McGrath strikes twice on rain-reduced day

Australia held the upper hand after an unfortunately rain-reduced opening day of the second Test in Melbourne.

Boxing Day is traditionally the biggest day on the Australian cricket calendar with its usually massive post-Christmas crowd, but sadly one of the traditions of the fixture in recent times has also been rain, on a day when Test cricket has a chance to sell itself to a large number of people. Only 40 overs were possible, in which South Africa laboured to a precarious 89/3, with Jacques Kallis 22 not out and Neil McKenzie 14 when play was abandoned.

Both sides made one change, with trump card Allan Donald making a welcome return for South Africa despite question marks over fitness and form at the expense of an out-of-form Makhaya Ntini, and Andy Bichel finally receiving an opportunity to prove himself again for Australia replacing an injured Jason Gillespie after many home matches spent carrying the drinks. That duty fell to blonde speedster Brad Williams, a surprise call-up from Western Australia.

Steve Waugh won the toss and elected to give his bowlers first use of a pitch that was expected to assist seam and have springy bounce. Waugh admitted that he was taking a gamble, hoping there would a little bit in the wicket in the first session, as had been predicted.

The opening session was reduced to 40 minutes after the start was delayed. Unsure of exactly what to expect, it was undoubtedly a testing period for openers Gibbs and Kirsten, facing up to McGrath and Lee in the cauldron that is the MCG. The brief session was not as demanding on them as it might have been, however, as McGrath and Lee did not pitch full enough to consistently threaten and also allowed the openers to leave too often.

Gibbs and Kirsten were naturally cautious as they assessed the wicket, which displayed even bounce without exaggerated movement for the bowlers. Gibbs scored the first boundary driving at McGrath after more than half and hour and Kirsten followed suit by driving Lee down the ground in the next over leading up to lunch. Andy Bichel, the wholehearted Queensland paceman who last played for Australia a year ago at the same ground and indeed captured five wickets, returned to Test cricket by bowling the last over before the break.

South Africa safely negotiated the 11-over session to be 17/0.

Sadly, rain continued to plague what should have been an exciting day. Play was only possible for 12 minutes after lunch before a forced 44-minute stoppage and when it resumed, Australia had just enough time to nip out Gibbs before the covers came back on.

McGrath got Gibbs for 14 with a trademark dismissal. Pitching just short of a length outside off, Gibbs was squared up and failed to move his back foot across, the fractional seam movement finding the edge to Ponting at third slip to make South Africa 24/1.

Boeta Dippenaar, remaining at No. 3 after Kallis had again been listed at first-drop, was greeted with a packed slips cordon but managed to get off the mark before the rain came, with South Africa 27/1. It was no fun for anyone, but Australia had snared a valuable wicket between the showers.

Resuming around 90 minutes later for what was scheduled to be a protracted final session, Kirsten was fortunate to survive an lbw appeal padding up to Lee in front of middle stump. He did not make the most of the reprieve, bowled playing on to McGrath for 10 soon after to leave South Africa 36/2.

McGrath identified Kirsten before the series as his main target and here he got his man by going around the wicket. From the awkward angle, Kirsten attempted a lame forcing shot to a rising delivery outside off without moving his feet, dragging the half-cut/half-drive back onto his stumps.

In contrast to a nervous Dippenaar, Kallis was initially a picture of defensive assurance, playing McGrath confidently off the front foot (even though he was nearly done by an inswinging yorker that was slipping down leg). It was a different story altogether against the short deliveries, thou gh, as Kallis was made to desperately and unconvincingly fend at rising balls with surprising regularity. Perhaps it was a consequence of playing under lights or being unaccustomed to the bounce, but either way it was surprising to see from a batsman of Kallis' stature, and naturally the Australians played on it with a short leg and leg gully.

Dippenaar is probably a batsman with potential but at present appears out of his depth and too one-dimensional to bat at No. 3. 26 overs into the innings, South Africa had been allowed to leave a staggering 44 percent of deliveries, and Dippenaar's batting reflected that. He was usually either driving expansively or defending, rarely able to work the ball around.

To the first ball of Lee's spell in place of McGrath, Dippenaar sliced a drive over point without getting to the pitch, and that was how he fell for 26 when Hayden held a sensational catch in the gully. Driving loosely at a wider ball from Lee, Dippenaar consequently failed to control the shot and keep the ball on the ground. However, it was still hit with tremendous power to gully where Hayden, a la Ponting in Adelaide, flung out his right arm to pluck a screamer out of the air.

Ironically, it was Ricky Ponting who then had a chance to keep pace with Hayden in the next over, but he put down the chance off Kallis from Bichel at third slip attempting a one-handed catch that he probably had time to take with two. Australia's suffocatingly brilliant catching, which had left South Africa in its dust, had come back to earth.

Bichel is a bustling kind of paceman in the 135-140k range who probably looks a little quicker than he actually is. The batsmen were more comfortable against him than either McGrath or Lee, though he did bowl well and had two catches dropped off him. The second of those, also off Kallis, was a top-edged hook shot which Lee put down running fine from fine leg. It was a difficult attempt, as Lee was right on the rope and had to keep his feet in bounds while going for the ball. He spilt it, but even if he had held it his momentum might have carried him over the rope.

After the crowd had been chanting his name for some time, local boy Shane Warne was brought on but only had time for one over, in which Kallis used his feet nicely to strike him over mid off for six, before the rain arrived again. Considering the previous two attempts at play had lasted 2.2 and 1.3 overs respectively, the one hour and forty-five minutes possible was a bonus. In 40 overs, South Africa had scraped together 89/3, meaning Australia held the ascendancy.

Scorecard: South African 1st innings

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