As Chris Read might solemnly swear, cricket is a game of three dimensions. But batting, bowling and fielding do not exist in isolation: rather they seep into each other on an individual and collective level. There is a school of thought, for example, that the highest run-scorers in Australia's history are Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, while on the second day at the MCG the reverse was true: as Australia took a firm grip on the second Test against South Africa, their greatest wicket-takers were arguably their batsmen.
Those batsmen, of course, were their bowlers, whose tail-end exploits empowered them when their turn came with the ball, particularly Peter Siddle. It is nothing new for Australia's tail to score quality runs, but the manner in which they did it in the morning session set the tone: first extremely aggressively (46 runs in the first six overs of the day) and then calmly, as the startlingly mature Michael Clarke repeatedly fed Siddle singles with the first ball of the over. It is a much-debated tactic, and has been since Steve Waugh patented it, but here it served to inform the South Africans that the game was being played on Australia's terms – and, probably, that Australia were extremely happy with a score of just under 400 given the sluggish outfield.
Siddle, who faced 49 of 71 balls in that last-wicket stand with Clarke, was boosted further by a splendid piece of captaincy from Ricky Ponting. It takes huge courage to not give the new ball to a man who took 11 of your 14 wickets in the last Test, but Ponting preferred Siddle, on his home ground, to Mitchell Johnson. Siddle bounded in like he wanted to run to the ends of the earth for his captain. He found an extra yard of speed, peaking at around 93mph, and claimed Neil McKenzie in his first over with a sharply cutting delivery that might make McKenzie, a disciple of leaving the ball outside off stump, consider renouncing his faith for the rest of the tour at least.
The big wicket, inevitably, was that of McKenzie's opening partner Smith, who once again was hugely impressive. He has the same hulking presence of old, but he is a lighter man these days, both in mind and body: at the crease he is limber and no longer grips his bottom hand like an insecure boyfriend. Being made South Africa's youngest captain meant that, not unlike a child prodigy, he did his growing up in public, and so there were inevitable Drew Barrymore moments. But now he is a magnificent specimen of masculinity, sport's take on Tyler Durden. And he's still only 27.
Because Smith has such obvious bat-for-your-life qualities, there is sometimes an inclination to think of him as a grinder; he is anything but. He is an enforcer, who is loath to miss any scoring opportunities: among openers of the last 20 years, only Virender Sehwag and Sanath Jayasuriya have a higher strike-rate than Smith's 61.05. He was down to 54.86 today, mainly because of an elbow injury that would have forced 99.94% of men out of the game, and partly because he was increasingly deprived of his off-side oxygen. When Siddle offered him some with a deliberately wider delivery, Smith gulped too hard and was caught behind.
Once the South African head went, the body twitched and began to collapse. Logically, it is hard to see how South Africa can avoid defeat now, with a deficit just shy of 200 runs and only three wickets, but logic has been at a premium during this magnificent last fortnight of Test cricket. Given the events of Perth, Australia will not be comfortable until their lead reaches 500. But if, as seems likely, we go to a decider at Sydney, this already sensational series will enter a whole new dimension.
