Ponting, Gilchrist dazzle

After the high of the series win and retention of their No. 1 title on Tuesday, the third Test was always like to be Australia's toughest from a mental standpoint. It is not that they lacked motivation to rout South Africa 6-0, but after achieving all but the final objective and having triumphed after being pushed most of the way in the second Test, focus for the third seemed likely to present a possible concern. Besides, South Africa, now without the pressure of being in contention for the series, have had plenty of practice at implementing the necessary discipline ahead of one last attempt at securing a consolation win over Australia.

The greatest concern the tourists must have held about the events in this match, though, was the form of the Waugh brothers. Both were in dire need of runs to allay concerns about their future after receiving strong indications of their mortality by being dropped from the one-day side. After lacklustre returns in the Test arena all season, the situation was serious, both covered and exposed by the outstanding form of their team-mates. The failure of both on day one at Kingsmead should result in Mark Waugh being dropped.

Although he made 45 and displayed occasional fluency, there were also several ordinary shots and questionable footwork. The manner of his dismissal, especially after his pivotal run out of Ponting which preceded it, was most disappointing.

Having been sent in to bat, Australia were in complete control at 169/2. Ricky Ponting, who has a propensity to build on his form by making hundreds in succession, was in brilliant form and approaching a deserved hundred. With the partnership flourishing, South Africa were increasingly on the defensive as the Australians scored at nearly five an over, the decision to bowl first seemingly having backfired.

Tragedy struck when Ponting was unexpectedly run out by Gibbs for 89. If run outs turned the second Test in Australia's favour, then it also did so for South Africa here, as Waugh pushed to the off side and appeared to make a late call. It was not the first time Ponting had been denied a huge score by a needless run out not of his own creation and it gave South Africa a reprieve.

After that, Mark Waugh owed his team a hundred. With Australia still nicely established but with work to do, it was the perfect situation for the Waugh brothers to rediscover their form. Both failed.

Mark was caught at slip by a regulation delivery from Kallis outside off, pushing at the ball without moving his feet. In one of Mark Boucher's few moments of inspired or indeed logical captaincy, he brought back Paul Adams to bowl at Steve Waugh. On seven, Waugh fell Adams for the third time in three innings, edging behind attempting to cut a ball too full and close to the stumps.

Having averaged 33 in Tests this season and lacked consistency for some time, it would not surprising if the selectors decided Mark Waugh's time has come. He has received numerous opportunities to refute questions about his form, but the classy innings have become all too few. With Australia not wanting to expose its middle order by retiring both Waughs together, dropping Mark is the logical move.

In contrast, Steve Waugh has earned leniency. One of the seemingly overlooked reasons for his slump this season is that he has rarely been called upon to play the "Steve Waugh innings." That is, coming in at 50/3 in the first innings with the team relying on him as its saviour. Waugh has played his best innings in those situations and they used to be fairly frequent. Now, entering at scores like 250/3 instead, he has sometimes appeared out of place and may have lost a crucial motivating edge with the knowledge his team's success or failure did not depend on his bat.

That does not account for Waugh's form completely, as other times he has simply been dismissed cheaply. Steve Waugh, though, is highly deserving of an opportunity to rebound. Because of his outstanding batting record and what he has contributed as captain, he has earned time to adjust to a slightly modified role. It would be bitterly ironic were he to be sacked because of how strong the rest of his team has become.

The dismissals of Ponting and the Waughs turned a day of dominant Australian batting into a Gilchrist rescue mission. Try as they might, South Africa still could not contain him. Instead of taking the risk of permitting Gilchrist to score boundaries early by attacking, Boucher instead sought to restrict, with Kallis bowling to an 8-1 off-side field. A worthwhile ploy, but still Gilchrist was able to beat it, his strike rate hardly diminished.

After not trusting his spinner to bowl throughout Australia's run chase in the second Test, Boucher again handled Adams badly. The irony of Steve Waugh 's dismissals is that Damien Martyn has played Adams worse, struggling to read the spinner. Instead of allowing Adams to bowl at a defensive Martyn, he hid him from a dangerous Gilchrist, but fortunately the partnership was broken at 47 when Terbrugge bowled Martyn through the gate driving at one that cut back off the seam.

While the rate of Australia's assault on the bowling was undiminished, wickets fell regularly. Justin Langer, seemingly making a late bid for ODI selection, began play like a madman, a trait increasingly and hitherto successfully evident. He cut the first ball of the match for two, spanked the next through the covers and pulled one streakily over mid on in taking 11 off the first over. First ball of the second over from Terbrugge, he skied an attempted pull from a short ball outside off, which Kirsten sprinted from mid on to hold behind square. It was the second time in three innings Langer had been out pulling one he could have cut, and his kamikaze assault gave South Africa the early wicket they wanted.

The wicket also represented a dream start to the comeback of Terbrugge, who played the last of his four Tests three years ago. A nippy seamer who wants to emulate Glenn McGrath, Terbrugge was the South African bowler who bowled with most control, which was what he had been selected to do.

Hayden was dismissed on one of the rare occasions caught at the wicket, edging Kallis, who found the Durban track much more suited to his style, low to third slip. From there, Ponting dazzled with his drives and pulls until his run out reversed the momentum, leaving the bulk of the run scoring to Gilchrist. He fell short of his third hundred of the series, sweeping Adams to deep mid wicket for 91, as Australia were bowled out in 74.1 overs.

Due to their abysmal over rate, South Africa had to bat under lights in the gloom, with Kirsten having to face a hostile short-pitched spell from a fiery Brett Lee. Kirsten was made to hop and Lee eventually got his man, caught fending off the glove down the leg side, just one ball before the light was offered.