Amla And De Villiers Engineer South African Recovery

Amla And De Villiers Engineer South African Recovery

Hashim Amla (centre) and AB de Villiers (right) frustrated Australia with a 139-run stand for the third wicket

©REUTERS / Action Images

South Africa 266& 229-3 (Amla 89no, de Villiers 70no)
Australia 296 (Watson 88, Hughes 88)
Second Test, Johannesburg, day three
Scorecard | Day One | Day Two

Unbeaten centuries from Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers engineered a South African recovery and enabled them to close day three of the second and final Test against Australia in Johannesburg 199 runs ahead.

Australia took the honours in the first session with three wickets as South Africa began their second innings but thereafter they were thwarted by an unbroken 139-run partnership between Amla and de Villiers for the fourth wicket.

South Africa closed a weather-truncated day on 229 for three in their second innings.

Resuming 30 runs behind and without a run on the board, openers Graeme Smith (36) and Jacques Rudolph (24) added 40 for the first wicket before Rudolph was caught by Brad Haddin off Patrick Cummins.

Smith and Amla then took the score on to 75 before the left-hander was caught by Phillip Hughes off Nathan Lyon and just 15 runs later Jacques Kallis was on his way for two when Cummins had him caught by Michael Clarke.

Amla then made his way steadily to 89 in 196 balls as he steadied the innings after the dismissals of Smith and Kallis, closing having hit 13 fours.

De Villiers played fluently to make 70 in 122 deliveries with ten fours and a six as Australia, despite calling upon Michael Hussey, Clarke and Ricky Ponting to bowl, were unable to make another breakthrough.

Both sides suffered batting collapses as they were bowled out for 266 and 296 respectively in their first innings while South Africa lead the two-match series 1-0 after an eight-wicket win in Cape Town.

© Cricket World 2011