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Monday, December 29, 1997 Published at 07:30 GMT

Sport

South Africa fight back
image: [ Australia's Mark Taylor celebrates the fall of South Africa's last wicket, Pat Symcox ]

Australia's Mark Taylor celebrates the fall of South Africa's last wicket, Pat Symcox

Pace bowler Allan Donald took three important Australian wickets as South Africa clawed their way back into the Melbourne test.

In a devastating spell at the start of Australia's second innings Donald dismissed Matthew Elliott, Greg Blewitt and Mark Waugh.

Neville Oliver reports from Melbourne. "Clatter of wickets" (44")
Australia, who scored 309 in the first innings, finished the day on 67-4 with a 190-run lead. Captain Mark Taylor was on 30 and Ricky Ponting eight.

Donald is now just two short of Hugh Tayfield's South African record of 170 Test wickets, after removing Elliott for one, Blewett for six and Waugh for one to leave Australia on 12 for three at one stage.

Shaun Pollock got the crucial wicket of Steve Waugh for 17 when he was caught off a glove down the leg-side by a diving Dave Richardson.

Batting collapse

South Africans finished their first innings 186 and were fighting to prevent every run as Australia attempted to build an insurmountable target.

The tourists lost five wickets for just 39 runs as their batting order collapsed after lunch.

Three of the post-lunch wickets were leg before wicket rulings, one of them a controversial decision to dismiss Pollock for seven.

Mark Waugh claimed the wickets of top scorer Gary Kirsten for 83 and Dave Richardson for one.

The scoreboard

Australia 1st innings 309 (R.T. Ponting 105, S.R. Waugh 96; P.L. Symcox 4-69, A.A. Donald 3-74)

South Africa 1st innings (overnight: 94-4)

A.M. Bacher c Healy b Kasprowicz 3
G. Kirsten c Healy b M. Waugh 83
J.H. Kallis c Healy b McGrath 15
D.J. Cullinan run out 5
W.J. Cronje c Blewett b Warne 0
B.M. McMillan c Healy b Kasprowicz 48
S.M. Pollock lbw b Warne 7
D.J. Richardson lbw b M.Waugh 1
L. Klusener lbw b Warne 11
P.L. Symcox b Kasprowicz 4
A.A. Donald not out 0
Extras (lb2, w1, nb6) 9
Total (106.5 overs) 186

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-62, 3-75, 4-76, 5-138, 6-155, 7-158, 8-182, 9-182

Bowling: McGrath 17-9-20-1, Reiffel 14-5-32-0 (2nb), Kasprowicz 13.5-3-28-3 (2nb), Warne 42-15-64-3 (2nb, 1w), M.Waugh 18-8-28-2, S. Waugh 2-0-12-0.

Australia 2nd innings

M.T. Elliott lbw b Donald 1
M.A. Taylor not out 30
G.S. Blewett c McMillan b Donald 6
M.E. Waugh b Donald 1
S.R. Waugh c Richardson b Pollock 17
R.T. Ponting not out 8
Extras (b2, lb1, nb1) 4
Total (4 wkts, 37overs) 67

Fall of wkts: 1-4, 2-10, 3-12, 4-44

Bolwing: Donald 12-5-14-3 (nb), Pollock 7-2-16-1, Symcox 16-6-28-0, McMillan 2-0-6-0

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