Proteas hit back after Aussie recovery

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Tea Australia 194 for 5 (Ponting 83, Clarke 69, North 18*, Haddin 4*, Steyn 3-60) v South Africa

Australia have dominated this rivalry in recent times, but the winds of change that blew across Perth and Melbourne late last year were in evidence again at the Wanderers.

South Africa's bowling attack made significant inroads in swing-friendly conditions after the visitors had gambled on batting first. Ricky Ponting was defiant and played some lovely strokes during his innings of 83, and his 113-run partnership with Michael Clarke revived the innings, but the loss of both before tea reinforced the feeling that it was going to be South Africa's day.

Dale Steyn was again the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, but the loss of Jacques Kallis to a mild back strain shortly before lunch significantly reduced Graeme Smith's bowling options.

It could all have been so different had Smith not put down a simple catch off Steyn on the stroke of lunch - Ponting was on 40 at the time, with the scorecard showing 67.

However, the torrid struggle of the first session gave way to free-stroking batsmanship after lunch as South Africa lost some intensity. Clarke led the way with a glorious straight drive and a clip to square leg off Steyn, and a succession of drives through cover and point accelerated the run-rate in the first hour after the interval.

At the other end, Ponting flicked Makhaya Ntini through midwicket to reach his half-century from 87 balls, and then pummelled a pull to bring up the 100 of the innings. It was a rousing counterattack and the crowd was eerily quiet when he played a peach of a square-drive off Morne Morkel. Soon after, South Africa squandered one of their two referrals, with replays showing that a Morkel delivery had brushed Ponting's trouser pocket rather than his bat.

The strokeplay continued after drinks, with Clarke square-driving Morkel and lofting Paul Harris back over his head. He reached his 50 from 61 balls but the momentum was halted by an bizarre error of judgment from Ponting. With Ntini delivering from well wide of the crease as usual, he shouldered arms to a ball that darted back in to brush the pad before thudding into the stumps.

Marcus North, one of three to get a first taste of the baggy-green experience, was greeted with a rapid Steyn bouncer but a skidding pull off Morkel suggested that he wouldn't easily be bullied. But the dressing room's sense of well-being was disturbed in the penultimate over before tea, as Clarke chased a fairly wide delivery from Steyn. Mark Boucher wasn't as generous as Smith had been earlier.

The morning had been all about South Africa seizing the early initiative in a series that they needed to win to confirm their status as the best team in the world. That quest couldn't have had a better start. Phillip Hughes is 20 and the youngest Australian debutant since Craig McDermott, but the Bullring can be an intimidating venue even for old hands. He lasted three balls before an uncoordinated attempt to bunt Steyn over the slip cordon ended up in Boucher's gloves.

With Matthew Hayden having walked into the Queensland sunset, Simon Katich needed to set the tone at the start of the innings. But with Steyn and Ntini cramping him for room, scoring opportunities were markedly few. He had crawled to 3 from 25 balls when he had a dart at one that Steyn had angled across him.