After an incident-filled day at the MCG, spectators will not be let down
because there were only 79 overs played in three rain-free sessions plus
the bonus half-hour. Australia put South Africa in scorching heat, moving
from 45-1 to 386-3, a 197 runs lead advantage.
However, this is only a small portion of David Warner's remarkable
performance. He reached 50 quickly, fought his way to a moving century,
and then crushed his way to 150 and an agonizing double-ton. On the
occasion of his 200th run, he let out a guttural yell as he fell to the
ground. This yell was a sign of real agony as well as the defeat of his
own bad form and the people who were critical of it. The Australian opener
retired hurt on 200* in his 100th Test, barely able to leave the field of
play due to cramps.
Cameron Green, an all-rounder who was injured by an Anrich Nortje lift
and left with a bloody mess on his right index finger, would later join
Warner on an asterisk. They and Mitchell Starc, who is already hurt, have
contributed to a costly couple of days that should have been easy.
Steve Smith guided Warner through his milestones. After riding his luck
through a challenging morning session with high-quality fast bowling from
Nortje and Marco Jansen, he lost for 85.
With dropped catches, poor captaincy, and tame support from the rest of
the attack, the speedsters had little impact, which was unfortunate for
them.
With Travis Head set, Australia will try to make the tourists even more
miserable tomorrow by making the bowling conditions more favorable with
cooler temperatures and storm clouds. I and Geoff will return to guide you
through the entire event.
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