Australia (382 and 334 for 6; Hayden 96, Ponting 100*) beat South Africa (239 and 473) by four wickets
scorecard

In the end a target of 331 was simply not enough. Australia galloped out of the blocks, wobbled in the middle of their innings, then secured a four-wicket victory in spectacular fashion with a century-sealing six from Ricky Ponting, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

In the process Australia secured their position at the top of ICC Test Championship table, and achieved the tenth-highest winning total in the fourth innings of any Test. After crumbling to a humiliating defeat in the first match at Johannesburg, South Africa did everything that was asked of them in this game, and though they still fell short, they can enter the final Test at Durban with heads held high.

Australia were indebted to Ponting, who, with three runs needed, finished the match by hoisting a leg-side long-hop from Paul Adams high and mightily into the midwicket stands to move from 94 to an even 100, his 10th Test century in his 55th match.

Resuming overnight on 131 for 1, Ponting and Matthew Hayden took no time at all to get into their stride. Cutting with savage power and driving with crisp authority, Hayden had looked a sure bet for his fifth century in as many matches, but he missed out in the most galling fashion possible. Slashing at a rank wide delivery from Jacques Kallis, Hayden grazed an edge to Mark Boucher for 96 (201 for 2).

But Ponting was in almost complete command, driving like a Durban carjacker with the cops in hot pursuit. Twice in an over he came close to holing out to Paul Adams in the covers, before prodding one back past the outstretched right hand of Kallis, but by lunch he had reached 71, from 111 balls with 13 fours. He added an even 50 with Mark Waugh, whose edgy 16 was ended on the stroke of the interval as he flicked his boot driving at Makhaya Ntini, and was adjudged caught-behind (251 for 3).

With only 80 runs needed in two sessions, it should have been plain sailing for Australia, but as in the first innings, Adams struck hard straight after lunch, taking two big wickets in consecutive overs. First to go was Steve Waugh, who came to the crease on a pair after a tortuous duck in the first innings, and was no more settled second time around. He belted Ntini for consecutive boundaries, but after groping at Adams for 12 deliveries he was finally bowled neck-and-crop - as in the first innings - by a flighted delivery that slipped under his bat and onto leg stump (268 for 4).

When Adams added Damien Martyn's scalp in his next over, lbw to the googly for a seventh-ball duck (268 for 5), South Africa dared to dream. But once again Adam Gilchrist's stealthful shotmaking took the game away from them in the blink of an eye. He added a run-a-ball 24 to his first innings 138 not out, before whacking a short one from Kallis to Neil McKenzie at deep midwicket (305 for 6). Eyes had to be rubbed all around the ground, but Gilchrist was out, after scoring 366 runs off 345 balls in the series.

It was left to Ponting, and the Man of the Match Shane Warne to take Australia home. Warne's fine allround game was rounded off with a quickfire 15 not out, before Ponting finished things off in fitting fashion. It was a fifth consecutive victory for Australia over South Africa - but unlike the last four, this was a contest to the very end, and for that we can all be grateful.

Andrew Miller is on the staff of Wisden.com.

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