Close Australia 242 (Martyn 104*, Ponting 80) beat South Africa 214 (McKenzie 68, McGrath 4-30) by 27 runs A classy century from Damien Martyn, four wickets for Glenn McGrath and a comfortable 27-run victory. It all sounds like business as usual for Australia, who have done their best to shrug off three consecutive defeats in the VB Series. Yet this was a very hollow performance indeed. The crowd may have cheered and the players may have shaken hands with their customary swagger, but who would have thought, after the drubbing they handed out to South Africa in the Test series, that Australia's overwhelming emotion would be one of relief?

Glenn McGrath had the sort of day that epitomises Australia's current mindset. He grabbed two vital wickets at the top of the order, and returned to mop up the tail with a calculated certainty. But beneath the bravado he was far from certain, and while chewing the cud at fine leg in the tenth over, he dropped the most sedentary of sitters off a Gary Kirsten uppercut. All of Australia contemplated their navels in sympathy.

South Africa though were in no fit state to capitalise. Chris Cairns' brilliant innings on Saturday had stolen what little self-belief they still had, and apart from a 77-run partnership between Jacques Kallis and Neil McKenzie, who top-scored with an unflustered 68, nobody looked likely to hang around. A run-rate that started at a scamper dropped off like a yodeller from the Matterhorn, and when Mark Boucher was superbly caught by Andrew Symonds, diving forward in his follow-through to snatch an exocet of a drive, the last six wickets dribbled away for 61 runs.

Australia would sympathise - if sympathy were a part of their make-up. Collapses in successive matches of 6 for 41, 6 for 34 and 6 for 38 meant that, in their own innings, caution replaced gambling.

At the fall of Australia's fourth wicket, it wasn't Adam Gilchrist who strolled out but Steve Waugh who rolled out. Of course, everyone is aware that Waugh can do it, but though he got 22 off 19 balls, he didn't do it. South Africa knew full well that a total of 242 was chaseable - it was exactly what Cairns had hunted down the night before.

Australia's innings was dominated by a crowd-rousing partnership of 171 between Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn. Martyn, who must have glued himself in at No. 4 now, rotation system or no rotation system, batted as if he was carrying on from the Sydney Test. Defence and scampering singles took him through the early stages, and he reached his fifty without reaching the boundary.

But from there he gained confidence, picked up his bat and swatted the less dangerous second-string South African attack. His hundred, his third in one-day internationals and his first against South Africa, took only 117 balls and included six fours.

At the other end, Ponting was batting like form was his best friend. Impish in his yellow cap, he roused the drinkers from their pots, swatting a six onto the glass roof of the Gabba bar. And he was caught off a no-ball which the umpire may regret calling, but other than that, looked like he could dispatch the South Africans naked with a bamboo stick.

It was all very surreal. Only two months ago, South Africa rolled into Perth like prize fighters, preparing to take on the undisputed heavyweight champions of the world. But today, the two sides scratched around like reluctant roosters, neither daring to take the game by the scruff of the neck. The damp ghostly hands of the selectors had been hovering on the collars of the Australian's yellow pyjamas; the grubby hands of politics on South Africa's. And few of them relished the pressure.

Teams
Australia 1 Mark Waugh, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Steve Waugh (capt), 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk) 8 Shane Warne, 9 Andy Bichel, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath.

South Africa 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Gary Kirsten, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Neil McKenzie, 5 Jonty Rhodes, 6 Lance Klusener, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Shaun Pollock (capt), 9 Nicky Boje, 10 Charl Langeveldt, 11 Steve Elworthy.

Andrew Miller is on the staff at Wisden.com.
Tanya Aldred is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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