Ponting’s posture was said to be the cause for the teams defeat recently but here the things were truly opposite to it. He was the only person who showed some sort of determination and the army at his disposal was defeated from each and every angle as Cricket360 watch them play on the 4th day in the Boxing Day Test. No one except Johnson could have justified their conscious at the end of the day. On the other side Proteas played like champions and they paved the way for the history in the test provided that an excepted rain keeps away on the last day. It was long back in 1992-93, when Australia surrendered a home series last to the, then great West Indies. After a long 16 years, South Africa is about to make it happen again by washing Aussies out for 247 runs in the second innings. The history will be made just after 183 runs and Smith already started the celebration of fire works with five boundaries enroute his 30 runs stand with Mckenzie to reduce 5th day’s target to  153 runs.

Starting from the over night score of 4/0, Hayden and Katich started off well and Hayden accumulated 23 runs off just 28 balls. But the big batsman could not silent his critics, roaring for his retirement and he could not succeed in driving Steyn past Duminy and he was swinging with emotion. Steyn captured Katich too within a short time at a score of 40 runs. He was penetrating straight in to the dominance of Aussies as the early innings saw him scalping 5 wickets for 87 runs and a great contribution of 76 runs with bat then. The worst is following Hussey and he was criticized a lot for not getting near to the ball to catch Steyn due to sunlight in the first innings and to add to the grave he was given out on a ball that kissed his helmet by Umpire Dhar. Australian score was still falling behind the Proteas’ lead at that time. But Ponting was not ready to surrender at all and he managed to make a good stand of 96 runs with Clarke who scored 29 runs. Steyn came to neutralize the recovery act from the hosts and captured Clarke’s wicket to make things worst for Aussies at 145/4 and after a gap of just 5 balls he once again struck when Kallis pouched Symonds of his delivery at the same cricket score.

Ponting tried all his arms to make the things shape up good with whatever help he could get from his colleagues. He was continuing with his form in the first innings and smashed some marvelous hits to the fence and was also eying to save the time. Johnson assisted him well with an unbeaten 43 runs but the worst was not over as Ponting was unarmed in two ways at a score of 212 runs when he was  caught by Smith off a wide going ball from Morkel for 99 runs. He was about to become the 4th man in test history to score centuries in both the innings and he also failed to save a series at home and would now be looking at the nature for help. Steyn completed the bowling part in style nabbing 5 wickets in both innings when he succeeded edging Siddle to Boucher and that was also the end of Aussies Innings at 247 setting a target of 183 runs for Proteas to pouch the Series. Kallis and Morkel shared two wickets.

Six overs play was left on the 4th day and Smith decided to take advantage of it. He smashed 25 runs off 19 balls in an unbroken partnership for the first wicket with Mckenzie (3*). Stick on to Cricket360.com to watch the history in the making on the last day of the Boxing Day Test.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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