Cricket: Australians humiliated as Ponting is exposed

Ricky Ponting. Photo / AP

South Africa's bowlers believe they have Ricky Ponting where they want him - and they aim to turn the screws.

The former Australian captain hasn't made a test century in 26 innings and is well and truly under the pump after consecutive failures in the first test in Cape Town.

Ponting was out in both innings in almost identical fashion - attempting to flick the ball away off his pads, but mis-timing and being trapped lbw.

The second test in Johannesburg now shapes as a major career challenge for Ponting. It's highly unlikely he'd be dropped before then, but missing out again would turn up the heat on his place in the batting line up for the Australian summer with Usman Khawaja waiting in the wings.

South Africa aren't willing to sling mud at one of the greats of the game, but Jacques Rudolph said the Proteas want to strike at Ponting while he's at his most vulnerable.

"I think he will be under a lot of pressure now," said Rudolph after Ponting's eight and duck at Newlands. "We've got to try and use that to the best of our advantage. He's obviously been a great performer over the years and when he walks to the wicket, you think to yourself, he's gained a lot of respect over the last couple of years."

Ponting's frustration was clear after his dismissals.

That anger had a lot to with his obvious contempt for the decision referral system - which he lost out to on both occasions.

Australia's batting line-up was shaken to its core, with day two likely to go down as the most eventful and chaotic in recent memory.

Parts of all four innings were played on the same day for only the second time in test history, and Australia's second innings of 47 was their poorest effort in 109 years.

That left South Africa chasing a victory target of 236. They were 1-81 at stumps on Thursday, needing a further 155 runs to win the match with nine wickets in hand and, remarkably, three full days still to play.

A last-ditch, 26-run partnership between Peter Siddle (12 not out) and Nathan Lyon (14), the only batsmen to make double figures, saved Australia from the humiliation of being bowled out for the lowest test total ever.

Astonishingly, Clarke put the finishing touches to one of his finest knocks earlier in the day, when he was last man out for 151 in Australia's first-up 284.

- AAP