Test Cricket:South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said he was disappointed by umpiring decisions which reprieved three Australian batsmen in the third Test in Sydney yesterday.
The tourists ended the third day leading by 96 runs with nine second innings wickets in hand and Arthur said they could have been in an even better position if Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar had ruled in their favour on several crucial decisions.
Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey and Andrew Symonds were given the benefit of the doubt on lbw decisions that television replays suggested should have been given out.
"We felt we were on the back end of a few decisions that didn't go our way. I am disappointed," Arthur said. "Certainly, we feel we had Ponting, Hussey and Symonds earlier than they were eventually out."
Ponting made 120 after a let-off on 95 while Hussey was given a reprieve on nine. He made 45 and shared in a 130-run partnership with Ponting that helped Australia avoid the follow-on. Symonds got a life while in single figures and scored 12.
Despite his grievances, Arthur said South Africa were still in a strong position to win the match and square the series.
"We're slightly disappointed we didn't capitalise and get a bigger lead of around 150 but we would have taken a 100 lead at the start," he said. "Tomorrow is going to be interesting. We feel we need another 200. If we can get that, we're set up for a huge last day. It'll be a great end to the series."
The South Africans batted cautiously and slowly in the first innings before declaring on 451-9. Arthur said they would be far more aggressive in the second innings.
"The feeling within our camp is that we don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves. We don't want to be tentative. If we go home having lost 2-0 trying to give ourselves the option of winning, we're going to he happy with that. We're going to give ourselves the option of winning this Test match, to go home 1-1.
Australia finished 92 short of South Africa's total when a rearguard 86 from Adam Gilchrist lifted them to 359. They also made an early inroad into the South African second innings when Brett Lee trapped AB de Villiers lbw for one and Ponting said an Australian victory was not out of the question.
"South Africa are probably slightly in front. To have a first innings lead at the SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground) is generally pretty important," Ponting said.
A decade after he was robbed of a century on his debut, Ponting joined an even more exclusive club when he made a hundred in his 100th Test appearance. He became just the sixth player, and the only Australian, to reach triple figures in his 100th Test appearance when he smashed 120 yesterday, alongside Colin Cowdrey, Javed Miandad, Gordon Greenidge, Alec Stewart and Inzamam-ul-Haq.
He overtook Mark Waugh as Australia's third-highest run-scorer in tests and passed 1,000 test runs in Sydney before reaching his 27th century, matching Allan Border's record.
Ponting made 96 on his debut against Sri Lanka a decade ago when he was given out on a dubious decision. He had better luck this time when he survived a very confident lbw appeal on 95 off Charl Langeveldt.
South Africa - First innings 451 for 9 decl (A Prince 119, J Kallis 111); Australia - 54-3
Australia - First innings
J Langer b Langeveldt 25
M Hayden b Langeveldt 4
R Ponting lbw b Kallis 120
B Hodge c Rudolph b Nel 6
M Hussey c Boucher b Botha 45
A Symonds lbw b Nel 12
A Gilchrist c Boucher b Nel 86
S Warne c Boucher b Nel 0
B Lee c Smith b Kallis 17
S MacGill c Nel b Pollock 29
G McGrath not out 1
Extras (lb-10 nb-2 w-2) 14
Total (all out, 95.1 overs) 359
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-35, 3-54, 4-184, 5-222, 6-226, 7-226, 8-263, 9-322, 10-359.
Bowling: S Pollock 25-3-109-1 (nb-2); C Langeveldt 24-4-108-2 (w-1); A Nel 24.1-3-81-4; J Kallis 15-4-25-2 (w-1) ; J Botha 7-2-26-1.
South Africa - Second innings
G Smith not out 3
A de Villiers lbw b Lee 1
Total (for 1 wickets, 1.3 overs) 4
Fall of wickets: 1-4.
To bat: H Gibbs, J Kallis, A Prince, J Rudolph, M Boucher, S Pollock, C Langeveldt, A Nel, J Botha.
Bowling: G McGrath 1-0-4-0; B Lee 0.3-0-0-1.
