Ricky Ponting lasted just seven minutes and seven balls at the crease as Australia suffered a drastic collapse on day two of the crucial third Test against South Africa in Perth.
Australia are 7-118 at lunch and still trail South Africa’s modest first innings’ 225 by 107 runs.
Matt Wade has provided the only rearguard action by scoring his half-century at a run-a-ball to be unbeaten on 60, while debutant John Hastings is 2 not out.
Australia lost four wickets in no time at all on Saturday, after resuming at 2-33, with Proteas spearhead Dale Steyn the chief destroyer.
South Africa thought they were in trouble at 6-75 on day one, but Australia found themselves 6-45 just six overs into day two.
Seventeen wickets have already fallen in the match.
Faf du Plessis (78no) saved the Proteas innings, and Wade is attempting to provide similar heroics for Australia, combining with Mike Hussey (12) for a vital 55-run stand – before Morne Morkel (1-13) had the vital wicket of Mr Cricket not long before lunch.
Wade has blasted three sixes and seven boundaries, but Australia need more as they aim to put themselves in a position to win the series, steal the No.1 ranking from their opponents and send Ponting out a winner.
Steyn (4-33) turned around a poor series so far by exploding out of the blocks and taking the first of his three day-two wickets in the second over of play.
That brought retiring champion Ponting to the middle and a sold-out WACA crowd to their feet.
But the fairytale was extinguished by Steyn’s partner in crime Vernon Philander (2-41), who trapped him lbw for 4.
The 37-year-old challenged, and despite being struck a fair way forward of the crease, DRS said the ball was crashing into middle and leg.
Ponting will get just one more chance at signing off from Test cricket with a century in the second innings – but averaging six for the series, all evidence suggests he’s not comfortable facing South Africa’s red-hot attack.
David Warner (13) went for a wild slash through the off-side but nicked Steyn’s first delivery of the day to keeper AB de Villiers.
The Australian opener consulted with Nathan Lyon at the other end before asking for an unconvincing review.
The edge didn’t show up on hot-spot but DRS backed Richard Kettleborough’s decision.
Ponting came to the crease and got off the mark with a single, but that left Lyon to be a sitting duck for Steyn who completed his stunning over by finding the nightwatchman’s edge through to du Plessis at gully.
Two generations of Australian captains came together in the middle, but Ponting and Michael Clarke both went quickly.
The over after Ponting fell, Clarke (5) copped the ball of the series from Steyn and he edged behind for his first failure in a long time.
Hussey left Wade completely stranded early on, but Hashim Amla missed an open shy at the stumps, much to the relief of the reeling Australians.
