SYDNEY, Jan 4: Ricky Ponting scored 207 before his dismissal triggered a lower-order collapse on Tuesday, with Pakistan leg spinner Danish Kaneria snaring seven wickets as Australia was bowled out for 568 in the third cricket Test.

By stumps on the third day, Pakistan was 67 for one after facing 14.4 overs in its second innings, reducing Australia's lead to 197 runs. Yasir Hameed was unbeaten on 40 and Younis Khan was on five.

Salman Butt, who scored his maiden Test century in Pakistan's first innings of 304, was caught at slip by Shane Warne off Stuart MacGill's first ball of the innings. That gave MacGill, who took five wickets in the first innings, 1-14 off three overs before bad light halted play five overs before the scheduled end.

Earlier, Ponting joined Sir Donald Bradman and Greg Chappell as the only Australians to compile four or more double hundreds in Tests when he drove Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to the boundary to reach 201.

Adam Gilchrist plundered 113 off 120 balls in a 153-run fifth-wicket stand with Ponting to notch his 13th Test hundred. He also surpassed 4,000 runs in his 93rd innings, making him the fastest of five wicket-keepers to reach that milestone.

Ponting said he watched in awe, describing Gilchrist as a once-in-a-lifetime player as he belted 34 boundaries and five sixes. "You've just got to let him go. Sit back and enjoy it and let him keep going," said Ponting. "The way he struck the ball and changed the course of the game again was just absolutely outstanding."

Gilchrist belted Mohammad Asif for consecutive sixes to reach 94 and, needing one more to make it an even hundred, drove the next ball into the outfield and watched it bounce once across the boundary. He faced three more balls before driving another six to reach his hundred.

Gilchrist was stumped by Kamran Akmal off Kaneria's bowling, trying to hit the spin-bowler out of the ground. Ponting was also in attacking mood, stroking 30 boundaries in his 8-hour, 11-minute innings.

After going 12 months without reaching triple figures, he made the most of his time at the crease and converted his hundred into a double for the third consecutive time.

Ponting had two double centuries against India, including a career-high 257, in back-to-back Tests in December 2003. "I'm really happy with the way I played. Felt really good, right at ease all the way through the innings and it's nice to get the 200 at the end," Ponting said. "It's a great way to start the year after a disappointing year last year."

Before combining with Gilchrist, he'd dominated partnerships of 174 with Damien Martyn (67) and 61 with Michael Clarke (35), going to the crease with Australia at 26 for one and ushering the hosts to 529 for six when he edged Naved-ul-Hasan onto his stumps.

Kaneria removed Watson, Glenn McGrath (9) and Shane Warne (16) and Naved (3-107) had Jason Gillespie (0) adjudged lbw as Australia's last five wickets tumbled for 39 runs in eight overs.

Fined his full match fee on Monday for an abusive outburst after he'd dismissed Clarke, Kaneria finished with 7-188, his third seven-wicket haul in an innings and his best figures against Australia.

It increased his haul to 101 wickets from 23 test matches and Kaneria said it kept him on course to achieve his career goal of beating Australian leg spinner Shane Warne as the leading spin bowler of all time.

"Playing some of the best batsmen in the world, against the best team, I've gained a lot of confidence," he said. Kaneria said he'd apologized to match referee Ranjan Madugalle for using an obscene word that was potentially audible to TV viewers and accepted he was virtually playing the match 'for free.'

Ponting said Australia could wrap up a 3-0 series sweep on Wednesday _ the fourth of five schedule days _ if spin bowlers Shane Warne and MacGill were at their best.

"I think if we bowl really well, I've got a feeling that we'll win the game tomorrow,; he said. +There's enough in that wicket for the spinners to create another nine chances." Australia won the first Test at Perth by 491 runs and the second match at Melbourne by nine wickets, each with a day to spare.

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