Australia needs to bowl out South Africa for a second time on the final day of the SCG Test to complete a 3-0 sweep of the Proteas and a 5-0 record across the summer.

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Australia vs South Africa at the SCG

By Jon Healy

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11th over – Cummins to Klaasen

1m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:54am

By Jon Healy

He’s pinned on the crease. Cummins will fancy himself a chance.

Short and hooked away. Took his eyes off the ball a bit, but controlled it pretty well in the end for a single.

He’s still coming around the wicket to Erwee. At some point you imagine he’ll revert to over the wicket.

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10th over – Lyon to Erwee

5m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:50am

By Jon Healy

He’s leaving outside off. Safely this time.

He’s very full on the stumps and Erwee is able to defend off his pads.

Oh jeez he’s left one angling in at the pegs. But it spins away. Brave from Erwee.

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9th over (cont) – Cummins with a right-hander to bowl at

8m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:47am

By Jon Healy

Heinrich Klaasen is up against it. It, in this case, being the best fast bowler in the world.

Four. Handy way to get off the mark for South Africa’s third number three, pulling a short ball well in front of square. Well played off the fourth ball of his innings.

And then a back-foot punch through cover for two on Agar’s misifield. Interesting that he’s in at backward point rather than Nathan Lyon, who’s been so remarkable in that position for so many years.

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CUMMINS GETS ELGAR IN THE SAME WAY AGAIN!

11m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:44am

By Jon Healy

Off the hip, fending harmlessly and feathering it through to a diving Carey. The most obvious plan in the world comes off again.

South Africa batter Dean Elgar looks down as Pat Cummins and Australia players celebrate his wicket during a Test.
Pretty much tells the story of Elgar’s tour.(Getty)

An abysmal tour comes to an end for Dean Elgar – six digs for 56 runs with a top score of 26 and an average of 9.33.

He can only grin and shake his head as he wanders off. If you didn’t laugh you’d cry I suppose.

Heinrich Klaasen is exposed at number three.

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8th over – Nathan Lyon comes into the attack for the first time this innings

15m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:40am

By Jon Healy

He has rough to bowl at and two left-handers at the crease. Should be loving life.

Elgar clips a single off the stumps, giving Erwee a look at the man who bowled him leaving in the first dig.

Very straight from Lyon at the moment.

Well kept out by Erwee.

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7th over – Cummins to Elgar again

19m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:35am

By Jon Healy

And he’s still sparring outside off.

Fending away off his hip, and short leg almost in the game again for a catch and a reflex run-out.

Drop and run to cover. Exactly what he needed off the penultimate ball of Cummins’s over.

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6th over – Agar gets another go

22m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:33am

By Jon Healy

Sarel Erwee is 17 off 12 from Agar.

Australia fielder Nathan Lyon tells Ashton Agar something while pointing during a Test against South Africa
Advice from Lyon or telling him to get to fine leg?(Getty)

Too full and too short a lot from Agar. Every now and then he’ll land one and Erwee is leaving well.

A maiden. Easily defended a lot of half-volleys did Erwee, but still, better than getting tonked for boundaries.

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5th over – Cummins brings himself on to replace Hazlewood

27m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:28am

By Jon Healy

Big shout for LBW! Turned down. But Cummins reluctantly reviews. He’s around the wicket to the left-hander, so the margins are slim.

Elgar’s been hit in line, but height and going down leg are the issue.

NOT OUT. Going over the top. Not a great review and it wasn’t even clipping the bails according to ball tracking, so that’s one review gone early in an innings where they could be very valuable.

Elgar is absolutely battling out there, really reaching outside off.

He’s almost out fending a short ball yet again, this time lucky it didn’t carry to Matt Renshaw at short leg.

Then an inside edge back into the top of his pads. Very shaky from Elgar. Accuracy from Cummins making life miserable for his opposite number.

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4th over – Agar again

30m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:24am

By Jon Healy

Four! Another bad start for Agar – too full and driven hard through mid-off.

Erwee leaves and the ball zips past the off stump. It wasn’t that close, but still nervy for a man who was bowled shouldering arms in the first dig.

Crack! Short on a slow pitch and it gets what it deserves, crushed through mid-wicket for four.

Seventeen from his first two overs. Will he get a third?

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3rd over – More conventional from the other end with Hazlewood

35m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:20am

By Jon Healy

Beaten! A big bit of seam away and Elgar prods outside off. Lucky to avoid nicking off.

Edged … just past Smith at slip! Elgar can’t stop fending outside off and he’s sent a catch flying past a wide first slip (second really). He’s the only slip in place, which is odd at this point. I understand you need a leg gully, but maybe he could be taken from elsewhere?

Australia fielder Steve Smith dives to try to catch a cricket ball with one hand as South Africa batter Dean Elgar looks back at it.
(Getty)

Now is the time for the mother of all captain’s knocks and, based on the evidence of the first 12 balls he’s faced, Elgar doesn’t look set for one.

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2nd over – Wow, Ashton Agar is taking the new ball

37m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:18am

By Jon Healy

This is interesting with two left-handers at the crease.

The first ball is a full toss and he looks down at his hands after bowling it. I think the shiny new ball just slid out.

Almost a catch! Erwee just poked at one outside off, but it skidded on and caught the outside edge, but it fell just short of Steve Smith at slip. Early vindication for this bowling change.

Four! Same ball, but this time it’s reverse swept over the top of slip for four. Perhaps not as in control as he’d have liked, but it’s safe and runs.

Four more. Too short from Agar and Erwee drives through point off the back foot. Bit of everything in that opening volley from Agar.

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1st over – Josh Hazlewood will bowl on

43m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:12am

By Jon Healy

It’s all about survival for South Africa now.

The first ball angles in at Sarel Erwee and he inside-edges it away. Time for an early examination of Dean Elgar.

He’s trapped on the crease and caught on the top of the front pad.

The full ball is clipped through the air in front of mid-wicket for two. Hazlewood is around the wicket, but without a leg slip or leg gully in place, so the danger ball on his hip might not be coming just yet.

Oh he’s fished a long way away from his body for a wide one outside off. Just asking to nick off playing that far away from his eyes.

There it is, on the hip and nudged away safely behind square on the leg side. Would’ve felt relatively safe playing that despite his vulnerability in that area because of the field.

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The roller is on

47m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:08am

By Simon Smale

(Getty Images)

How much impact with that play?

There is rough, there are cracks, there is variable bounce.

It is still very much on for Australia.

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Test cricket, the greatest format

48m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 3:07am

By Simon Smale

What an absolute beast of a game! Who said test cricket was boring?

– Brendan

You wont find any argument from me about that, Brendan.

This, coupled with the tight finish in Karachi the other day (plus England’s matches in Pakistan), shows Test cricket, over five days, can still get people excited.

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Australia enforces the follow on

56m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 2:59am

By Simon Smale

Key Event

No choice really, was there? But such is the reticence to do so, I did wonder.

(Getty Images)

South Africa needs 220 runs to make Australia bat again.

Australia needs 10 wickets to win the Test in 47 overs.

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Australia bowls South Africa out for 255

56m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 2:59am

By Simon Smale

Key Event

(Getty Images)

That’s still short of the follow on target.

What will Australia do?

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OUT! NATHAN LYON WITH THE CAUGHT AND BOWLED!

57m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 2:58am

By Simon Smale

Key Event

Lovely catch from Lyon, diving across to claim a relatively simple chance but it needed to be taken and Lyon had to get across quickly.

Rabada goes for 3.

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108th over – Nathan Lyon to Rabada

57m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 2:57am

By Simon Smale

Anrich Nortje is the new man, at the non-strikers end.

Rabada faces up against Nathan Lyon.

CLOSE! Oh my word how has that missed, Rabada left a ball that straightened on him just slightly and missed the off stump by about a millimetre. Wow. So close.

Solid defence from Rabada.

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GOT HIM! HAZLEWOOD STRIKES!

59m agoSun 8 Jan 2023 at 2:56am

By Simon Smale

Key Event

Middle stump is rattled to its foundation as the ball catches the inside edge of Harmer’s bat.

(Getty Images)

HUGE wicket for Australia.

Harmer goes for 47, his highest Test score but, more valuably, ate up 165 balls – that’s more than any other batter from South Africa has faced in a single innings this series.

(Getty Images)

Australia one away from bowling South Africa out once, South Africa still 21 away from avoiding the follow on.

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