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 | |  Sunday, 16 December, 2001, 11:40 GMT Warne pleased with winning position  Warne (centre) ruled on a deteriorating wicket Shane Warne says Australia are in a good position to defeat South Africa in the first Test after his five-wicket haul helped gain a first innings lead in Adelaide. Warne ran through the South African lower order to finish with five for 113 as the visitors were dismissed for 374 - a first innings deficit of 65 - late on the third day. "I'm very happy with the position we're in, we're almost 70 runs ahead with 10 wickets in hand and on a pitch that's deteriorating," Warne said. "The pitch is only going to get worse ... it's going to keep lower for the quick bowlers. It's going to be pretty hard to score on and hopefully the ball will spin a bit more as well." Warne became the first wrist-spinner since Richie Benaud 40 years ago to take five wickets in an innings in an Adelaide Test. He also moved past Pakistan's Wasim Akram into fourth place on the all-time wicket-takers list. "My plan today was just to try to be as disciplined and patient as possible," Warne said. "The ball came out extremely well today and I was happy with my consistency. Positive batting Neil McKenzie top-scored for South African with 87 and, although he admitted his team faced a difficult task trying to win, he said they were still a chance if they could bowl the home side out cheaply. "I think we've done quite nicely to get [374] from where we were and now it's just up to our bowlers to be stingy and bowl a good line and length," McKenzie said. South Africa started the day at 101 for two, still 338 behind Australia's first innings 439. They looked to be in trouble when they slumped to 214 for six shortly after lunch but McKenzie and Mark Boucher kept them in touch with a 141-run partnership for the seventh wicket. "Mark and I just took our time but when the second new ball came out we decided to be positive and we put on some quick runs," McKenzie said. McKenzie smashed the second new ball for 56 runs in the first 10 overs. No-ball trouble He could have been dismissed off an edge to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist when 53. But Brett Lee was found to have over-stepped for a no ball, one of three possible chances that went begging in the same manner on Sunday.
Australian coach John Buchanan said he has tried to get his bowlers to be more careful in their approach to the crease. "It's a fundamental of the game and the bowlers should get it right - and today it was highlighted in the extreme," Buchanan said. "It's not just Brett, although he is the main culprit. "Who knows what might have happened had we taken those wickets but it's pretty likely they would have helped our cause." And Warne was even less forgiving. "There's no real excuse for us bowlers," he said. "We have to get our foot behind the line - it's not that hard. It was frustrating." | |
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