AUSTRALIA'S hopes of retaining the No.1 Test ranking are inextricably tied to Michael Clarke's fortunes today.
Clarke again proved the light in Australia's summer of darkness with an unbeaten 73 that resuscitated the hosts' ailing Sydney campaign. His efforts drove Australia to a respectable, if not impenetrable 6-267, and a maiden SCG Test century today will go far to denting South Africa's hopes of a series whitewash on a dry pitch already showing signs of wear.
Clarke's innings might not have been a classic but in these desperate times Australia will gratefully accept it. Dropped twice and forced to weather several nasty blows - not least one to the groin from a Jacques Kallis delivery - the Australian vice-captain stood defiant throughout the afternoon to post his third half-century of the series, and a 75-run sixth-wicket stand with Brad Haddin (38).
Their efforts helped steer Australia from peril at 5-162, and went some way to papering over the cracks of another underwhelming outing from Australia's veteran batsmen.
"I felt that we fought back really well in the last session," said Simon Katich, whose brisk 47 delivered Australia to their best opening stand (62) of the series.
"I thought South Africa probably had their noses in front and with that partnership with Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin we've got ourselves in a position where, like we did in Melbourne, [we can] get around 350 tomorrow and put some pressure on them."
Ricky Ponting's prediction of regeneration in the new year looked in early trouble yesterday, as South Africa's pacemen exploited the heavy overhead conditions to full effect.
The form woes of Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey and the reliance on Katich and Clarke were again brought to the fore on another commanding day for the Proteas, in which all five bowlers claimed wickets and Morne Morkel turned in his most menacing spell of the summer.
The weight of a potential series whitewash appeared to be weighing heavily upon the Australians. Cricket Australia chairman Jack Clarke took the unusual move of issuing a mid-match statement defending the besieged duo of Ponting and chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch from media criticism, but his batting unit did little to quell the notion that Australia's unflinching loyalty to Hayden is hindering the side.
Hayden turned in his longest and most prolific innings of the series - 31 from 78 balls - but, if anything, he lost ground in his attempt to convince the selectors of his worth ahead of Test tours to South Africa and England.
Having failed in his previous attempts to blast his way to form, Hayden adopted more of an attritional approach to batting that, sadly, resulted only in delaying what now appears the inevitable.
Hussey is further from the precipice than Hayden, but his form is similarly concerning. The middle-order mainstay was watchful throughout his 99-ball innings of 30, but fell to a hard-handed push to an angling Paul Harris delivery that was snaffled by Kallis at slip.
The fall of Hussey added greater pressure to a middle order already suffering from the quick-fire losses of Katich and Ponting. Katich was removed to a seaming, angled delivery from Kallis, while Ponting fell first ball to a devilish Morkel delivery that jagged sharply off the pitch and caught the inside edge.
The task again fell to Clarke to save Australia. The vice-captain leads all Australian batsmen this series in the run-scoring department - despite coming to the crease with the team total at 15, 88, 143, 49 and 109 against the South Africans - and did not fail to disappoint in his most recent assignment.
Employing the same watchful approach that has served him so well since his most recent Test recall, Clarke combined with Haddin and, later, Mitchell Johnson (17 not out) to prevent an Australian capitulation. The South Africans were left to rue Hashim Amla's late turfing of Clarke off the bowling of Makhaya Ntini.
"You can tell he's keen for a big one here," Katich said of Clarke. "The way he played today was very, very good. Hopefully he can carry that on in the morning." SCOREBOARD THIRD TEST - AUSTRALIA v SOUTH AFRICA
At the Sydney Cricket Ground Stumps, day one AUSTRALIA - 1st Innings
M HAYDEN b Steyn 31 S KATICH c de Villiers b Kallis 47 R PONTING c Boucher b Morkel 0 M HUSSEY c Kallis b Harris 30 M CLARKE not out 73 A McDONALD c Boucher b Ntini 15 B HADDIN b Steyn 38 M JOHNSON not out 17 Sundries (7lb 2w 7nb) 16 Six wickets for 267 Fall: 62 (Katich), 63 (Ponting), 109 (Hayden), 130 (Hussey), 162 (McDonald), 237 (Haddin). Bowling: D Steyn 21-4-71-2, M Ntini 19-5-53-1 (1w 2nb), M Morkel 17-3-49-1 (5nb), J Kallis 15-4-43-1 (1w), P Harris 16-3-44-1. Batting time: 382 mins. Overs: 88. Umpires: B Bowden (NZL)/A de Silva (SRI). Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI). Third Umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS).