Australia’s fast bowlers have put it in a strong position after a heavily rain-affected second day of the second Test against South Africa in Gqeberha.
South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma (41*) led a spirited rearguard but the late dismissal of Ryan Rickelton, brilliantly caught at first slip by Matthew Renshaw, meant Australia took the honours from the 30 overs of play managed.
South Africa closed play at 5-96, Scott Boland the pick of the Australian bowlers with figures of 4-31.
Forced to wait for many hours, first for the rain to clear and then for the outfield to sufficiently dry, the players finally took to the field for an extended evening session.
Scott Boland shone again on day two in Gqeberha. (AP Photo: Themba Hadebe)
Boland, also the stand out of day one’s brief spell of play, picked up where he left off by promptly taking the wicket of debutant Marques Ackerman, who was caught behind for 6.
Matthew Breetzke put up a brief rearguard alongside Bavuma but fell playing away from his body to a rising Mitchell Starc delivery.
When Breetzke was caught behind for 4 the score was 4-40 and there were justifiable fears of a major South African collapse.
But the steady hands of Bavuma and Rickelton settled their side and then punched back, their partnership dragging the hosts back into the game.
There was time for one more twist though with Renshaw’s incredible reflex catch, claimed in one-hand low and to his right, removing Rickelton for 31 in the closing overs of the day.
With better weather forecast for the final three days of this Test match there remains hope of a result on a pitch that should get progressively better for batting.
Look back at how the action unfolded in our live blog.
South Africa vs Australia
STUMPS: South Africa 5-97 (Bavuma 41, Mulder 2)
We didn’t get much cricket today, but the overs that we did get in once again established Australia as the dominant force in this Test match.
Scott Boland once again came up trumps, helped in one instance by a thrilling, one-handed slip catch from Matt Renshaw. He has 4-31 so far, a good call to bring him in.
Mitch Starc also got in on the act, as South Africa lost wickets regularly, only Temba Bavuma showing the application required to stay for a long time on a tough batting pitch.
We’ll be back tomorrow for more of the same from Australia, you’d expect.
From me, Simon Smale and from Dean Bilton, we’ll see you later tonight.
43rd over – Starc to bowl the last of the day
Bavuma shoulders arms as the ball fizzes across in front of him from Starc.
Now he pushes to cover for a slow single.
Four slips and a gully now.
BEATEN! That’s a good ball, Mulder just playing the line of his off stump and the ball angled across in front of him missing out on catching the edge by a handful of millimetres. Very close.
Bit wider from Starc, Mulder plays inside the line.
Leg slip comes in, Starc comes around the wicket to the left hander Mulder, who fends to wide mid off.
BOUNCER! Mulder leans back away from it to end the day’s play with his wicket intact.
42nd over – Boland continues
Another one before the close? I wouldn’t put it past him.
Bavuma leaves the first outside off.
Now he gets a single into the off side, just a defensive stroke there, but very well played.
Mulder defends the next couple.
Three slips and a gully, square leg is back on the fence, but it’s a bluff and Mulder has to keep a yorker out.
Mulder looks to drive but there’s no solid contact and Boland hangs his head at a slight missed chance.
One more over to come today.
41st over – Starc carries on
Single first up for Bavuma, who wants none of this low-light cricket and gets himself off strike as quickly as possible. That’s smart batting. South Africa need their skipper there in the morning. He must be there in the morning.
Mulder defends back down the pitch.
BEATEN! Starc glares back down the pitch as the ball fades across in front of Mulder.
Three slips and a gully, Starc goes a bit too straight and Mulder clips off his pads. He wants two straight away and has to hurry! It’s good running in the end, but was a tad tight.
40th over – Boland has two more
Mulder is the new man in.
BEATEN! Straight away Boland has Mulder fending outside off and it’s flown past the outside edge.
APPEAL! Boland wants LBW but the umpire isn’t interested.
WHAT A CATCH BY RENSHAW!
OH THAT IS REMARKABLE! ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE!
A tentative push from Rickelton.
Carey didn’t move.
Renshaw dives to his right with a big hand out and plucks the ball out of the air just above the turf.
He looks like he can’t believe he’s caught that!
I can’t believe he’s caught that!
Everything he touches turns to gold in the Rainbow Nation!
Ryan Rickelton is out for 31.
South Africa is 5-92!
40th over – Boland has been turned around
He’s coming in from the Duck Pond End here.
BEATEN! That’s a good ball but a shocking shot from Rickelton! He attempts a cut to a ball that’s too close to his body and rising with real venom outside off. He’s fortunate there.
They are looking very solid
Bavuma and Rickelton are looking pretty comfortable, this is the biggest partnership of the match – someone needs to do something before it gets out of hand!
– Mike
Bavuma is a lovely batter when he’s on song.
He looks like he’s gritting himself in for a long one here – he demanded more fight from his team after the Durban disaster, and he’s showing them the way.
39th over – Starc comes into the attack
A last burst from Mitch Starc, who has Bavuma defending first up.
Two slips, a gully, unused as Bavuma fends forward of square.
Bavuma drives to cover but there is no run. He’s seeing it OK to be honest, today.
Bavuma defends another one to end a maiden over from Starc.
38th over – Cummins continues
I say the whole pitch is in shade, there is just a slither of sun that is right on the strikers’ end of the wicket.
Two slips, a leg slip and a gully in place for Rickelton, who is studious in defence.
DROPPED! BIG MISS! Marnus Labuschagne at leg slip. It came to him quickly, from out of the shadow but hit him right on the chest! Cummins holds his head. Marnus holds his bruised chest. Rickelton holds onto his innings, dropped on 27.
Rickelton gets a single to scamper off strike.
Slow take off from Bavuma but he gets off strike too after a delicate push to midwicket.
FOUR! Expansive drive from Rickelton, on the up and off the back foot through the covers! That’s a lovely shot and deserved to find its way to the boundary.
That’s the fifty partnership, 52 off 99 balls.
37th over – Boland continues
The band are playing. The sun is shining. If we forget the first six hours happened, today would be almost perfect.
Solid defence first up from Rickelton, and the second ball too.
The shadow is half across the pitch at the moment, making things difficult for Rickelton to see.
Carey is up to the stumps.
EDGED! FOUR! Nicely played in the end, although Boland is upset and rightly so, soft hands and he fends it past the slips for a single.
Quick single gets Rickelton off strike.
The shadow is across the pitch entirely now. That didn’t take long.
36th over – Cummins continues
Clever running, Bavuma takes off quickly and runs a swift single.
Leg slip returns for Rickelton, and the ball is fended/clipped past him for a single. It’s a long way wide of him to be honest, nicely played.
Bavuma leaves alone outside off.
SIX! MASSIVE SIX! Bavuma has exploded there, a shorter ball from Cummins and Bavuma aimed high and the book went an awful long way over the backward square leg boundary on the hook. Huge hit! He’s hit it out of the stadium – the security guards are having to stop traffic on the road outside to get the ball! Amazing.
Bavuma defends the last two balls solidly to end the over.
35th over – Boland comes back into the attack
Scott Boland is back into the attack.
FOUR! Short, wide, Rickelton leans back and cuts perfectly backwards of square, past the fielder in close, and away for a boundary.
Rickelton fends the next into the on side. Not quite getting it right so far, Boland.
Rickelton fends nicely into the leg side for no run.
Two slips and a gully crouch down, and then bob back up as Rickelton defends.
Boland comes around the wicket – EDGED! that was a good ball, Rickelton will get two runs to deep backward square leg but that was not under control and off the outside edge as he looked to play it down the ground.
Leg slip comes in for the final ball of the over, the Aussies have persisted with a leg slip a lot so far, but he’s not required and it’s defended forward of square.
34th over – Cummins keeps coming
Rickelton leaves alone outside off.
The shadow is coming across the pitch really quickly now, the sun setting at a rate of knots and that will soon be across the pitch.
Not yet though as Rickelton defends off his pads.
There’s a couple of slips, a gully and a leg slip for him as Cummins comes in and Rickelton drives to cover – but that’s great fielding from Marnus Labuschagne! He holds the South Africans exactly where they are.
Cummins hits him! Good ball, Rickelton is grimacing and rubbing his robs where Cummins struck him – a horrible ball, rising and following the Proteas batter as he looked to get inside the line. They run a leg bye.
Bavuma, who presents a much smaller target to lay a glove on in fairness, fends the last ball away for no run.
33rd over – Webster is given another
And he sends the first past off stump to Carey, the ball passing at pace in front of Rickelton, just a teaser.
He fends the next one back down the pitch.
Shadows are lengthening, just stretching their way across the ground.
Quick single taken by Rickelton and he has to be quick! The throw at the non-strikers end is a good one but not quite good enough and Rickelton is home safely.
That’ll get the heart racing a bit, as Bavuma faces up, Carey creeping up to loom behind him ominously at the stumps.
Nicely negotiated, as Webster ends his run of maidens with just one conceded from that over.
32nd over – Cummins continues
And Rickelton pokes the bear by backing away at the last moment. Cummins glares at him, adjusts his straps and stalks back to his mark.
Single, as Cummins bowls his first, Rickelton just fending the ball down past backward square.
Ouch, that clips off the gloves of Bavuma into his hip, as they run a quick single to square leg.
Rickelton clips to a wide mid on for a very easy single – South Africa just able to move the ball around into the gaps at the moment, which is not a good thing for the hosts.
Bavuma fends to cover, and screeches out a loud no as he spots Rickelton setting off for a run – or at least thinking about it.
Bavuma fends into the off side – no run.
Three slips and a gully, point in place too, as Rickelton fends the last away.
31st over – Webster will get another
Left outside off by Bavuma, that ball dangled enticingly outside off by the all rounder, begging to be edged to the keeper.
Carey has come up to the stumps – and takes very neatly as Bavuma gets a stride in and leaves well alone outside off.
Another good ball, another good take from Carey. whose presence up, breathing down the neck of the diminutive skipper must be making him question what shot to attempt.
Bavuma gets a stride across and fends the next one away.
This is great bowling from Webster. He wheels away as the ball just goes past the outside of Bavuma’s pads. It’s a pleasure to see Carey standing up to a seamer, it shows off such incredible skill in the position.
Bavuma clips the last away into the off side and there is no run, a third maiden out of three for Webster.
30th over – Pat Cummins comes into the attack
Here comes captain Pat.
And there goes captain Pat. Four runs, superb shot down the ground, a push to long on by Rickelton and there’s no need to run for that.
Solid defence back down the pitch from Rickelton.
And he leaves the next one tight on his off stump, the ball always going over the top and wide.
FOUR! Lovely shot, so well timed by Rickelton, a very nicely timed drive through cover.
Solid defence from Rickelton, who is choosing his shots wisely at the moment, picking off the rare wayward balls to smote to the boundary and respectfully fending off the others.
Cummins comes around the wicket and Rickelton defends well to end a productive over for the Proteas.
29th over – Webster carries on
Solid defence from Bavuma.
Nicely driven by Bavuma, pushing to mid off for no run.
BEATEN! Bavuma squared up there as Webster beats the bat outside off. Great bowling from Webster – he’ll have an important role to play in the absence of Josh Hazlewood this evening.
Good defence from Bavuma there, a straight bat presented back down the ground.
EDGED! Along the ground to second slip. Bavuma let out a cry of anguish as he felt the ball find his outside edge, but the soft hands of the Proteas’ skipper ensured it fell well short of the cordon.
Solid defence to mid off for no run to end a very good maiden from Webster.
28th over – Starc comes in after drinks
Rickelton has a swing and succeeds only in awkwardly fending the ball to gully for no run.
Now he clips to mid on and takes a quick single, a nice single there, good running.
Bit of a field change here as the South African skipper gets on strike. Two slips, a gully and a leg slip for Bavuma, who fends out to point for no run.
Solid defence from Bavuma, who is on 28 from 68 balls, a valuable innings so far.
BOUNCER! A rip snorter at 148kmh! That is high speed, quality bowling from Starc, Bavuma closing his eyes after the ball breezed past his nose, a sigh of relief sagging his shoulders momentarily.
He fends the last one away into the leg side for one run.
I feel that pain
As an Englishman, I know what South African fans are now feeling all too well – as much as it pains me to say it, this might be one of the best bowling attacks of the last 25 years…
– Joshua
27th over – It’s time for Beau Webster
Here we go, a bit of Slug action. He’s bowling his seamers, for what it’s worth, and will be looking to wobble a few down to Bavuma here.
Really bright start from Webster, he’s finding some movement. He jagged that one back into the leaving Bavuma and wasn’t far at all from the off stump.
Good over from Webster, over bowled. And it’s a maiden. And that will be drinks at St George’s Park.
26th over – It’s Starc again
FOUR MORE! Starc is still around the wicket to Bavuma, who waits for that shorter one and punches it through backward point for four.
That one hurt. Bavuma is smacked on the gloves by a rising Starc delivery and I think he’ll just take a minute to shake that out.
He stays on the crease that time but works it to the leg side for another single.
Starc hones in on the front pad with his final ball, but Rickelton whips it to mid on for no run.
Five from the over.
25th over – Boland’s long spell will continue
Rickelton is on strike and defending solidly. The shadows are lengthening out there, but we’re still expecting another hour and a half of cricket tonight.
Boland is switching up the angles, going from over to around the wicket regularly mid-over, but Rickelton is not interested. He leaves what he can and defends the rest.
A maiden over.
24th over – Starc steaming in
Bavuma wants a quick single to cover but Rickelton sends him back.
LOVELY SHOT! The Aussies won’t mind seeing Bavuma reach for the cover drive, but he’s just so good at it. He’s smoked that one, which was nearly a half-volley, for four.
Starc ends the over coming around the wicket to Bavuma, but the skipper leaves the last couple alone. Good batting.
23rd over – Boland will carry on
Reminder there will be no Josh Hazlewood today as he deals with an illness (not sure what he’s got, for those asking).
Boland tempts Bavuma with another short one, but this time the pull shot makes no contact.
Leg slip is brought in, but Bavuma bunts one square on the leg side for a single. Boland will get his first look at Rickelton.
Rickelton just about tried to pad up to that one outside the off stump, sticking his back leg out towards the ball. Weird.
One run from the over.
22nd over cont – Starc has three to come
Ryan Rickelton is the new man in with South Africa reeling at 4-40.
Rickelton is off the mark from his first ball face, jamming one to backward square leg and getting through for two.
Rickelton survives his final two balls as Starc ends a successful over.
OUT! Starc strikes straight away! Breetzke gone!
That is indeed much more like it from Mitchell Starc. His first three balls were all right on the money, and Breetzke made the rash decision to go after the third one.
He pushed at a rising delivery outside his off stump and got a healthy nick through to Carey, who pouched it comfortably. Trademark Starc. Australia well on top now.
22nd over – Mitchell Starc to have a crack
His brief spell yesterday was no good. Let’s see if Starc can tighten things up today.
21st over – Boland’s spell continues
Too straight that time, so Bavuma nudges to square leg for two more.
SHOUT! It definitely hit some pad on its way through to Carey, but was there some bat as well? If not, was there an LBW in play? The answer to both questions, I think, is no. So there will be no review.
Definitely no bat, and looks like it hit Bavuma outside the line. Really good ball though, jagging back into the batter and nearly picking up his wicket.
BEAUTY! That one goes the other way and beats the outside edge this time. Carey spilled it behind the stumps, so lucky there was no nick.
Super over from Boland, but Bavuma survives it.
20th over – Cummins continues
Short to Breetzke, he ducks under it comfortably.
Breetzke looks really comfortable at the moment. Solid in defence, working it around well for the odd run. Positive start. He takes one more down to fine leg off the hip.
Bavuma does likewise. The short leg had gone in, but both batters were able to play the ball much too fine for him.
Good bowling, good batting, two from the over.
19th over – More from Boland
Boland tries a short one and Bavuma pulls hard. A certain boundary is denied by Travis Head at midwicket, who fields brilliantly. Dot ball in the end.
FOUR RUNS! Lovely stuff from Bavuma. Boland pitched up and was smartly driven straight back down for four.
Another run for Bavuma from nothing more than a forward defence to mid on.
The running between wickets from these two is proving a feature, and is helping to release the pressure which had been building. One more single makes it six from the over.
18th over – Cummins on his way again
It looks like Cummins is bowling quick, but the gun is only registering at a touch over 141kph.
More good running from Bavuma, another sharp one into the covers.
Breetzke jams down on one late, deflecting it wide of gully for his first runs. Two of them, in fact.
Breetzke defends from the crease again, staying very still and playing right under his eyes. Over bowled, three from it.
17th over – The red-hot Boland continues
BEATEN! The outside edge of Bavuma’s bat is beaten again. The skipper is riding his luck.
A battle of patience in this over, as Boland tries to tempt Bavuma but Bavuma relents. He is leaving well outside his off stump.
Bavuma ends the over with a quick single to cover, so he will keep the strike for the next over.
16th over – Cummins steaming in
Opportunity knocks for Australia in this session now. The pitch isn’t doing a crazy amount as it has been baking out uncovered in the sun for the past few hours, but the bowling still has the batting under the pump. Bavuma on strike.
A leg bye takes Bavuma off strike, and Cummins will have a look at Breetzke.
And he heads upstairs immediately. Breetzke ducks below the bouncer.
Solid defence from Breetzke, over bowled and around we go.
15th over cont – Boland has three to come
Matthew Breetzke is the new man in, and he leaves his first ball alone.
Breetzke leaves a couple and then defends the third to see out a wicket maiden. Boland has blasted through the South African top order.
GOT HIM! Boland has a third! He’s nicked off Ackerman!
More outstanding stuff from Scott Boland. Nice and full, luring Ackerman into the drive and then finding the outside edge with just the perfect amount of seam movement away from the left-hander.
Carey takes a smart catch diving low to his left and the debutant must go.
15th over – Boland continues
Ackerman on strike.
14th over – Pat Cummins will bowl it
Cummins is coming around the wicket to Marques Ackerman to start.
IN THE AIR! I think Carey has caught that diving forward! But was it bat or glove? Or shoulder? The Aussies seem to think it was shoulder, as it is not out and there is no review. Nasty short ball from Cummins, that really took off. But not out.
Straight off the sweat band on Ackerman’s forearm, good decision all round.
Ackerman drops and runs to the off side and he’s away for day two also.
Just the single off the over, Bavuma comfortably handles the rest of it.
13th over cont – Scott Boland will complete an over
So there are four deliveries remaining in Scott Boland’s fourth over which must be completed to start this session. The sun is absolutely blazing in Gqeberha now, incredibly.
Temba Bavuma is on strike.
BEATEN! First ball of the day cuts hard in to Bavuma but still beats his outside edge. Maybe kept a little low. Nearly took the off stump.
SHOT! Confident cover drive from Bavuma for four.
That ends the over. Promise for both bat and ball there.
Josh Hazlewood is sick and won’t be playing today
A bit of breaking news for you there. Josh Hazlewood is crook and will not be taking to the field today, though it is expected he will be back tomorrow.
A little wrinkle as we prepare to embark on a 2.5-hour session.
Wake up, Australia
Cricket! They’re doing it! Let’s go!
Everyone awake? Got to be honest, I’ve been hanging on by a thread here during these interminable delays but I’m quite sure the prospect of Scott Boland nibbling a few around from a good length will perk me right up.
We are half an hour away from the restart now. They reckon we’re getting 30 overs in here, so it might be a late one.
Play will start at 12:45am AEDT
We have a start time!
Play is going to get underway at 3:45pm local, which is 12:45am AEDT.
That is in about 40 minutes’ time.
They are aiming for 30 overs in the time remaining.
This delay, unquestionably, helps South Africa
Will the extended delay in resumption favor the batting side? The pitch itself has had plenty of time to stabilse while waiting for the outfield to dry back enough.
– Mike
The fact that the covers have been off for hours now alone will help the South African batters, the sun and wind taking some of that moisture out of the pitch.
Australia will have no doubt been eager to get into action as soon as possible this morning, and may have lost a fair bit of nervous energy as a result too.
The players are warming up!
Mitch Starc has the ODI top on… OK.
But he is out there in the field and unmistakably warming up!
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This is good news for those of you die hards who have stuck with our natterings for the last few hours in the vain hope of watching some cricket.
The players are on their way to the ground
That’s the word from AAP reporter Scott Bailey on the ground in Gqeberha.
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That would suggest they have been told to expect play to start soon-ish.
It’s the hope that kills you
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This photo does only go to serve Carl’s point.
St George’s Park looks a picture, it’s just missing 15 men in white clothes running around after a small red leather ball.
Test cricket, undefeated at self-sabotaging delays
It’s been hours without rain and here we are…feels like the groundstaff have let us down a bit
– Carl
Scrap the choppers, bring out the big guns
Hey so wild idea why not one up the helicopter idea and use planes? It’s South Africa. The pilots who flew over the all blacks game should be up for the challenge.
– Jesus
I am willing to try anything at this point, Jesus.
Read more about the perilously low flyover at the Springboks vs All Blacks match at Cape Town Stadium in September, here.
Now this sounds interesting
Funny you mention watching paint dry, I spent today stripping paint with a blow torch – it chars and bubbles much quicker than it drys…
– Mike
I reckon that would be better than whatever this is…
Next inspection at midnight AEDT
Not good news from the middle, where the umpires say they’ll have another inspection at midnight AEDT, so 40 minutes or so.
There has been no rain for a while now, it’s just that soggy patch on the outfield that is causing some issues and concerns for the umpires and ground staff.
A little fall of rain never hurt anyone
A well rounded team would have a couple of quagmire fielders specialising in these conditions…
– Mike
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Inspection is taking place
The umpires are out on the field.
Apparently, they are even casting shadows, our reports from the ground says.
Those same reports say that there is water coming up when they put their feet on the ground, which would make it unsuitable for play…
We await the verdict…
Cover it like Kandy
You know where this wouldn’t have been a problem? Kandy, in Sri Lanka.
They know how to cover a pitch over there.
Good drainage
The Gabba would have drained hours ago. Just sayin’
– Proud Brisbanite
It is a good draining field, the Gabba.
Just 15 minutes until the next inspection
I don’t want to overexcite any of our readers, but we’re not far away from another inspection.
Just 15 minutes before the umpires come out to jump up and down in muddy puddles again.
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This. Is. Amazing.
On a hot summer day in Newcastle I was playing a game of cricket with the Lass o Gowrie all-stars C grade pub team. The opposition had hit over 200 runs in a thirty over game. One batter a century including six sixers in one over. I was running back to take a catch from one of his fine shots and ended up over the boundary and run into a power pole box and was knocked out unconscious the ambulance was called and the game abandoned to the delight of my teammates I spent three days in hospital for observation and ended up with a fractured eye socket and a story to tell.
– Brett Thompson
I have no way to fact check this, but I love it.
No helicopter?
No helicopter ? Used to be used regularly to dry out small areas of wet grounds .
– Phillip
Given Fox Sports had Mark Howard doing an interview on his iPhone earlier, I can’t imagine there’s a helicopter knocking around for free, sadly.
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I don’t think South Africa would go for that…
Reckon on the 5th day they agree to declare both first innings and then have 40 overs each of the second?
– Chris
This might be a sore point for South African fans, Chris.
Beloved, dishonoured and ultimately tragic former skipper Hansie Cronje made the incredible gesture to then-England captain Nasser Hussain to forfeit an innings of a Test match against England at Centurion that had been plagued by bad weather.
It turned out that he had been offered a bribe to do so.
So yeah, I can’t see it washing, I’m afraid.
There is a duck pond at St George’s Park
On the subject of objects/hazards in the outfield, there is actually a duck pond in the general vicinity of St George’s Park.
It’s not actually in the ground or the playing area, sadly, given that would be a good enough reason for play to be stopped.
But one of the ends is called the Duck Pond End, which has to be as evocative a name for an end as the Vulture Street End is at the Gabba.
Seeing as we’re going to be here for a while, what are the best/worst hazards in cricket outfields that you’ve played on in your cricketing careers.
Answers on a postcard to ABC towers, please (or hit the comment button)
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I agree
Do laws and playing conditions allow for a boundary change, to bring the rope in from the muddy area, if captains agree?
I think once team sheets are handed over no further change can be agreed, but thought it worth asking. So early in the match, it’s no major advantage either way and might allow play hours earlier.– TimF
I’ve got a thought for the muddy patch of ground. Surely there must be some leaf blowers? Hairdryers? Fans? Or just rope that area off – make it a short boundary wherever you hit the ropes it’s two runs not four. Let’s get some Cricket playing happening!!
– Margi
I don’t believe they do, sadly.
But it does seem strange that they wouldn’t just move it or make some accommodation for that particular area.
I mean, the St Lawrence Ground has a tree in the outfield for goodness sake.
Another inspection scheduled for 11.15pm AEDT
This is stellar stuff, Test cricket at its finest.
The umpires have had a prod around and a little chat and have decided to do it again in about an hour. Something tells me that mud might not get sorted today at this rate…
How do you pronounce Gqeberha?
Hey Simon, could you please give us a phonetic version on how to pronounce Gqeberha?
– Bugurk
I am in no way an expert here, Bugurk, but here is what I found out ahead of this Test.
Gqeberha is a Xhosa word for the river that runs through the city formerly known as Port Elizabeth.
isiXhosa is one of the 12 official languages of South Africa.
It is a tricky one for non-native speakers because it uses a click sound in its lexicon, which is the sound that the “Gqe” represents.
So, the pronunciation of Gqeberha is <click> bear-gha.
The g sound at the end is a guttural g.
I think.
It’s inspection time
The clock has struck 1.15pm local time, and so here come the umpires for yet another inspection.
They will be heading straight for a few of the particularly muddy patches to see how they are coming along, as it seemed like most of the outfield was relatively dry.
More news when we have it.
A scorecard in the meantime
Can’t you provide a scorecard without having to make us wade through a confusing babble?
– Michael Gionfriddo
Yes, yes I can. Scorecard is available here.
Next inspection is still 15 minutes away so a bit more confusing babble to come I’m afraid.
Spending some time down memory lane
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The Bichel and Bevo game at the 2003 World Cup. Reckon Brett Lee sent one down above 100mph in that game too, in the middle of what was an arms race between the world’s fastest bowlers during that tournament.
So many vivid memories from that tournament. We’ll be back in South Africa this time next year for the 2027 World Cup, the first there for the men since that 2003 edition.
Not a particularly encouraging update from Gqeberha
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Neil Manthorp here with a slightly less optimistic take on things.
I’ve got to say, that patch of mud on the boundary is rather significant and it is hard to see it drying overly quickly without some proper sun and wind.
We’ve still got plenty of time in the day and I’m not sure it will rain again, which gives us a chance. But the animated discussions between ground staff and umpires suggest not everything is rosy out there at the minute.
Inspection at 10:15pm AEDT
We’re going to have another inspection at 10:15pm AEDT.
It must be that area that the cameras highlighted just before, which is just not quite fit to be played on yet.
So another 45 minutes or so to wait and watch the grass dry…
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An intense conversation between umpires and groundsman
Interesting, the umpires were having a conversation with the groundsman, who is gesticulating and pointing at and area.
He has a coffee cup that he is swinging liberally about, which makes one assume that it is devoid of its contents.
The groundsman is now having a conversation with the Australian coaching staff.
There is a patch on the rope that is very muddy
We’ve just been shown an area of the ground right on the rope by one of the grandstands that is very wet and muddy. As in, school cross country in the middle of winter style muddy.
That could be an issue.
But the rest of the ground looks pretty good.
So can they mop that area up? Dump an industrial quantity of sawdust on it? Sacrifice their mum’s best towels they reserve for guests?
We’ll wait and see.
The umpires are out there inspecting
The covers are off.
The sun is almost coming out.
But the umpires are gingerly treading about in the outfield, an area that has been earmarked as a problem.
We’ll hear what they have to say soon.
This is the earliest Test ever played in South Africa
We had issues with light in the first test, now rain. Is this not the usual time for cricket in South Africa?
– Adrian
This is not the usual Test time for South Africa.
In fact, there has never been a Test match played this early in the season in South African cricket history.
A part of the reason for that is the SA20, which has a monopoly on the height of the summer.
That has caused issues, not least an early start to the Test match summer in less than ideal climactic conditions.
In 2023, Cricket South Africa stopped its elite Test players from touring New Zealand in February 2024, so they could stay in the franchise competition.
This is a scene that has been replicated in England, where there was no Test cricket played in August, the peak of the season, so the best players can play in The Hundred.
How Shaun Pollock saw Aiden Markram’s dismissal
Local boy Shaun Pollock knows a thing or two about dismissing batters in Test cricket – he claimed 421 dismissals in his stellar career.
He knows how to hold a bat too, with over 7,000 first class runs to his name and two Test tons to boot.
So this is an interesting analysis of how Aiden Markram was so deceived by Scott Boland yesterday.
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You and us both
Hope there is some cricket to watch today rather than continously refreshing the weather forecast yesterday to see if there were going to be some overs after tea
– JP Morgan
I’m a big fan of Test cricket.
I am less of a big fan of rain.
Inspection at 9:15pm AEDT
The umpires have been out there, but there is still a lot of moisture on the outfield.
They have identified those areas and the ground staff have been set to work.
There is going to be another inspection at 9:15pm AEDT, so 45 minutes time.
Sheffield Shield: Run-fest in the West
New South Wales’s batters have made hay out in Perth today, winning the toss and scoring plenty of runs against WA at the WACA.
Openers Oliver Davies (52 off 58) and Sam Konstas (71 off 142) both nabbed half centuries, while Kurtis Patterson has already scored a century.
Play is actually ongoing at the WACA, with NSW approaching 300 for the loss of just three wickets.
Sheffield Shield: Queensland roll defending champs at Adelaide Oval
Cameron Gannon took 5-42 as Queensland bowled South Australia out for just 203 on day one at Adelaide Oval.
Nathan McSweeney (remember him?) scored 54 in a 150-ball innings, with Jake Lehmann chipping in with 62.
Queensland didn’t do all that much better with bat in hand, losing both openers to fall to 2-26 in reply.
However, Hugo Burdon (39*) and Jack Clayton (7*) steadied the ship to leave the Bulls 2-63 at stumps.
Sheffield Shield: McDermott and Doran rescue Tasmania
Let’s have a quick chat about the Sheffield Shield action today, shall we?
A record 8th-wicket partnership of 166 between Ben McDermott and Jake Doran rescued Tasmania from 7-45 in Hobart.
McDermott hit 128 and Doran 73 – the only two batters who reached at least double figures – as the Tigers were bowled out 241 runs just in time for the close.
Harry Hoekstra was the pick of the bowlers, taking 5-46.
No hessian
What’s the covers situation? We talking bit of hessian? Tarps?
– Chris
The covers are just tarps in South Africa which is, it is fair to say, a tad unusual.
The covers are just placed directly on the pitch which does result in the pitch sweating a bit.
Hessian covers under the tarps do allow for some of that moisture to be picked up.
Get running, folks
Fair play to Makhaya Ntini, that’s a decent amount of running to do in the middle of a Test match.
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I, for one, would love this
Would the Aussies flip the batting order to protect the top order if we bowl out SA quickly? Like Aussie tours in uncovered English pitches
– Mac from Macclesfield
It was actually at the MCG where captain Don Bradman did this with the Australian team in 1937.
Australia made 9-200 before declaring as rain made the wicket almost unplayable.
England were then reduced to 76 before declaring 9 wickets down shortly before the close at the end of day two.
Then, Bradman sent out number 11 batter Chuck Fleetwood-Smith, who didn’t bat in the first innings, and number 9 Bill O’Reilly to open.
Both men made ducks but, crucially, Australia were only 1-3 at the close of day two, with number 10 batter Frank Ward in at first drop.
The following day was, being a Sunday, a rest day, where good weather rendered the pitch far better to bat on.
Keith Rigg came in at his customary number four, followed by the openers Bill Brown and Jack Fingelton, with Bradman coming in at number seven. He made 270, Australia were all out for 564, and England could only manage 323 to lose by a whopping 365 runs.
Covers are back on
CricInfo are reporting that the pitch is, once again, covered up.
Let’s not get too downbeat though, there is still an inspection due at 8:15pm AEDT.
Meet Matthew Breetzke
Matthew Breetzke has only played two Tests in his short career thus far, scoring a far from imposing total of 14 runs at an average of 4.66 as well.
Hardly much to strike fear into the Australian bowlers.
His first class average is just 37.03, but in ODI cricket he has excelled, averaging 58.73 and scoring two centuries, including one in the first ODI against the Aussies last month.
The Aussie bowlers do know all about him.
And if we get on any time soon, you’d expect them to want to re-introduce themselves as soon as they can.
The covers are coming off
There’s some good news for you. There’s a little bit of blue peeking through clouds as well, and with the wind up there is hope that this field will dry out pretty quickly too.
The umpires are going to inspect everything in 45 minutes, at 8.15pm AEDT. Hopefully we’ll get a start time after that.
Don’t count out a result
Not expecting anything apart from a draw from this test but it would be nice to see a little cricket 👀
– Doc
I am no expert in Gqeberha weather, but I am optimistic we’ll get some cricket today and in the days ahead. The pitch being what it is, I would also imagine this game could be one that moves relatively quickly when it all gets going.
I still reckon we’ll get a winner by the end of day five.
South African batters have a tall task on their hands, and a crucial one
Temba Bavuma knows he has a really tough task ahead of him tonight.
“It’s probably going to be tough here in the morning,” he said at the toss yesterday.
“Overhead conditions, looks quite moist, the wicket, so we’ll have to fight it out in the first session and set it up for the guys to come in later.”
Given the conditions it looked like a bad toss to lose yesterday morning, although to be honest, Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood clearly struggled to get much of anything out of the spongy surface.
Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad toss to lose?
In fact, if the pitch is soft enough for the ball to leave some indents on it in these opening two damp days, then perhaps it will become much harder to bat on later in the week?
It makes this partnership very important.
Bavuma resumes on 4 from 13 balls, with debutant opener Marques Ackerman sitting on 5 from 31.
I thought Ackerman played pretty well yesterday. He’s not an opener by trade, this is the first time he’s ever opened in any form of senior first class cricket, but he was circumspect and held onto his attacking instincts to play a very solid innings thus far.
He come in with good pedigree, the 30-year-old.
He averages 48.66 from 85 first class matches, having scored just shy of 6,000 runs and has a high score of 256.
He also captains Dolphins (KwaZulu-Natal) in the unimaginatively named CSA 4-Day Domestic Series.
He actually scored 107 runs at better than a run a ball for Dolphins against Western Province at Newlands in his last first class match in September, adding 60 in his second innings as the Dolphins fell 44 runs short in a thriller.
Will a tricky pitch get trickier?
What will this rain do to the pitch conditions? I know the cover is on but lack of play, moisture etc
– Leo
Yesterday was interesting on this front. When play initially got underway the pitch actually played fairly true, with very little seam movement to speak of. When it resumed later after another break in play however the ball started talking. How much that was down to the skill of Scott Boland and how much was down to some added moisture in the wicket is hard to know.
The covers have been in place for many, many hours now so it should be pretty sweaty under there. If and when play does resume you’d have to imagine the conditions will be very good for bowling.
Smith ‘anxious’ after head knock in first Test
Steve Smith said he was anxious after being hit on the head and facing the prospect of another concussion after a blow playing against South Africa in the first Test last week.
Smith has previously suffered multiple concussions in his career, and he had to go through concussion protocols after a bouncer from Anrich Nortje hit him on the helmet last Monday.
“I was a little bit anxious after the hit, to be honest,” Smith said on Sunday in a TV interview during the first of many rain delays in Gqeberha.
“It was a decent knock, and the rest of that day, I wasn’t travelling too well, and I think it was more to do with anxiety, of hoping not to feel what I felt in the past, waking up the next morning and things like that.
“So, yeah, fortunately, I woke up well. I passed all the tests, and things recovered pretty quickly.”
Read more here.
Some rainy hours to fill
Here’s hoping Dean. Cricketers have various ways of amusing themselves when it’s raining. Do you and Simon have any special time fillers ?
– Phillip
Depends where we are, Phillip. If we’re at the grounds, it pretty much just becomes a food-scrounging exercise. In the office, you’re looking at either classic catches on the wheely chairs or, if it’s the middle of the night and the joint is empty, perhaps a sneaky game of hallway cricket. Don’t tell the boss.
Simon loves a rain delay though, because it gives him a chance to talk nonsense with our dear readers. Nothing gives him more pleasure than a good tangent.
Scott Boland’s brilliance and a touching family moment in the rain
If you prefer your summaries to be even shorter than the full debrief, then check out the things you might have missed in our quick hits from day one.
Yes, there were only four, but frankly I think Henry Hanson went gangbusters to even find that many.
What happened on day one
Not a whole lot, if we’re honest.
In fact, just 12.2 overs were possible on a soggy day one in Gqeberha.
That was enough time for South Africa to score 20 runs.
But Scott Boland needed just two balls to dismiss Aiden Markram (11) and David Bedingham (0) in successive deliveries.
I mean, that pretty much sums it up, but if you did want some more detail, here’s the full run down.
What’s the weather doing?
Well, last night we’re told there were heavy showers, and those have continued into the morning. It’s been solidly raining all morning, we are told, with the prospect of a start on time (we were supposed to have an earlier start at 6.45pm, in fact) looking very unlikely.
But! Depending on who you listen to, it does sound like the rain should start to clear at around midday local time, giving us hopefully a solid block of play in the afternoon and evening sessions. The forecast then for the rest of the week also looks improved, so a result here in Gqeberha is not at all out of the question.
Welcome to day two in Gqeberha
Hello, and welcome back to our live blog coverage of the second Test between South Africa and Australia at St George’s Park in Gqeberha.
Day one was almost entirely washed out, with only 12 overs and change completed on a wet and gloomy day. The prospects for day two on that front are not amazing, but we are hopeful of seeing far more cricket today than we did yesterday.
My esteemed colleagues Mr Simon Smale and Mr Henry Hanson are here with me and with you for the night. Here’s hoping you can keep us company through the evening, whatever it may bring.
dan