Langer and Hayden blaze a trail on day two

The dream run of opening partnerships between Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer continued on day two of the second Test when the Australian pair dominated the South African bowling in an unbroken partnership of 126.

In almost a full day's play, Langer and Hayden both scored unbeaten half-centuries in the final session to have the home side well poised for a large first innings lead after Andy Bichel earlier captured 3/44 and completed a run out in restricting South Africa to 277.

Both sides began the day with a distinct game plan. Australia, in the form of McGrath and Lee, were typically focussed on an accurate pressure-building line just outside off stump. South Africa, through Kallis and McKenzie, were concerned solely with crease occupation and the avoidance of the loss of wickets. That explained why, 8.5 overs into the day, South Africa had added a mere 8 runs, four of which were leg byes.

It appeared that Kallis and McKenzie were falling into a dangerously defensive mode, the kind of batting Australia is used to dominating, as Kallis sparred at Lee and McKenzie missed an attempted McGrath yorker outside off. But to the credit of the batsmen, they persisted with their plan until McGrath and Lee finally began to bowl more to them and set the scoreboard in motion.

Like Dippenaar, McKenzie appears a little too one-dimensional than is preferable, either hitting fours or defending, which can lead to run droughts like the opening of the session. However, he has also demonstrated that he is a very secure back-foot player and by batting through sessions he eventually receives the balls he can hit.

He began his scoring for the day by driving a McGrath full toss through cover and with both he and Kallis settling in, Waugh brought on Bichel and also Warne for a couple of exploratory overs, with no signs of turn for the latter.

South Africa were making steady progress at 131/3 nearly 90 minutes into the session when they received a damaging setback from a bad umpiring decision. Kallis, disconcerted by deliveries rising at his body throughout his innings and edgy again today, was given out caught behind by umpire Eddie Nicholls fending at a Bichel snorter. The lifting ball whizzed by Kallis' bat and gloves as he swayed back, beginning to swing prodigiously as it passed him into Gilchrist's hands. Gilchrist was uninterested, Bichel only appealed late and quizzically and crucially Mark Waugh was unmoved. Warne of course was up like a jack-in-the-box, but that means little, and the umpire reacted to the late movement by sending Kallis on his way.

It looked especially costly for South Africa when, first ball, Lance Klusener mistimed a drive back at Bichel, who snatched the ball out of the air with his left hand to put himself on a hat-trick and leave South Africa suddenly reeling at 131/5. Soon it must be questioned how long Klusener, who made a pair in the tour match against NSW to go with his ordinary 22 and 18 in the first Test and is ostensibly playing as a specialist batsman, can continue to bat at No. 6 ahead of Boucher and Pollock.

Boucher survived the hat-trick ball by driving for two and continued to bat in a positive vein in partnership with the sound McKenzie, which was just what South Africa needed under the circumstances. With McKenzie passing fifty, the pair made good progress, until Mark Waugh was introduced and dropped a caught-and-bowled chance to his right first ball off Boucher. After previously holding everything, the Australians had put down three catchable chances in the innings.

At the end of the extended session, McKenzie had batted through to 53 not out, with Boucher 37 in South Africa's total of 190/5.

Waugh and Warne continued ahead of the quicks taking the second new ball, which brought unexpected success when Boucher holed out against Waugh for 43. Trying to be positive, Boucher received a full and very wide delivery which he tried to thrash over the off side field, instead hitting it straight and flat to Bichel at mid off; South Africa 198/6.

With Pollock nervous after failures with the bat in the first Test, the spin attack was prolonged. McKenzie survived a close lbw appeal against Warne, propping forward to a straight one, but the spinners brought no further joy and the new ball was taken.

Lee generated some swing with the new ball and McKenzie fell to him for 67, trapped on the crease by one moving back into him as he drove; South Africa220/7. The Proteas slumped further when Bichel, involved in most of the action, ran out Henderson for five. Pollock pushed to cover, Bichel swooped from mid off and hit the stumps direct to catch Henderson just out of his ground and reduce South Africa to 225/8.

Brett Lee has been at the centre of an ongoing controversy over the four bouncers he bowled to Ntini and Hayward in the first innings in Adelaide, in particular one ball to Hayward when he tried to hit him as he retreated to square leg. Captains Waugh and Pollock both backed the tactics as legitimate intimidation, effectively declaring open season on tail-enders. Despite more being made of it than was ever going to exist, it was still always going to be interesting to see how Lee bowled when presented with the tail again.

Allan Donald narrowly avoided one rapid delivery that seared past his chin, but thankfully Lee demonstrated that he realised the best way to deal with tail-enders is simply to dismiss them. Finally bowling intelligently, Lee rattled Donald with one more short ball but did not go overboard, following it up with one dug in over the stumps which a tentative Donald edged to Ponting a third slip for a duck.

At 233/9 and with a relatively new ball in hand, one would have thought more of the same was in order, but Waugh led the Australians off course by becoming pre-occupied with saving runs instead of blasting out the last wicket. Pollock had shown that he was going to shield both Donald and Hayward from the strike, but instead of trying to dismiss both he and Hayward, Waugh played along with him by offering singles to attack Hayward. Pollock naturally did not take them, and as a consequence of this confused strategy - with Waugh setting a half in, half out field - the Aussies lost their momentum and Pollock and Hayward put on an invaluable 44 for the last wicket in almost an hour.

Bichel finally ended the liaison on the verge of tea, collecting his third wicket by having Hayward edge to second slip for 14. Pollock was 42 not out in South Africa's 277.

In reply, Langer and Hayden opened in a blaze of free-stroking confidence, driving enthusiastically at anything over-pitched, of which there was a lot. Donald took the new ball, but the 35-year-old has just one wicket from two tour matches and the form showed. He produced the occasional sharp delivery, but there were also a lot of loose balls, which were eagerly despatched. In an ominous start for South Africa, Pollock was no better, as the openers hooked and drove spectacularly.

After just 10 overs, Australia had raced to 45/0, with Donald's spell of 5 overs costing 20 and Pollock's 25. Hayward was even more expensive, with Kallis the only bowler to at least bowl economically.

Defending a moderate total, the ease with which Langer and Hayden took to the bowling was surely demoralising, as they showed just how good a batting pitch it was. Donald, Pollock and Hayward bowled two lengths, either too full or too short, a surprising lack of discipline and purpose given they knew that was what they needed to improve after the first Test.

Langer raised his fifty from 81 balls with just three boundaries, showing both how he was able to consistently pick off the bowling and how alertly he run between the wickets with Hayden, a notable difference between the sides to date. By contrast, Hayden's fifty came from 73 balls with eight boundaries, several of them to the pull shot he was allowed to play too often, with the 100 partnership raised in the 26th over.

With the lights in full effect and rain falling, it was South Africans who were offered the opportunity to go off around half an hour early, which they gladly accepted. Australia were 126/0, almost half way to South Africa's score, from 32.1 overs. Langer (67*) and Hayden (55*) continue to demonstrate their awesome form, which South Africa desperately seek a way to curtail to stay in the second Test.

Scorecard: South African 1st innings | Australian 1st innings
Match report: Day 1
Images: Day 1 | Day 2

Earlier reports:
- Australia win first Test in convincing style
- Aussie plan falls into media's hands
- Mark Waugh plays 100th consecutive Test