March 26, 2006	Sunday	Safar 25, 1427

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DURBAN, March 25: Jacques Kallis and A.B. de Villiers shared a defiant century stand to boost South Africa on the second day of the second Test against Australia on Saturday.

South Africa were on 140 for two at the close in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 369 after a bad start in which they lost their first two wickets for 10 runs.

Michael Hussey was mainly responsible for Australia reaching a respectable total, making 75 as the world champions added a valuable 141 runs to their overnight total of 228 for five on a pitch which captain Ricky Ponting described as two-paced with variable bounce.

With Australia leading the three-match series 1-0, their total looked good when South African captain Graeme Smith was out first ball and Herschelle Gibbs soon followed him.

But Kallis and A.B. de Villiers went on the attack to post a century stand in 102 minutes off 151 balls before going on the defensive as the light deteriorated towards the end of the day. Bad light ended play 8.4 overs early.

Smith’s poor form against Australia continued when Brett Lee had him caught at third slip. In nine Test innings against Australia this season he has scored only 190 runs with a highest score of 39.

Herschelle Gibbs was dropped by Ponting at second slip off Lee two balls later but made only nine before he had his off stump knocked out of the ground by Michael Kasprowicz, with a ball which cut back and kept slightly low.

Kallis was in superb form as he stroked his way to 50 off 49 balls with ten fours. He finished the day with 72 not out off 102 balls. De Villiers, who failed twice in the first Test in Cape Town, was on 48 not out off 129 balls.

Ponting did not use seam bowler Stuart Clark, Man-of-the-Match in the first Test, until the 40th over of the innings. His decision might have been influenced by the light, as he opted for the leg-spin of Warne and the gentle medium-pace of Andrew Symonds.

The last two hours were played under floodlights. Clark bowled just two deliveries before the umpires called off play.

Hussey was the key to Australia’s innings. He and Symonds batted cautiously, scoring only 25 in the first hour as they saw off Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock with the second new ball. Symonds batted with four stitches in his upper lip after being hit by a bouncer from Ntini on Friday.

The normally attack-minded Symonds took 83 minutes and 53 balls to make 13 before he was leg before wicket to Andre Nel immediately after the morning drinks break.

Nel had Adam Gilchrist caught behind in his next over, but Hussey and Shane Warne added 56 for the eighth wicket, with Warne the aggressor in making 36 off 31 balls with six fours and a six.

Hussey was then the dominant partner in a last-wicket stand of 42 with Stuart Clark, who made 13 not out.

It took Hussey 135 balls to reach his fifty but he faced only 20 more deliveries in adding another 25 before he was last man out, leg before to Kallis when he padded up just outside his off stump.

Hussey hit 10 fours and a six. He seldom looked like getting out, although his hooked six off Ntini only just cleared Pollock on the fine-leg boundary.

Scoreboard

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings, overnight 228-5):

J.L. Langer c Boucher b Kallis 35

M.L. Hayden c de Villiers b Ntini 0

R.T. Ponting c Gibbs b Boje 103

D.R. Martyn c Kallis b Ntini 57

M.E.K. Hussey lbw b Kallis 75

B. Lee c Boucher b Ntini 0

A. Symonds lbw b Nel 13

A.C. Gilchrist c Boucher b Nel 2

S.K. Warne c de Villiers b Pollock 36

M.S. Kasprowicz c de Villiers b Nel 7

S.R. Clark not out 13

EXTRAS (B-9, LB-10, W-2, NB-7) 28

TOTAL (all out, 127.1 overs) 369

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-97, 3-198, 4-218, 5-219, 6-253, 7-259, 8-315, 9-327.

BOWLING: Pollock 32-11-73-1 (7nb, 1w); Ntini 24-4-81-3; Nel 31-8-83-3 (1w); Kallis 21.1-8-52-2; Boje 19-1-61–1.

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings):

G.C. Smith c Langer b Lee 0

A.B. de Villiers not out 48

H.H. Gibbs b Kasprowicz 9

J.H. Kallis not out 72

EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-10) 11

TOTAL (for two wkts, 39.2 overs) 140

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-10.

TO BAT: A.G. Prince, J.A. Rudolph, M.V. Boucher, S.M. Pollock, N. Boje, A. Nel, M. Ntini.

BOWLING (to-date): Lee 9-1-50-1 (5nb); Kasprowicz 7-0-29-1 (3nb); Warne 12-0-42-0; Symonds 10-2-16-0 (2nb); Hussey 1-0-2-0; Clark 0.2-0-0–0.—Agencies