Restricting South Africa to 277 in their first innings, Australia made a rousing start and by the close of a seven-hour day were cruising at 126 without loss.

Langer was unbeaten on 67 with Hayden not out 55, the pair scoring at a rate of almost four runs an over.

Hayden and Langer have blossomed into a formidable opening duo with two double-century and two century stands since they were united in the fifth Ashes Test against England at the Oval last August.

The two left-handers have scored 823 runs in opening stands and are averaging 117.5 runs per partnership.

Their dominance highlighted the lack of new-ball penetration by the South African fast bowlers with ageing Test warhorse Allan Donald having trouble with his bowling rhythm and Shaun Pollock and Nantie Hayward posing few problems.

Donald went for 34 off nine overs, Pollock 41 off 10 overs and Hayward 33 off five.

Australia, comprehensive 246-run victors of the first Adelaide Test, are well on the way to seizing control of this one and with it the series with a new year Test to play in Sydney.

South Africa were looking to make early in-roads into the Australian top order in the post-tea session, extended to make up for lost playing time through rain on Boxing Day.

But Langer and Hayden, who’ve developed a telepathic understanding in their short time together, batted them out of it.

The pair, who put together 158 in their first knock together against England, amassed stands of 224 and 223 in consecutive Tests against New Zealand in Brisbane and Hobart last month.

Hayden has had a phenomenal year and is this year’s leading scorer in Test cricket with 1,305 runs at 62.14.

The South Africans were heading for a first innings total of less than 250 until Pollock and Hayward slapped on 44 runs for the last wicket before South Africa were dismissed for 277 just before tea.

The Australians were in command at 233 for nine, but Pollock, farming the strike from No11 Hayward, added crucial runs before Hayward was snapped up in the slips by Ricky Ponting for 14, giving Andy Bichel his third wicket of the innings.

Pollock remained unbeaten on 42 off 93 balls in his best knock of the series after scores of 0 and 1 in Adelaide.

Bichel finished with three for 44 off 19.5 overs as well as taking a catch to dismiss Mark Boucher and running out Claude Henderson with a direct throw.

Australia applied the squeeze in the mid-afternoon session, removing Mark Boucher for 43, Neil McKenzie 67, Claude Henderson five and Allan Donald for a duck before picking up Hayward’s wicket.

Boucher played an indisciplined shot to hole out to Bichel at deep mid-off just after lunch.

McKenzie’s gritty 232-minute stay came to an end when he was lbw to the much-improved Brett Lee. He hit eight fours in his topscoring 163-ball knock.

Five minutes later, Bichel brilliantly threw down the stumps from cover to run out Henderson.

Lee unsettled donald with two throat-high bouncers before the veteran paceman edged to ponting at third slip. Lee ended the innings with three for 77 off 31 overs and bowled no no-ball.

Australian skipper Steve Waugh’s tactics to set deep fields to restrict Pollock’s scoring and try to get Hayward on strike handed the initiative temporarily to South Africa.

That helped the pair to frustrate the home side in their 53-minute rearguard action.

Earlier, Jacques Kallis was out to a critical decision by West Indian umpire Eddie Nichols three balls after first drinks, ending an important 72-run fourth wicket partnership with McKenzie.

Dropped twice late yesterday, Kallis was given out for 38 caught behind by Adam Gilchrist off Bichel, yet TV replays clearly showed that Kallis’ bat made no contact with the ball.

Gilchrist made a half-hearted appeal but Bichel celebrated his first wicket of the Test when Nichols gave Kallis out.

The importance of the wicket was underlined on the next ball when out-of-form Klusener played against the line and offered a left-handed catch to Bichel, who celebrated wildly.

Klusener, whose position was under threat before this match, made a quick exit from the field, racing up the steps to the players’ dressing-room. He did not bowl any of his team’s 32 overs later in the day.

Scoreboard

South Africa (1st innings): (89 for 3 overnight)

Gibbs c Ponting b McGrath 14

Kirsten b McGrath 10

Dippenaar c Hayden b Lee 26

Kallis c Gilchrist b Bichel 38

McKenzie lbw b Lee 67

Klusener c and b Bichel 0

Boucher c Bichel b M. Waugh 43

Pollock not out 42

Henderson run out 5

Donald c Ponting b Lee 0

Hayward c M. Waugh b Bichel 14

Extras (b-1, lb-10, nb-7) 18

Total (all out,103.5 overs) 277

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-36, 3-59, 4-131, 5-131, 6-198, 7-220, 8-225, 9-233

Bowling: McGrath 26-8-70-2, Lee 31-10-77-3, Bichel 19.5-6-44-3, Warne 19-3-56-0, M. Waugh 8-1-19-1.

Australia (1st innings):

Langer batting 67

Hayden batting 55

Extras (nb-4) 4

Total (for 0 wkt, overs 32.1) 126

The left-handed Jayasuriya, normally a dashing batsman, reined in his usual aggressive approach but still managed to stroke 16 fours in 164 balls after four hours at the crease.

He was finally dismissed in the 55th over of the day, caught behind off the glove as he attempted to sweep the occasional off-spin of Trevor Gripper.

Jayasuriya survived one sharp chance on 33 when he edged paceman Heath Streak behind but wicketkeeper Andy Flower, diving to his right, was unable to take the catch.

He had completed his 20th Test fifty with a late cut for one to third man during the afternoon session, his half-century including 10 fours in 98 balls.

Jayasuriya and fellow opener Marvan Atapattu threatened to lay the platform for a substantial total as they put on 78 for the first wicket.

But Atapattu, dropped on 21, was caught behind down the legside for 25 after edging a delivery from Streak. Jayasuriya and Sangakkara then added a further 72 for the second wicket, in 22 overs either side of tea, before the Sri Lanka captain was removed by Gripper’s part-time spin.

Gripper, who was to end the day with a return of two for 35, struck again just six overs later when Mahela Jayawardene, on 18, was brilliantly caught by Zimbabwe captain Stuart Carlisle at wide mid-on.

Sri Lanka (1st innings):

Atapattu c A. Flower b Streak 25

Jayasuriya c A. Flower b Gripper 92

Sangakkara batting 62

Jayawardene c Carlisle b Gripper 18

Arnold batting 4

Extras: (b-2, lb-2, w-2, nb-4) 10

Total: (for 3 wkts, 73.2 overs) 211

FOW: 1-78, 2-150, 3-170.

Substitute striker Dipendu Biswas saved the day for the glamour club as he produced a brilliant goal midway through the second session after both the teams were locked 1-1 at the interval of a fast-paced encounter.

The millmen left the home crowd in a daze by firing in the first salvo as early as the 18th minute of the contest through the hard-working Hardip Singh Saini, while the defending champions restored parity through striker Omalaja Olalekin 15 minutes before the lemon break.

East Bengal, who were expected to capitalise on home conditions, were a pale shadow of themselves as they failed to find their rhythm for most part of the contest.

The home team could have won by a much bigger margin had their forwards not muffed a number of gilt-edged opportunities in both the sessions, much to the disappointment of their supporters who cheered every move of the team.

With this win, East Bengal have secured seven points from four outings so far while JCT have managed just two points from as many matches.

Although JCT were pegged in their own half in the early stages of the proceedings, a surprise goal suddenly tilted the balance of the game as it forced the glamour club to alter their game plan to some extent.

The hard-working Hardip Singh Saini produced a gem of a goal as he broke through the defence and unleashed a curling volley taking the rival custodian Sangram Mukherjee by surprise.

Mukherjee dived to his right but could not stop the goal while none of the defenders were in position to foil him.

East Bengal took some time to recover from the early jolt and it was in the 30th minute when Omalaja Olalekan brought back the smiles with a superb effort much to the delight of the home crowd.

The goal was the result of a fast counter-attack, which saw Dipankar Roy give a through pass to Omalaja, who was lurking inside the box unmarked. Omalaja collected the ball cleanly and placed it to the right of custodian Arvind Kumar.

Both the teams played their hearts out to break the 1-1 scoreline after the breather but the game was mainly confined to the midfield with mispasses punctuating most of the moves.

The home team, however, managed to earn full points when substitute striker Dipendu Biswas headed home from inside the box a measured floater from Isiaka, capitalising on a defensive lapse.

Biswas was guilty of squandering a sitter in the dying minutes of the match as he failed to place the ball with only the goalkeeper at his mercy.

BANGALORE: Kyrgistan’s Raja Baliev Nurlan scored twice as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited shocked Kolkata’s Mohun Bagan 3-1 in the National Football League here today.

In an action-packed encounter, HAL shot into the lead in the 18th minute thanks to a splendid header by Rajendra Prasad off a beautiful pass from Sunil, skipper of the home team.

Nurlan made it 2-0 in the 29th minute, neatly netting the ball which popped out of the hands of Bagan ‘keeper Rajat Ghosh Dastidar, who could not collect it cleanly, after a corner kick taken by Gregory Clarke.

Stung by the reverses, Bagan, former champions who finished runners-up last year, pulled one back as their Brazilian star Jose Ramirez Barreto found the net in the 35th minute.

After the break, Bagan went all out and made repeated forays into HAL citadel but without success. HAL goal-keeper Gumpe Rime did a fine job under the bar, as HAL, who played their hearts out, held on.

One could not blame old-timers and die-hard hockey enthusiasts for jumping to predictions of a return to the golden days of glory, for, India indeed pleasantly surprised the worst of cynics with creditable performances.

The year as usual started on a disastrous note with India, billed as pre-tournament favourites, barely managing to scrape through the World Cup qualifiers held at Edinburgh.

That the eight-time Olympic gold medallists and a former world champions were made to go through the grind of qualifiers was painful enough but India made matters worse for themselves with a pathetic performance.

Darkhorses Argentina romped home with the honours with a deserving 5-4 victory over Spain as India had to be content with a fifth place finish in the seven-team field.

For the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur, India again sent a young team “with an eye on the World Cup” scheduled at the same venue in February next year.

Amongst the formidable seven-country field sans Holland, India managed a fifth placing proving how much homework needed to be done if the country was nurturing any realistic chance of a good showing at the World Cup.

Arch-rivals Pakistan avenged their defeat at the hands of India in the Prime Minister’s Gold Cup Tournament in Dhaka earlier in the year, as they scripted a 4-3 victory to leave a bitter taste in the mouth of the Indians.

India, however, drew some vicarious pleasure when Pakistan, also the defending champions, were made to bite the dust and finished a distant fourth in the tournament.

To blame the administration for an indifferent performance in the first half of the year would be foolhardy. Indians were ensured good international exposure as they played a series against Malaysia, trained at the Australian Institute of Sport in Perth, played against New Zealand and participated in a four-nation tournament at Milton Keynes.

And amidst all the debate on youth and experience, came the triumph which jolted from reverie the fans and critics that the game had long lost to cricket.

The juniors left behind their disappointing 2-3 defeat in the finals of Asian Junior Cup at the hands of South Korea in May and with rare aplomb brought the greater and the all-important booty to India — the junior World Cup in October.

As India inched towards the final, there was an overwhelming feeling “if only India could do it this time” as in the last edition at Milton Keynes, they had fumbled at the last hurdle, losing 2-3 to Australia.

And India did it.

A brilliant hat-trick by fiery forward Deepak Thakur helped India notch up a resounding 6-1 victory against South American champions Argentina.

Besides Thakur, the other scorers for India were Jugraj Singh, who smashed in two penalty corners and Prabhjot Singh, who opened India’s account.

It was the first victory at the world level for India, who had last won a gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

The youngsters knew well the importance of the victory as they kissed the ground in sheer delight and thanksgiving.

So, it was not a smug cricketer collecting his rewards and being feted by the mediapersons. But a shy Deepak Thakur instead in his just-bought flashy Oakleys, trying to handle sudden fame and adulation.

“We owed it to the nation,” coach Rajinder Singh, himself an ace fullback in his playing days, managed to mumble as he tried to come to grips with the team’s achievement.

Even as a euphoric nation frantically tried to get a glimpse of that historic match as ironically there was no telecast and searched for at least a photograph of the “glory boys”, the senior side started feeling the pinch.

They were aware of the expectations of an over-zealous nation and administration and knew they could no longer take their places in the side for granted, as lurking behind were the talented youngsters eager to make the grade.

Expectedly the Indian Hockey Federation, run by none other than the stern no-nonsense administrator K.P.S. Gill, placed its faith in the juniors as 10 of them were selected for the squad for the inaugural Champions Challenger Trophy at Kuala Lumpur from December 7 to 15.

The IHF also seemed to have made up with the sulking Dhanraj Pillay as the mercurial striker was recalled for the event that was originally slated to be held here but later shifted as many of the teams thought it was safer to travel to the Malaysian capital.

The Indian team was a unique blend of youth and experience and appeared to be the best mix-and-match ever.

So one had young Kanwalpreet Singh, Ignace Tirkey, Vikram Pillay, Bipin Fernandez and Arjun Hallappa brushing shoulders with stalwarts like Dhanraj Pillay, Sukhbir Singh Gill, Thirumalvalvan and Baljit Singh Dhillon.

India started their campaign in the tournament, where a win would have ensured a place back among the elite hockey nations, rather tentatively.

Critics started writing about India’s downward slide in the tournament as they scraped past Belgium 1-0, drew with South Africa 2-2 and then lost 1-2 to hosts Malaysia. But India did not disappoint beyond this.

A comprehensive 3-0 victory over Japan and a 2-1 win against Argentina followed as India booked a place along with South Africa in the final. The final redeemed the senior side as India clinched a 2-1 victory and a berth in Champions Trophy 2002 after a gap of six years.

Undoubtedly India’s exploits at the international level did a world of good to the country starved of heroes and to the game in particular. People sat up to notice the world beyond cricket which was not as glossy but remarkable indeed.

Disappointments in the early part of the year were also forgotten as the IHF got plaudits and their chief also came in for special mention for his efforts to regroup the Indian team and bring it to the threshold of glory.

But with a hectic coming season, including the World Cup scheduled in February and the Asian Games in Pusan, the Indians would have to come out of the euphoria and start afresh and prove their brilliance was no flash in the pan.