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| World Home » Sports » | Sat. Nov 22, 2008 |
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Australia on verge of comfortable victory MIL/tvnz.co.nz, Dec 29, 2005. The spectators enjoyed Shane Warne turning on some of his old magic and Andrew Symonds bringing his explosive one-day hitting to Test cricket leaving Australia on the brink of victory against South Africa after day four of the second Test. After setting 366 to win, South Africa staggered to 6-99 with Ashwell Prince on 16 and Shaun Pollock on 13 at stumps with one day's play remaining at the MCG as per tvnz.co.nz. The web reports the complete story that after the first Test was drawn in Perth last week with Australia unable to take more than three wickets on the final day's play. The home side will be anxious to quickly wrap up the second and take a 1-0 lead into Monday's third and final Test in Sydney. Leg-spinner Warne (3-43) thrilled the MCG crowd of 18,905 by pushing his world record tallies for most Test wickets and most wickets in a calendar year to 656 and 95 respectively. Warne, 36, claimed the wickets of opener AB De Villiers (8), Herschelle Gibbs (9) and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (5) in a vintage display. Symonds, who came into his sixth Test without a three-wicket haul or a half-century to his name, has bagged 3-50 and and 2-6. The Queenslander also clubbed 72 from 54 balls today at No.6, scoring his maiden half-century in a dynamite partnership of 124 runs in 66 minutes with century-maker Matthew Hayden (137). Symonds plundered five fours and an MCG record of six sixes.Australia declared its second innings closed at 7-321, 43 minutes before tea. Jacques Kallis (3-58) dismissed Hayden (137), Symonds (72) and Adam Gilchrist (0) within four balls in the final over of the innings. Opening batsman Hayden hit his 25th hundred and fifth in his past seven Tests in a golden run which started with his 138 in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval. South Africa suffered a cruel blow this morning with No.1 strike bowler Makhaya Ntini ruled out for the rest of the match and the third Test because of a left knee injury. The uncertainty over South Africa's bowling attack for Sydney continued today with the tourists flying uncapped off-spinner Johan Botha to Australia in a bold move, with consideration being given to partnering the 23-year-old with left-armer Nicky Boje on a spin-friendly SCG. Botha, who has played four one-day internationals, had originally been selected only for the triangular one-day series involving Sri Lanka, which starts on January 13. Entry to the MCG will be free tomorrow for the final day's play.
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