24th over – Smith goes on the attack
BOOM! Fancy footwork from Steve Smith as he dances down and launches over mid-on. It sails high and long enough to clear even the enormous Marco Jansen at long-on. Could you choose a tougher spot to hit over, Steve?
23rd over – Maharaj again
Smith has the strike and gives it up with a lovely clip wide of mid-on for a single.
Struggling to get Maharaj away at the moment like they did in the first innings.
22nd over – Simon Harmer continues
Four! The Marnus Labuschagne cover drive is in full effect as he whips along the grass to the rope. Very Virat Kohli that shot.
Harmer mixing up his speeds well and Labuschagne defends a glacial one from the offie.
A big LBW shout! Marnus Labuschagne is hit in front and the umpire says not out, but South Africa reviews.
The angle shouldn’t work for an off-spinner, but Harmer didn’t turn this one much. Still, it would take some almighty drift down the line of the stumps to make this one out.
NOT OUT. The delivery is missing leg stump by quite some distance. That’s a bad review by South Africa.
21st over – Maharaj resumes after a drink
Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne will keep attacking no doubt.
Smith is trying but can’t quite find the gaps.
Keshav eventually drops short and Smith slaps through cover to add two more.
20th over – Harmer goes on
Have we just watched the game gallop away from the South Africans?
It certainly feels like it.
Despite taking two wickets, they’ve offered up far too many loose balls this morning, with the Australians scoring freely and without risk.
The tourists now 217 runs ahead.
Marnus nudges to mid-off and the batters get a run courtesy of a mis-field.
That’ll be drinks!
19th over – Spin from both ends
Anrich Nortje is yanked after conceding 14 runs in his last over.
Keshav Maharaj, the left arm finger spinner, is on in his place.
It’s a bit of a loosener first up and Smith is on the back foot and turning Maharaj behind square for a single.
Better from Maharaj! He extracts a fair bit of turn and Labuschagne is forward and defending but squirting out an inside edge, which evades short leg. The batters run a single.
Smith works a single down the ground.
Shot! Full and straight from Maharaj and Labuschagne uses his wrists to flick the ball through midwicket for four. Lovely timing.
Labuschagne is defending.
18th over – Harmer again
Labuschagne is attempting to turn one into the leg-side but his shot is topped at short leg.
He’s then working a single out to the sweeper on the off-side.
Smith is taking a stride forward and pushing a single to long on.
And Labuschagne is defending to end the over.
17th over – Nortje continues his short ball barrage
And this one is way too short. Smith is ducking but he wouldn’t have needed to, the ball ballooning of the pitch and taken well above head height by Verreynne.
It’s called a wide.
Four! That’s a poor ball from Nortje, wide and short, and with a massive gap behind point, Smith just throws his hands at it.
Four more! Wide and full this time and Smith is driving brilliantly through square.
Another bouncer that is far too short and that’s another sundry.
Another boundary! More width from Nortje and more runs for Smith! The Australian cuts behind point and that’s his third boundary of the over.
That’s the end of a tired, expensive over from Nortje.
16th over – Harmer continues to Smith
A slip and a short leg in place as Smith guides a single down to long-on.
Harmer gets a bit of turn outside off stump and Labuschagne is deflecting for no run.
The Australian is then defending to end the over.
15th over – Nortje to Labuschagne
He’s been excellent since entering the attack, has Anrich Nortje.
Wide outside off and Labuschagne is leaving it alone.
The Australian is then flirting with a similar delivery, but the ball climbs too high for Labuschagne to get any bat on ball.
Given how much energy Nortje is exerting in this spell, which has been regularly above 145km/hr, the Australians will know he won’t be in the attack for too much longer.
Shot! Another bouncer from Nortje and Labuschagne is up on one leg and playing his hook shot with some serious flair. That’s an excellent boundary.
And again! Back of a length outside off and Labuschagne is deep in his crease, timing his cut to perfection. It’s another boundary.
14th over – Harmer to Smith
Steve Smith is forward and defending the off spinner.
There’s a short leg and slip in play as Smith flicks one to midwicket. No run.
Aggression! Harmer loops one outside off and Smith is unable to get his cover drive off the square.
Smith is then sweeping from well outside off. The ball thuds into his pad and that’s over.
There’s a brief discussion about a review but the South Africans, wisely, resist the urge to send it upstairs.
13th over – Smith hit by Nortje
Back of a length and straight to begin the over —Smith turns it into the leg-side for a single.
Now Labuschagne gets one on his pads, which he turns backward of square for a single.
Plenty of singles on offer for the Australians at the moment.
Ouch! Smith is attempting to get underneath a sharp bouncer, but he can’t quite get low enough. The ball thuds into the top of his helmet and balloons into the air.
Smith is looking a little dazed as the helmet comes off and some medical staff come onto the field for a concussion test.

Thankfully, it was a glancing blow and Smith looks okay. He’s not in any visible pain and is standing up and talking.
A fresh helmet comes out for the Australian vice-captain.
Eventually, we’re right to continue.
It’s Labuschagne on strike, with the batters having run a leg-bye on the previous delivery.
Another short one! This is vicious from Nortje, who has Labuschagne in all sorts as he fends the ball away.
Over.
12th over – Steve Smith to the middle
But it’s Marnus Labuschagne to face the first ball of the Simon Harmer over.
Labuschagne is defending and then sweeping aggressively, with the ball thudding into the man at short leg. Ouch.
He then works a single and Smith takes guard for his first ball of his innings.
And Smudge gets off the mark in trademark fashion, turning a ball from outside off into the leg side for a single.
A dot to end the over.
11th over – Here comes Anrich
It’s Anrich Nortje — easily the quickest of the South African bowlers — charging in for his first set of the day.
Labuschagne is shouldering arms outside off.
And again.
Play and a miss! Marnus is flirting at another one on a fifth stump line.
Shorter from Nortje and Marnus is patting it down into the leg side. Labuschagne calls through Maddinson for a quick single.
10th over – The first spin of the day
It’s Simon Harmer bowling to Nic Maddinson, who is on the back foot, giving himself some room, and pummelling his cut shot out to the sweeper. Just a single.
Labuschagne works a single behind square.
Six! What a sweet hit by Maddinson! Full and flighted from Harmer and the Australian pummels it back over the bowler’s head.
Maddinson is now 44 from 34 deliveries!
And now he’s up to 46 from 36 courtesy after flicking a couple through midwicket.
Another two, this time straight, to end the over.
9th over – Jansen to Labuschagne
Marco Jansen is about to get his first look at Marnus Labuschagne.
The big left-armer is coming from over the wicket, angling across the right-handed batter, with two slips and a gully in place.
Labuschagne is shouldering arms to begin.
And Jansen changes the angle straightaway; he’s now angling in from over the wicket.
Labuschagne squeezes one out behind point and no less than three South African fielders chase after it from the in-field. The batters run three.
Four more for Maddinson! That’s a very, very ordinary delivery from Jansen, short and wide, and Maddinson throws his hands at it, benefiting with a boundary behind point.
Maddinson is working a single to end the over.
8th over – Mulder with his first full set of the day
Crunched! Maddinson gets a bit of width and he jumps on it, creaming his cut shot to the rope.
That’s Maddinson’s third boundary of the day.
He works a single and Marnus Labuschagne proceeds to take guard for his first ball of the innings.
And Labuschagne is off the mark immediately, nudging a single into the on-side.
Another nice shot from Maddinson, this time a clip through midwicket. The batters are back for a couple.
A dot to end the over.


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