Ricky Ponting showed more leadership qualities with the bat by helping cover for another mixed return from the Waugh brothers in the third cricket Test against South Africa in Durban.

Ponting has scored 189 runs in two crucial Test innings inside four days as he prepares to lead the Australian one-day team for the first time next week.

His 89 at Kingsmead preceded a commanding 91 from his one-day deputy Adam Gilchrist, who has been a run-scoring revelation on this tour with 457 Test runs for just two dismissals.

In contrast, captain Steve Waugh has struggled with the bat and his short stay for seven, after Mark failed to convince his critics despite scoring 45, tightened the pressure during his mediocre international season.

Steve Waugh's batting average will drop below 50 for the first time in two years if he scores less than 42 in the second innings although his captaincy and influence on the team remains unquestioned after five consecutive wins against South Africa.

But Ponting has bloomed since he was handed the one-day captaincy last month in a positive sign to selectors eyeing the Tasmanian or Gilchrist as potential successors to Waugh's outstanding reign.

Ponting's 100 not out in the second innings of the Cape Town Test victory last Tuesday was perhaps the most responsible knock of his career and yesterday's innings in Durban was also classy.

The 27-year-old was robbed of his chance for a century when run out for the third time in his last seven innings, caught inches short during a quick single with Mark Waugh.

Ponting had fuelled Australia's first innings before Gilchrist took over in the competitive total of 315 after the tourists were sent in to bat by Mark Boucher.

South Africa was 1-48 at stumps after its best day of the six Tests against Australia this summer but they were again cursing Gilchrist.

The 30-year-old mopped up a middle order collapse with his usual onslaught, hitting 14 boundaries before he swatted a catch to Graeme Smith at deep mid-wicket from spinner Paul Adams.

Gilchrist's Test average is back to 61.25 and his scores of 204 not out, 138 not out, 24 and 91 in South Africa have shot him into elite Australian company.

His 457 runs are the third highest in a three-Test series by an Australian, behind Matthew Hayden's rampaging tour of India last year (549 at 109.80) and Mark Taylor's memorable performances in Pakistan in 1998-99 (513 at 128.25).

Gilchrist plays with astonishing power but with minimal risk and the wicketkeeper again raced Australia's lower order through valuable partnerships.

His innings was in direct contrast to the flat atmosphere at Kingsmead, where more than 1000 school children bumped the disappointing first day crowd up to 6300.

"That was one thing that stood out - the lack of crowd. If you took the school kids out there were probably more Australians in the crowd from tour groups than locals," Gilchrist said.

"We're trying to win every Test match and we were under pressure again because they came out fighting - a lot more fight than they showed in that first Test.

"They don't want to go down 6-0 in total and we desperately want to win it."

© 2002 AAP