North points the way

After Australia piled on 466, which included an unbeaten career-best 96 from Mitchell Johnson and a half-century from Brad Haddin, they put the home side under all sorts of pressure and left them reeling at 85 for three at the close.

It capped a remarkable turnaround for Ricky Ponting's side, who were at 38 for three early on the first morning, before North's century - the 18th on debut by an Australian - helped them post the fifth highest score by a team batting first at the Wanderers.

The Proteas were in all sorts of trouble when they began their response after tea and were one for one after just five balls when Johnson pitched the ball up to Graeme Smith, who sent a thick outside edge to a diving Haddin behind the stumps for a duck.

That quickly became two for two three balls later after Hashim Amla edged a swinging delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus - his second in Test cricket - to Ponting at second slip, the captain taking a smart catch diving forward to send the batsman packing for one.

Jacques Kallis and Neil McKenzie then began the repair work and there was soon something positive for the crowd to cheer after Kallis pushed a Peter Siddle delivery into the covers to bring up 10,000 runs in Test cricket, only the eighth batsman in history to do so.

But after he took three consecutive fours off the same bowler, he went for one shot too many in his following over and squared the ball straight to Michael Hussey at gully for 27.

Opener McKenzie (35 not out) and AB de Villiers (13 not out) took the hosts through to the close, still trailing the visitors by a massive 381.