da apostaganha： Plays of the day for day three of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at the MCG
da fezbet： Brydon Coverdale at the MCG28-Dec-2008
Ricky Ponting grassed what was by his standards a basic catch © Getty Images (file photo)
Mr Cricket’s moment of joy
Michael Hussey is such a cricket nut that he works hard on his bowlingeven though it is rarely seen in matches. The decision to bowl Husseyin Nagpur was one of the key reasons Ricky Ponting was criticisedafter the match and when he turned to Hussey at the MCG when Australiawere trying to wrap up South Africa’s tail it was more in hope thananything. But this time Hussey’s 120kph medium-pace delivered. PaulHarris tried to belt Hussey out of the park but mistimed his shot andMitchell Johnson ran back from mid-on to take the chance. It wasHussey’s first Test wicket and he celebrated as if he had made ahundred.Mr Cricket’s moment of shame
Hussey was happy to be the centre of attention after his wicket, notso after an embarrassing failure in the field later in the day. DaleSteyn skied Nathan Hauritz and Hussey at mid-on would have hardly hadto move to accept the chance. But the ball went so high that Husseylost it in the sun, putting up his left hand, then his right, to tryand shield his eyes. Panicking as it became clear he couldn’t see theball, Hussey jigged from left to right as if his feet were on fire. Inthe end the ball thudded to the turf a couple of metres behind hisleft shoulder. There was nowhere to hide and he spent much of the nextdrinks break trying to explain to his colleagues what went wrong.Ponting slips up
Last month in Adelaide Ricky Ponting pulled off one of the all-timegreat slips catches when he flung himself to his right and somehowclasped a one-hander that removed Jamie How. The catch wasexponentially more difficult than one he put down today, when Steynedged off Mitchell Johnson. Ponting moved to his right but onlyslightly and grassed what by his standards was a basic chance. Steynwas on 32 at the time; it proved a costly mistake.An unexpected advantage
When JP Duminy and Paul Harris strode to the crease in the morningwith a 196-run deficit and three wickets in hand, gaining a lead wasnot on the agenda. But things went so perfectly that they pulled infront of Australia with only one more wicket down and the moment camewith a Duminy boundary off Hussey. Duminy and Dale Steyn walked downthe pitch and with a brief handshake celebrated their remarkableachievement.Pain pen strikes again
The pain-gone pen that the South African physio Shane Jabaar used onGraeme Smith’s elbow in Perth made another appearance today, this timeto deal with Dale Steyn’s hand. Steyn copped two nasty blows, one oneach hand, and after the first Jabaar pumped the now familiar deviceon the uncomfortable spot. It obviously worked – Steyn went on torecord his first Test half-century.
