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MICHAEL Clarke's century took a surprisingly long time as Australia continued to take the third and deciding Test away from South Africa.
The Australian captain was pinned down by seamer Kyle Abbott playing just his second Test, resuming on 92 and taking 24 balls to move from 99 to 100.
Eventually Clarke cover drove Vernon Philander to the boundary, breaking the tension and bringing up his 27th Test century.
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It broke a drought of 11 innings where his top score had been just 24.
By lunch Australia had moved to 4-434 with Clarke unbeaten on 137.
Steve Smith appeared as though he would become the third Australian to reach a hundred behind Clarke and David Warner but on 84 chopped a wide long-hop from occasional left arm spinner Dean Elgar into his stumps, ending a partnership of 184 with Clarke.
Resuming on 50, Smith played some delightful strokes. He lifted a ball from Philander back over his head for six and spanked a lofted cover drive from the dangerous Morne Morkel, which also cleared the fence.
There were moments of madness as Clarke was approaching three figures. He took a very tight single to move to 99 and was forced to send batting partner Steve Smith back when he charged off for a run which was not there.
As he faced out a maiden from Abbott, Clarke left one delivery go which cut back and just cleared his stumps.
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Clarke showed no sign of the battering he received from Morkel on Saturday after being struck a number of times.
Given the problems that Morkel caused Clarke on the opening day it was a great surprise that the tall paceman did not start proceedings on day two.
This was particularly so with Dale Steyn off the field carrying a right hamstring injury. He is hoping to bowl in the second innings but will need to pass a fitness Test.
Even if Steyn was fit to bowl he would have been unable to resume in the first innings given he spent so long off the ground on day one.
It is the second time in as many matches that South African captain Graeme Smith has been a bowler down after Wayne Parnell suffered a groin strain in Port Elizabeth.
Morkel attempted his around the wicket bodyline attack against Clarke at times during the second morning but it failed to have the same impact.
Once Clarke reached his century he stepped up the pace with some innovative shots to beat a widely spread field.
Graeme Smith used Elgar to push into a roaring gale blowing up from third man but Clarke is such a good player of spin Smith was forced to put his men far and wide.
In the end there were five on the boundary but Clarke still found ways of threading the ball past them.
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