Courtney Walsh produced a tidal wave of emotion by claiming his 500th Test wicket at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad on Monday but South Africa fought back yet again at the close of day three of the second Test to reach 130-2 by the close, an overall lead of 74.

It was yet another day of cut-and-thrust, hard Test cricket but after eight such days in the series so far there still remains nothing to separate the two teams who have both risen to the occasion and responded to the pressure applied upon them.

The morning session was little less than sensational for the home side despite an unpromising start that saw them lose Dinanath Ramnarine (2), clean bowled by Shaun Pollock, in the first over of the day to slip from their overnight position of 250-7 to 250-8, still trailing by 36 runs.

That they earned a first innings lead of 56 was due largely to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs who batted brilliantly to add another 92 for the last two wickets in partnership with Mervyn Dillon (21) and Walsh.

Dillon faced 87 deliveries and contributed four boundaries but it was his diligence in defence that was most appreciated by his team mates until a "shooter" from Makhaya Ntini bowled him in the final over before lunch.

Jacobs was left stranded in the 90s for the second time in his career when Walsh, desperate to give the muscular left-hander the strike at the end of another Ntini over, set off for an impossible single only to see the bowler gather the return drive and lob it to Pollock who removed the bails. It was the 42nd duck of Walsh's Test career, the extension of another world record.

Jacobs, who had scored 19 runs in the company of Walsh while allowing the great fast bowler to face just five balls, faced 177 balls in total and struck a dozen boundaries.

South Africa appeared to be making steady, untroubled progress in erasing the effort but Walsh shook them to their core with a double strike in his seventh over, the 13th of the innings, when Kirsten was brilliantly snapped up of an edge by Jacobs and Jacques Kallis was trapped on the back foot in front of leg stump. The possibility of an inside edge looked strong, certainly judging from the batsman's irate body language, but Walsh didn't care and neither did the ecstatic crowd nor his jubilant team mates.

Herschelle Gibbs (57*) and Daryll Cullinan (41*) batted throughout the final session of the day, however, to repair the foundations and the two heavyweights of international cricket will stand toe-to-toe once again on the fourth day. Perhaps the first cracks will begin to show then.

© CricInfo