Total (all out, 111 overs) 311
Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-122, 3-184, 4-192, 5-214, 6-260, 7-265, 8-281, 9-291, 10-311.
Bowling: G. McGrath 27 - 13 - 57 - 1 (nb-3); B. Lee 28 - 5 - 92 - 3 (nb-9); A. Symonds 20 - 6 - 50 - 3 (nb-3); S. Warne 21 - 7 - 62 - 2; S. MacGill 15 - 3 - 41 - 1.
Australia: Second innings
M. Hayden not out 45
P. Jaques lbw b Nel 28
R. Ponting lbw b Pollock 11
B. Hodge not out 17
Extras (b-1 lb-2 nb-6) 9
Total (for 2 wickets, 37 overs) 110
Fall of wickets: 1-53 2-82
To bat: M. Hussey, A. Symonds, A. Gilchrist, S. Warne, B. Lee, S. MacGill , G. McGrath.
Bowling: S. Pollock 11 - 2 - 29 - 1 (nb-5); M. Ntini 8 - 2 - 17 - 0; J. Kallis 3 - 0 - 16 - 0 (nb-1); A. Nel 10 - 1 - 31 - 1; N. Boje 5 - 0 - 14 - 0.
