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Posted - 27/05/2019 : 09:38:00
Ponting makes history as Aussies clinch victory
A history-making century to captain Ricky Ponting helped Australia record a dramatic eight-wicket victory over South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground today.
Ponting became the first man in history to score back-to-back centuries in his 100th Test, his unbeaten 143 giving him 28 tons in the highest form of the game, four short of Steve Waugh's Australian record of 32.
His efforts earned him the man-of-the-match award and saw Australia successfully reach a ground record 287 for victory, the highest-winning chase ever in the last innings at the SCG.
The previous record was Australia's 4 for 276 against England in February 1898.
South Africa, who needed to win the match to square the series, had boldly declared their second innings closed at 6 for 194 an hour before the lunch interval, giving them two-and-a-half sessions to bowl the Australians out.
But a dominant 182-run second-wicket partnership between Ponting and Matthew Hayden (90) put the home side on track for their victory, before the Australian captain and Brad Hodge brought up the winning runs.
Hodge finished unbeaten on 27, having https://www.goldengooseshoesit.com/ taken part in a 76-run stand alongside Ponting.
Charl Langeveldt (1 for 52) and Johan Botha (1 for 77) were the only successful South African bowlers, the Proteas' attack lacking the necessary venom to curtail Australia's run chase.
Australia's win gave it a 2-0 result in the three-match series, but the South Africans will have a chance for revenge when they host the number one-ranked Test side in March.
Ponting said he took great pride in his side's performance in the series against the Proteas.
"We've played some really good Test cricket from the start of the Test match in Perth really," he said.
"We dominated that Test and we didn't win that. We played well last week in Melbourne and got our noses in front for the series.
"We've played well here, without probably playing at our best, we've played well enough to win the game and win comfortably. So, I'm really happy with the way the team's going at the moment."
Ponting said he was always confident Australia could win on the final day if it was set a realistic target.
"I said to a lot of the guys leading into today that anywhere around 300, as long as we had 60 or 70 overs to get it, it was very chaseable and that's pretty much how it's turned out," he said.Dominant battingAfter setting Australia its victory target, South Africa's quest began in solid fashion with Langeveldt clean bowling Australian opener Justin Langer for 20.
Langer's wicket fell four balls before the lunch break, but Hayden and Ponting took Australia through to lunch before taking to the South African bowling attack in the second session of play.
The pair had Australia at 1 for 182 at tea, but Hayden fell soon after when he was caught by Proteas captain Graeme Smith at backward point off the bowling of Botha for 90.
Hodge replaced Hayden at the crease and he provided valuable support to Ponting, who brought up his century early in the final session before later clinching victory with a classically-driven four.
Earlier on the final day, the tourists added 100 runs for the loss of three wickets in the session after resuming on 3 for 94, declaring as soon as Jacques Kallis reached his half-century off 96 balls in three hours.
Shaun Pollock was also unbeaten on 26 at the declaration after smashing two boundaries and a six in his 21-ball innings.
Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill captured all three wickets that fell in the morning to finish with 3 for 33 off six overs.
MacGill's first victim was Ashwell Prince (18), who was out to a brilliant catch by Ponting at mid-wicket.
The leg spinner then removed Jacques Rudolph for 4 [url=https://www.goldengooseshoesit.com/]Golden Goose Sale[/url] with his next over. Rudolph danced down the pitch but only managed to scoop a catch to Glenn McGrath at deepish mid-on.
New batsman Mark Boucher added 11 to South Africa's total before becoming MacGill's third scalp, stumped by wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist.
-ABC/Reuters
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