Cricket: Border's landmark

ALLAN BORDER'S phenomenal appetite for run-scoring continued unabated at the Adelaide Oval yesterday. Shortly after lunch on the second day of the third and final Test against South Africa, Border reached 11,000 Test runs, a landmark unlikely to be overtaken for some years.

In what is likely to be his farewell Test appearance on Australian soil, he was out 16 short of his 28th Test century, but had played an anchor role for 328 minutes in consolidating his team's innings.

Along with Steve Waugh, who registered his seventh Test hundred and the second highest score of his Test career - 164 from 276 balls - the Australian captain featured in a 208-run fifth-wicket stand, a record in a Test against South Africa.

The partnership beat the previous highest, set in the 1910- 11 season in Melbourne, when Victor Trumper and Warwick Armstrong put together 143.

Border and Waugh had begun the day on 240 for 4 and although the scoring was slow, with 86 runs in the first session, they had laid the foundation for a fairly substantial total.

Border played with caution against the tourists' bowling, which remained accurate throughout and was even hostile, from Allan Donald in particular, on a wicket which gave them little assistance.

Steve Waugh played more freely, driving on either side of the wicket in fluent style. Border picked up his runs from perfectly timed cuts, deflections and nudges.

South Africa had to wait until half an hour before tea before achieving their first success of the day. It came when Border drove at a ball from Brian McMillan and edged it into the gloves of David Richardson.

In nearly an hour's batting before stumps, South Africa were 39 without loss in reply to Australia's 469 for 7 declared.

(Second day; Australia won toss)

AUSTRALIA - First Innings

(Overnight: 240 for 4)

* A R Border c Richardson b McMillan. . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 S R Waugh c Richardson b Donald. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164 ] I A Healy c Rhodes b McMillan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 P R Reiffel not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 S K Warne not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Extras (lb9 nb9). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Total (for 7 dec). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .469

Fall (cont): 5-391 6-391 7-464.

Bowling: Donald 38-7-122-3 (3nb); De Villiers 41-11-105-0 (1nb); Snell 19-6-44-0 (2nb); McMillan 30-3-89-3 (3nb); Cronje 9-3-21-0; G Kirsten 23-8-62-1; P N Kirsten 4-0-17-0.

SOUTH AFRICA - First Innings

A C Hudson not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 G Kirsten not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Extras (b1 lb1 nb4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Total (for 0). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

To bat: P N Kirsten, * W J Cronje, D J Cullinan, J N Rhodes, B M McMillan, P S de Villiers, D J Richardson, A A Donald, R P Snell.

Bowling (to date): McDermott 5-1-11-0; Reiffel 3-0-10-0; May 3-1-11-0; Warne 2-0-5-0.

Umpires: T Prue and D Hair.