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Key events
60th over: Australia 223-2 (Warner 132, Smith 55) Two easy singles in another nondescript Maharaj over. Credit to Alison Mitchell and Ricky Ponting for not falling into the chew chew chew for chew trap on commentary.
59th over: Australia 221-2 (Warner 131, Smith 54) Jansen is running in and hitting the bat hard but there’s not much doing out there any more with an old ball on a flat track under a hot sun. Smith pulling with all the time in the world for two, well in front of square, illustrates South Africa’s challenge.
58th over: Australia 216-2 (Warner 130, Smith 51) Warner follows Smith’s lead and slogs Maharaj for four to register consecutive boundaries. Both batters then milk singles as Australia continue to cruise towards tea.
50 to Steve Smith
57th over: Australia 210-2 (Warner 125, Smith 50) There’s been a long lull in play while Ngidi and Maharaj have bowled in tandem, but the former has been replaced by Jansen, who was all over Smith earlier and deserved the Australian’s wicket on a number of occasions. Can he finally snare his victim? Not this time. The rhythm and swing from before lunch is missing for the time being and Smith slashes a square cut for his side’s first boundary in an hour, a stroke that brings up his 37th 50 in Test cricket.
56th over: Australia 204-2 (Warner 124, Smith 45) Just as Justin Langer is rhapsodising about Warner’s fitness, the centurion drops to the ground with cramp in his left hamstring. Langer battles on, changing the subject to pickle juice, like it’s some new fangled invention from the bowels of Willy Wonka’s factory. Tim Lane cuts him off abruptly for a bonus commercial break.
Finbar Anslow has logged on. “Would you believe I found a cricket joke in my cracker? What did the cold elf want for Christmas? A short extra cover.”
55th over: Australia 202-2 (Warner 122, Smith 45) Did Verreynee drop another down the legside? It was a poor delivery from Ngidi that flicked something on its way through. The keeper moved his feet well and made the ground comfortably but his crocodile clap with two hands failed to snaffle the Kookaburra. The Proteas think it’s a drop, but replays suggest it was thigh pad. Nonetheless, South Africa have not been on it in the field on a day when they can ill afford it.
54th over: Australia 201-2 (Warner 121, Smith 45) Two singles from Maharaj’s over. This pair look content to milk the easy runs on offer while the Proteas melt in the blazing sun.
53rd over: Australia 199-2 (Warner 120, Smith 44) One run off the bat, one off the pads, in an over of toil for Ngidi. More #Daveystats
52nd over: Australia 197-2 (Warner 119, Smith 44) Smith’s charmed life continues when his mistimed mow to Maharaj squirts off the outside edge and lands short of point. Around that the scoreboard keeps ticking over with easy singles.
It’s easy to forget how extraordinary Warner’s career has been. These numbers are incredible.
Jonathan Howcroft
Thanks Geoff. Plenty happening out there. Unfortunately for South Africa most of the action will be recorded in margins and footnotes. The headline belongs to David Warner and the plot is traveling at great speed Australia’s way. After a day bowling in this fierce heat, the final few hours could be punishing for the Proteas.
Geoff Lemon
50th over: Australia 194-2 (Warner 117, Smith 43) Given out, reviewed, overturned! Rabada appeals after a Smith play and miss. The umpire raises the finger after a long pause. Smith reviews instantly, must have known he’d missed it. Then the review is a short one because it shows that Rabada had overstepped. No ball, even if there was a nick. Smith drives the next ball back under Rabada’s feet for four.
Julian has sent an email. “Hey Geoff, speaking of the forthcoming Ashes series, I believe Marnus Labuschagne plans to play some cricket for Glamorgan again in May and is quite open that it helps him prepare for the Tests. Do you know if any others are likely to do similar? The thought of any assistance for the world’s No1 ranked batter fills me with dread and I long to hear that Ollie Pope or Harry Brook will be playing Sheffield Shield cricket ahead of the next Ashes down under, although I know that can’t/won’t happen. Do you think this needs addressing, as the former ECB CEO Tom Harrison did?”
Well… if we go beyond prima facie, there are a few elements to this. One, there are six Shield teams and 18 counties. The counties need to top up on quality, where the Shield teams don’t really have space if they want to develop their own players. Add the fact that the counties are their own entities, and they want to win trophies and get crowds in. T20 leagues around the world rely on big name imports, and county cricket used to be even more this way in the 1970s and 80s. Thirdly, most of us get annoyed that teams don’t play tour matches to acclimatise these days – so do we want them acclimatised, or not? Personally, if you want to take satisfaction in beating another team, you want to play a really good version of that team. Then it means something.
Anyway, that’s me for the day. Drinks. For the second half, your friend and mind, Jonathan Pliable Howcroft.
50th over: Australia 187-2 (Warner 115, Smith 39) A foray from Smith, down the track and lifting Maharaj over midwicket. Saved inside the rope so it gets him three.
49th over: Australia 183-2 (Warner 114, Smith 36) Warner taking on Rabada when bowling short. Not anything extravagant, a pull and a back cut for singles. Smith mistimes a run to midwicket.
48th over: Australia 180-2 (Warner 112, Smith 35) Reverse sweep from Warner! Certainly freed up since the milestone. Doesn’t get all of it, a couple of runs from Maharaj, then flicks another.
47th over: Australia 176-2 (Warner 109, Smith 34) Yet another three for Warner, he’s worked hard today. Through midwicket from Rabada. Smith finally scores his 34th run after a long time on 33.
Players with a century in their 100th Test match: Colin Cowdrey did it first, and 20 years in advance of anyone else, in the Edgbaston Ashes Test of 1968. Javed Miandad and Gordon Greenidge were next, in quick succession. Alec Stewart and Inzamam-ul-Haq. Ricky Ponting scored two of them, because of course he did. Two South Africans, Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. Then Joe Root last year. That’s it. Aside from now adding Warner to the list.
46th over: Australia 172-2 (Warner 106, Smith 33) Long on is back for Warner against Maharaj, but he goes that way anyway, swinging hard across the line to hit the ball wide of that fielder for four. Boundary, single, let Smith block the rest. That’s the pattern.
Century! David Warner 100 from 144 balls
45th over: Australia 167-2 (Warner 101, Smith 33) There it is! At long last. Rabada on to bowl, Warner hops inside the line of his first ball and deflects it fine for four. And goes large! Runs a big half circle at the non-striker’s end, throws both arms out as he turns around, waves to the team bench, then turns and swishes his bat ferociously, like an angry cat’s tail, first at the big bunch of supporters flocking to the fence in the southern stand, then towards the members. The trademark jump was in there too. The most demonstrative I can remember seeing Warner after a century. It has been close to three years since he last had the chance. Third century in a Boxing Day Test, number 25 overall.
44th over: Australia 162-2 (Warner 96, Smith 33) Warner keeps going, sweeping two runs, driving one that beats mid on. He keeps the strike, on to 96…
43rd over: Australia 159-2 (Warner 93, Smith 33) Nortje hits 155 kilometres an hour, his fastest of the match. That’s 96.3 in sterling. Warner is playing him well though, staying out of the way of the shorter stuff if the line allows, playing right back in order to drop the ball away if it comes at his body. Picking up singles against the barrage, and one of the bouncers that he avoids also clears the keeper for four byes.
42nd over: Australia 154-2 (Warner 92, Smith 33) Mid off is set deep for Maharaj, so Warner is happy to keep walking at the spinner and driving a run there. Slip and a silly mid off for Smith, three in a ring field on the off side, one at midwicket, and three in the deep. Now the bat-pad fielder switches to the leg side. Smith dead-bats regardless.
41st over: Australia 153-2 (Warner 91, Smith 33) Nortje causing trouble, rifling one in at Warner that squeezes from bat to pad and might have gone back towards the stumps had it not also hit Warner’s back leg. Then a yorker that nearly goes through him but Warner gets down onto it, inside edge that goes laterally into the pad and away! This is some contest. Three singles from the over in and around all that.
40th over: Australia 150-2 (Warner 89, Smith 32) A quiet over for Maharaj, one run from it as he keeps bowling flat and fast.
39th over: Australia 149-2 (Warner 88, Smith 32) Nortje keeps topping 150 kph, and Warner can barely lay bat on ball, eventually squeezing out a run. Smith, by contrast, resolutely defends the last ball on the front foot. That must be deflating for a bowler putting in all that effort.
38th over: Australia 148-2 (Warner 86, Smith 32) A correction to our scores: the two leg byes when Smith was facing before lunch were not leg byes, there was an inside edge. I’ve been in to the scorers’ box to get the official word. Runs. Then six more, as Smith shuffles down at Maharaj and lofts the spinner’s first ball after lunch over the rope at long on! Then defends the rest of the over.
37th over: Australia 142-2 (Warner 86, Smith 24) Nortje will commence proceedings again, ready for another five overs of ferocity. He’s in the mid 140s immediately, Warner riding the bounce to deflect a short ball to fine leg. One run. Then shades of the fourth innings at Brisbane as Nortje hits the middle of the pitch and sees the ball fly away behind the keeper for four, this time off Smith’s top edge.
How were your sandwiches? Your tacos? Your late-night brandy and bowl of custard? The sky is blue all over in Melbourne, the sunlight is clear. We’re about to get going again.
Lunch – Australia 136 for 2
Australia’s session. One wicket fell, and that was a donation in the shape of Labuschagne’s run out. There were a few edges that didn’t go to hand or back onto the stumps, and Nortje bowled fiercely fast at the start, but Warner took on bowling where necessary and otherwise just set about run-scoring in an unruffled way. Smith has been a bit more twitchy but has played some good shots. The day is getting hotter, and it could get tougher for South Africa. They still lead by 53 but that might not last long.
36th over: Australia 136-2 (Warner 86, Smith 19) Maharaj bowling fast and flat at the left-handed Warner, who keeps wanting to use his feet. Eventually drives a single. Speaking of scoreboard errors as we were earlier, the big screen has Smith on 21 for those two leg byes, although he’s on 19.
35th over: Australia 135-2 (Warner 85, Smith 19) South Africa getting desperate, they review an lbw appeal that has hit Smith a mile outside off stump. Nearly lunch time. Two leg byes from that shout, and Jansen bowls a wide.
34th over: Australia 131-2 (Warner 84, Smith 19) A quieter over from Maharaj, just the one run from it.
33rd over: Australia 130-2 (Warner 84, Smith 18) Crunch goes Smith this time, and Bavuma lost that. A half chance. He’s standing maybe 20 paces back at short leg. Smith lays into Jansen’s short ball, and Bavuma lost it completely. He falls to his left, more out of self-preservation instinct than anything, and the ball goes to his right. Might have been a catching chance but it might also have taken his hand off. Smith gets four, then uppercuts another four over slips. Enjoying the shorter length, because Jansen beat him with a fuller length earlier in the over.
32nd over: Australia 122-2 (Warner 84, Smith 10) There goes run number 8000 for Warner! Into another club. And he does it in true Warner high-energy style, with another four all run. Keshav Maharaj has come on, the left-arm spinner, and Warner places him through cover for that four, then another three. That might tire even him out.
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