Aussie bowler Paul Reiffel smashed an unbeaten 79 to thwart a South African fightback in the first test at Melbourne.

At the end of the fourth day, the tourists were 79-1, chasing an unlikely victory target of 381.

South Africa's Brian McMillan appeals in vain for a catch

Reiffel came in at number nine with the Aussies struggling against the pace of Allan Donald in their second innings.

Donald finished with 6-59 and passed Hugh Tayfield's 40-year record of 170 test wickets for South Africa. He now has 171 victims in 36 matches.

But he could not get the better of Reiffel whose test-best with the bat included six boundaries.

Mark Taylor raises his bat after making 50

Reiffel shared a 62-run partnership with Michael Kasprowicz (19) then added 49 with Glenn McGrath (18) for the last wicket.

The Aussie seamer then struck immediately with the ball, bowling Gary Kirsten for a duck.

But Adam Bacher (34 not out) and Jacques Kallis (40 not out) survived until the close with a partnership of 77 to give the South Africa hope of at least drawing the match.

Donald said he was delighted to be his country's leading bowler of all-time and now had his sights set on 250 test wickets.

"It's an honour and a major milestone in my career now I've reached 171 wickets," he said.

"It's almost a relief as wel, to have done it in the first test match. I bowled about 50-odd overs in this game so it's probably shown how much I wanted to be there and also to do well for South Africa.

"When I think back, I've probably done it in good time and if I end up with 250 wickets I'll be very satisfied with everything in my cricket career.

"Two hundred wickets are in sight. I would love to achieve that goal before the World Cup in 1999 and hopefully take it from there."

The 31-year-old's achievement is even more remarkable since he had to wait until April 1992 to play test cricket because of the boycott of South African sporting teams during the apartheid era.

Scorecards:

Australia first innings 309
Second innings

Extras (3b, 2nb) 5
Total: (30 overs) 79 for one

Fall of wicket: 2.

Bowling: G McGrath 9-4-18-0, P Reiffel 6-3-9-1 (1nb), M Kasprowicz 4-0-19-0, S Warne 9-1-27-0 (1nb), M Waugh 2-0-3-0.
 

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