Mike Hussey ended a run of poor form when he led a late Australian onslaught in the first one-day international against South Africa at Kingsmead on Friday.

Hussey hit 83 not out in an Australian total of 286 for seven.

The left-hander's 79-ball innings enabled Australia to recover from two chaotic runouts which cost the wickets of two of the team's top four batsmen.

David Hussey and Brad Haddin were run out in the space of nine balls, on both occasions after mix-ups which saw the dismissed player stranded at the wrong end of the pitch.

Wicketkeeper Haddin, who opened the batting, hit an aggressive 53 off 60 balls after Australian captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and made first use of a good pitch, on a ground where batting second under floodlights has often been a disadvantage.

Haddin and Ponting put on 77 off 81 balls for the second wicket. Then Haddin and David Hussey put on a quick 28 for the third wicket before first Hussey, then Haddin were run out.

But Mike Hussey, who scored only 132 runs at an average of 22 in the Test series and was out for a duck in a Twenty20 international, showed his best form for the first time on the tour. His innings included two sixes andsixfours.

He put on 53 for the fifth wicket with Callum Ferguson (25) and 67 for the sixth wicket with James Hopes, who made an impressive 38 off 35 overs. He and Nathan Hauritz (20 not out) finished the innings in style with an unbeaten 43 off 22 balls for the eighth wicket.

The last 15 overs yielded 112 runs.

South African captain Graeme Smith, who suffered a broken bone in his right hand at the same ground against the same opponents on March 7, returned to lead his side in a clash of the two top-ranked teams in world one-day cricket. South Africa took top spot away from Australia when the two sides met in Australia in January.

South Africa were without all rounder Jacques Kallis

because of a groin strain.

Australia awarded a first one-day international cap to fast bowler Ben Laughlin.

SCOREBOARD

Scoreboard of Australia innings in the first one-day international against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday: AUSTRALIA

Haddin run out 53

Clarke cDuminybNtini 1 Ponting c A Morkel b M Morkel 37 D Hussey run out 18

M Hussey not out 83

Ferguson c Botha b Steyn 25 Hopes c Steyn bM Morkel 38 Johnson c Boucher b Steyn 1 Hauritznotout 20

Extras: (lb-2,w-7,nb-l) 10

Total: (For 7 wkts in 50 overs) 286 To bat: Bracken, Laughlin.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-79, 3-107, 4-115, 5-168, 6-235, 7-243.

Bowler O M R W

Steyn 9 0 45 2

Ntini 9 1 67 1

Morkel 10 0 61 2

A Morkel 8 0 51 0

Botha 10 0 38 0

Dummy 4 0 22 0

SOUTH AFRICA: Smith, Gibbs, Amla, De Villiers, Duminy, Boucher, A Morkel, Botha, M Morkel, Steyn, Ntini