Australia reach 330-4, one run ahead of South Africa on the second day of the third men’s Test – as it happened

That’ll do for us today. Keep an eye out for Geoff’s report that will no doubt wax lyrical about three hefty partnerships that have turned this contest towards the Australians. We’ll be back tomorrow. Will the tourists press home their advantage and close day three with a few South African wickets in the bag and a healthy lead, or will South Africa storm back?

Ciao for now… Harmer’s final over goes for two singles, one to take Australia level and the other to take them ahead. Australia’s day, but a distance. Unlike the South Africans yesterday the tourists dug in and placed great value on their wickets. Inglis and Carey came together on 185-4 with both of them on 0.

They now leave the field unbeaten on 85 and 51 respectively. Harmer bagged two wickets in an over, first Head on 41 and then Labuschagne for a five-ball duck before Renshaw and Green dig in. Jansen got rid of both, for 74 and 65, before the two wicketkeepers built an unbroken stand of 145.

Rabada and Coetzee lacked bite and the new ball bowling couldn’t match Starc’s potency. Australia’s game now. But momentum has swung this way and that throughout this series. Loads of cricket left. 89th over: Australia 328-4 (Inglis 84, Carey 50) Back to back boundaries for Inglis off Coetzee.

First an uppercut off the back foot over the cordon and then a searing cut backward of square past point. Inglis underlines his authority with a little flick through midwicket for a single. Carey brings up his half century with a gorgeous drive through the covers as the shadows lengthen.

Just one over to go on a day the tourists have truly bossed, now just one run behind South Africa’s below par score. 88th over: Australia 315-4 (Inglis 75, Carey 46) As if there was any doubt who is in control, and Rabada has been hooked for Harmer to bowl with a ball that is only seven overs old.

The Australians are more than grateful as they milk three singles off the over. Now we have to wonder what sort of lead Australia will muster. And will there be enough in the surface on days four and five for a victory either way? Will batting last on this, as the Aussies will have to do, be precarious?

87th over: Australia 312-4 (Inglis 73, Carey 45) Coetzee replaces Jansen, which is another win for the Aussies. Carey caresses an easy single to deep point before Inglis flicks with authority and sends a leg stump half volley to the midwicket rope. Then he’s back and across – right out the textbook – and collects a drop and run single.

In full control. They only trail by 17. 86th over: Australia 306-4 (Inglis 68, Carey 44) Carey bunts Rabada off the back foot for one, after Inglis did the same, to bring up the 300. Rabada has missed his lengths. He’s neither been full nor short. That back of a length just hasn’t worked.

The Australians bagged loads of wickets with bumpers and toe crushers. The hosts didn’t take any lessons from them it seems. Rabada does dig one in and Inglis pulls. There are shouts of “caaaaatch” but it carries all the way of goes for six over backward square leg.

No fielder in place for it. 85th over: Australia 298-4 (Inglis 61, Carey 43) Carey cuts for one after defending resolutely for two balls. Inglis is loose outside the off stump, a rare lapse from him. But there’s no edge. There’s a half hearted appeal for a catch behind the stumps on the leg side off Carey, but no South African seemed genuinely convinced.

84th over: Australia 296-4 (Inglis 60, Carey 42) Rabada is full and straight at Inglis who is so at ease defending. That’s 100 balls without a wicket for Rabada in this innings. Only the second time that’s happened in five years. He responds with a great nip-backer off a good length that beats the inside edge of Inglis and thwacks his thigh pad, but crucially he remains.

83rd over: Australia 294-4 (Inglis 58, Carey 42) Jansen offers width and Inglis take the bait, flashing hard at it. It’s not off the middle, but he gets enough wood on it to take it over gully for four. Then he steers off the back foot for one down to the sweeper.

Only the merest suggestion of swing, and that’s more to the left-handed Carey. One does lift off a trickt length and smacks Carey in the torso, but it’s not exactly a viper nest. Australia now trail by only 35. They could be level or better by the close. 82nd over: Australia 289-4 (Inglis 53, Carey 42) Rabada keeps it full, but there’s no swing at all.

Ominous for SA. Both batters press forward and look comfortable on defence. They review Rabada’s first ball. Didn’t look out to me. Thought it was high to Inglis but let’s have a look. Original decision not out. Nah, going well over the top of leg. That is desperate from the home side as they torch a review.

81st over: Australia 288-4 (Inglis 53, Carey 42) Jansen’s first ball with the new nut is short and wide and Carey cuts him for two. But then the bowler finds his radar and targets the stumps, extracting a bit of away swing. There are two slips and a guly, and a massive gap on the off side.

Bavuma has a great record as captain but I feel he doesn’t exert pressure on the batters enough. They still have a lead and only wickets will keep it. Oh, this partnership is now up to 103. A reminder that they both started on 0 together after Jansen’s double strike to remove Renshaw and Green.

80th over: Australia 286-4 (Inglis 53, Carey 40) Harmer gets through his over which means the new ball is available. Totally different conditions from last night when Starc bagged four for spit to wrap up the innings. Jansen and Rabada have to match his heroics or South Africa will be chasing this game.

79th over: Australia 282-4 (Inglis 50, Carey 39) South Africa have been going through the motions for about half an hour now. Meanwhile, these two Australian keepers have been brilliant. A drag down from Markram is clattered off the back foot by Inglis well in front of square on the off side as he moves to 49.

He gets to his milestone with a tuck off his hips for one. No Steve Smith, no problem, it seems. 78th over: Australia 275-4 (Inglis 44, Carey 38) The Aussies are purring now! Inglis starts this Harmer over by nailing a reverse sweep for four. He’s suddenly up into the 40s.

There’s a chance, well, half a chance, of a return catch as Carey’s prod catches a leading edge. But its short of Harmer. The partnership up to 90 and the deficit down to 54. 77th over: Australia 270-4 (Inglis 39, Carey 38) Inglis won’t let Markram just bowl at him until the new ball arrives.

He gets low and plays a lovely sweep that is drilled to the boundary. Then a really poor ball down the leg side is left alone and evades Rickelton and dribbles away for four more byes. South Africa have lost the plot here. Remarkable how this match has swung this way and that.

Now firmly with the Aussies, though they still trail by 59. 76th over: Australia 260-4 (Inglis 34, Carey 37) Inglis comes down the track to Harmer and heaves the ball over cow corner for six. That is all timing as he plays this with an almost straight bat. What a shot!

Harmer responds well and gets one to grip and turn through the gate of Inglis, beating the inside edge, the stumps and Rickelton’s gloves as it trickles away for four byes. All Australia at the minute as this partnership reaches 75. 75th over: Australia 250-4 (Inglis 28, Carey 37) Markram is tossed the ball.

Bavuma wants this new rock as soon as possible. Carey tries to reverse sweep, as he loves to do, but doesn’t catch this one. Just one off the over. 74th over: Australia 249-4 (Inglis 27, Carey 37) Hamer gets us going again after drinks. Inglis tries to reverse sweep, misses, and there’s a half appeal.

He then leans back and plays a lovely back foot punch for two past cover. A little tickle off his pads means he’ll keep the strike with a single in front of the fielder at 45. I’m calling it. Australia are in the ascendency now. This partnership has more than steadied the ship.

It’s put them on top. Today’s play has had a run-rate of 3.37, but this session is 2.89. Shows how both sides are almost staring at each other, waiting for the other to blink. Just seven overs til the new ball become available. 73rd over: Australia 246-4 (Inglis 24, Carey 37) Inglis swishes at Rabada away from his body bit there’s no nick.

Two singles brings Inglis back on strike and he steers four through the gap in the cordon before pulling a single down to deep square. Rabada has had no bite this innings and that has felt crucial. The gap between the sides is down to 83 as the drinks cart comes out.

72nd over: Australia 239-4 (Inglis 18, Carey 36) Harmer back in action. Carey reverse sweeps and nails it past a diving Rabada at backward point, but Jansen swoops round on the rope to keep it to two. Pretty uneventful elsewhere across the set. Eight overs to the second new ball, but the clouds that swept in to aid Starc are absent here.

I’m not sure the South Africans will find the same venom. 71st over: Australia 237-4 (Inglis 18, Carey 34) Finally, finally, Rabada finds a bit of juice off the surface, getting one to jag back off a tricky length and cut Inglis in half. But it doesn’t catch the inside edge, nor does it clip the top of off.

That means, after a cut single off Carey’s bat, the partnership climbs to 52 and the deficit is cut to 92. Australia taking control of this but a wicket or two will change things once again. 70th over: Australia 236-4 (Inglis 18, Carey 33) Mulder finds the edge of Carey’s late cut, but it flies between first slip and the man at gully.

Mulder holds his head in his hands as he watches it scamper away for four. It’s like the Test itself is holding its breath before the plunge. 69th over: Australia 230-4 (Inglis 18, Carey 27) Rabada almost burgles a wicket with a short and wide one to Inglis. The right-hander leans back and cracks a firm cut shot in the air and just beyond Ackermann, who for some reason is very tight in at point.

It goes for just a single as Rabada throws his head back, frustrated that it wasn’t a metre closer to the fielder. The Aussie pair keep things ticking with two other singles across the set. They now trail by 98. 68th over: Australia 228-4 (Inglis 17, Carey 26) Mulder to Inglis.

Back of a length. Fourth stump line. Keeper up. Ring field. Six dot balls. 67th over: Australia 228-4 (Inglis 17, Carey 26) Rabada returns. He’s lacked a bit of zip today. He doesn’t have much here. Carey and Inglis are able to lean on his back of a length and steer a single apiece.

66th over: Australia 226-4 (Inglis 16, Carey 25) Wicket to wicket from Mulder with the keeper up. Feels like SA are simply waiting for something to happen while keeping things as quiet as possible. Which is a tactic, I suppose. I’d like to see them be more innovative, as Cummins and co were yesterday.

65th over: Australia 226-4 (Inglis 16, Carey 25) Four runs off this Harmer over takes the partnership up to 41 from 82 balls. They came together with the pair of them on 0. So this has been a great rebuild. 64th over: Australia 222-4 (Inglis 13, Carey 24) Mulder into the attack.

Bavuma will want him to keep things nice and tight until KG and Jansen are ready to let rip again. He gets one to jag back into Inglis and there’s a small chance of it sneaking through. Three singles off the first five balls come before Carey slashes at some width.

It flies well behind square past point. Jansen chases after it and chooses to stick a big boot out just in front of the boundary. He gets there and keeps it down to three. The Aussies looking set again. 63rd over: Australia 216-4 (Inglis 11, Carey 20) Carey was watchful before but he’s showing some class now, skipping down the track to half drive, half flick Harmer for four down through mid-on.

Lovely shot. Harmer then goes flatter and keeps Carey on strike for the rest of the over. 62nd over: Australia 212-4 (INglis 11, Carey 16) Coetzee offers Carey some width and the Aussie keeper throws his hands at it and gets four backward of square past point.

He’ll keep the strike with a mistimed drive that trickles away to the sweeper at cover. Delicately poised. It’s just so delicately poised! 61st over: Australia 207-4 (Inglis 11, Carey 11) Carey, who has been incredibly watchful and unusually patient, gets a reverse sweep away against Harmer, splitting cover and point to collect two.

He think pushes a single past mid-on. Off the last ball Inglis gives himself room and plays for the spin as he tries to steer it towards the off side, but it doesn’t turn and he almost loses his off peg. 60th over: Australia 204-4 (Inglis 11, Carey 8) Coetzee manages to land a ripsnorter of a bouncer to Inglis.

It catches the splice of the bat and loops up to where a short leg would have been. But no one is there so it lands safely. Three singles across the over keep things ticking along. The Aussies have done well to keep the left hand, right hand combo at the crease.

That always makes it hard for the bowlers to settle on a line. 59th over: Australia 201-4 (Inglis 10, Carey 6) Harmer continues to twirl away as Jansen, back on the field, gets the crowd going on the boundary. He’s got them in the palm of his massive hands down there.

Harmer, meanwhile, bowls five dot balls in a row to Carey who looks titchy, as if he wants to make a play. They bring mid-on up to cut off that single and have a man catching in the covers. Carey gets one off the inside half of his bat from a forward press and gets a streaky single past the forward short leg.

58th over: Australia 200-4 (Inglis 10, Carey 5) A clip off the pads from Inglis, well in front of square, brings him two and the team’s 200. Two busy cricketers at the crease are getting to work. If I was Bavuma I’d try and keep the singles down to a minimum for the two new men.

But I’m not a Test captain, am I? Game is in the balance. Interesting chat on the SuperSport comms on which camp you’d rather be. I think South Africa’s, but only just. Another good partnership here could swing it. And I can’t see the South Africans skittling the Aussie tail like Starc did last night.

So maybe Australia’s camp? I just don’t know! 57th over: Australia 196-4 (Inglis 7, Carey 4) Two singles off this Harmer over, both off the back foot. Then Carey stoops low and unfurls his favourite reverse sweep. If he stood still it would have been a full toss outside off.

Instead he got in a proper tangle and missed out. A correction to my earlier assumption. Shaun Clapperton is NOT from Yorkshire! As he says, “Just saw that both players were from the same place.” That, boys and girls, is why you don’t make assumptions! 56th over: Australia 194-4 (Inglis 6, Carey 3) Carey cuts Coetzee to bring Inglis on strike.

Inglis rides the bounce, steers into the on side and calls a loud “YES” and then a loud “NO”. Carey is halfway down when Ackerman at midwicket fields, turns and throws at the non-striker’s end. Carey had given up and would have been out had it hit. It didn’t, not by much, but it didn’t, so he survives.

55th over: Australia 193-4 (Inglis 6, Carey 2) Two singles off this Harmer over to get the final session of the day underway. Harmer then goes straighter, but he’s too straight and it goes past Inglis’ leg stump on two occasions. Also no Jansen on the park – who is the fifth fastest to 100 Test wickets in terms of balls bowled in the history of the game.

So Coetzee will open up the other end. The players are back on the field, all of them except Kagiso Rabada. Word is he has an upset stomach. Is that why he’s looked short of his best today? Shaun Clapperton (I’m assuming from Yorkshire) writes in: It’s a shame Renshaw got out before Green.

We’d have had an all-Yorkshire partnership for Australia otherwise. Incidentally, it’s amazing how little play the “cosmopolitan” background of the Australian set up is, considering how vocal they were about Pietersen in particular. In the past couple of years, they’ve had multiple players born outside Aus to non-Aus parents (Khawaja, Neser and the two Yorkshiremen mentioned earlier to name but a few).

Kim Garth from the women’s team as well. I never saw an article written about KP that didn’t mention SA, yet his mother is English. Perhaps we’ve moved on from such jingoism? I’ve written something on Marco Jansen, the allure of the all-rounder, and why genuine hybrids are so hard to find.

For your tea time reading pleasure: 54th over: Australia 191-4 (Inglis 5, Carey 1) A few overs ago, it was without doubt Australia’s session. Now it might be South Africa’s. Or at least it’s even. Or maybe it’s still Australia’s. Honestly, it’s so hard to say.

It’s been that sort of Test. Marco Jansen’s double strike, along with this maiden, his third on the bounce, has swung the contest. Inglis and Carey will resume after the break. There really is no other sport quite like Test cricket, is there? 53rd over: Australia 191-4 (Inglis 5, Carey 1) Harmer is tidy until the last ball as he drags it down and Inglis climbs into a crisp cut shot that finds the rope at backward point.

Australia will be desperate for these two to bed in until tea. Naturally, South Africa will hope for just the opposite. 52nd over: Australia 185-4 (Inglis 0, Carey 0) A wicket maiden for Jansen who has removed both set batters in the space of two overs. Great hands from Harmer in the slips as it hurried to him, and great back of a length bowling, but Green will be annoyed he had a little dangle at it.

Carey, the new man, is beaten twice past his outside edge before he ducks under a bumper. This Test, this series, continues to see-saw. JANSEN IS TURNING THIS TEST! Oh my word, what a cricketer! Back of a length from round the wicket into Green, he hits the deck hard and Green hangs the bat outside the off stump away from his body.

It takes a thick edge towards Harmer at second slip who snaffles a low catch and doesn’t celebrate – a nod to the earlier catch that was given not out. Jansen has gone BANG, BANG! The old ‘one brings two’ cliche strikes again! 51st over: Australia 185-3 (Green 65, Inglis 0) Green gets a single, driven to Jansen’s left at mid-off.

Harmer then gets four balls to Inglis who is playing off the back foot. There are a few ooohs from the South Africans, but Inglis looks in control. 50th over: Australia 184-3 (Green 64, Inglis 0) A wicket maiden opens the game up for the Saffas. Renshaw’s watch ends after 139 balls and it’s Marco Jansen, the world’s number ranked Test bowler and number one ranked Test all-rounder who ends it.

The short ball bags another wicket in this match. Marco has done it and that’s his 100th Test wicket! Wow, totally against the run of play! After five dot balls he digs another bumper in and Renshaw has a little nibble as he tries to steer this over the slip cordon.

But it gets big on him and was perhaps too close to do so and it catches the merest of nicks. The original decision is not-out but the review shows a spike on the snickometer. South Africa have an opening. A word for Renshaw, though. That is a heck of a knock at the top of the order.

49th over: Australia 184-2 (Renshaw 74, Green 64) Just a single from this Harmer set. Not sure what the plan is from South Africa here. I guess it’s just good old fashioned Test cricket. Who will blink first? Green uses his feet and is beaten in the flight, but his long legs and levers means he’s still able to smother the ball into the off side.

48th over: Australia 183-2 (Renshaw 73, Green 64) With the pitch offering very little, Jansen has to manifacture something on his own. A well directed yorker has Renshaw digging with a shovel, and he does well to keep it out and take a single through the leg side.

Then Jansen bounces Green who looks uncomfortable, but he’s still there, unmoved and playing well. Two singles off that over. 47th over: Australia 181-2 (Renshaw 72, Green 63) Harmer changes ends but it remains pretty easy for the Aussies who rotate the strike without leaving second gear, taking six runs around the park; down the ground, down to deep point, off the pads.

South Africa don’t look like taking a wicket. Then again, they didn’t earlier and went bang, bang, so they’ll want to hang tough. 46th over: Australia 175-2 (Renshaw 68, Green 61) Jansen lands a wicked bouncer from round the wicket to Green, making him leap and thwacking him on the body.

There’s another bumper that follows but this time Green can duck inside the line. No leg slip or short leg though. South Africa haven’t quite for their fields right in my opinion, giving away simple singles and not quite attacking with enough intent. Green, though, is pretty tidy for the rest of the over, riding high and playing with soft hands.

Renshaw just looks a banker at the top of the order. But that doesn’t solve all of of Australia’s troubles, as least according to reader Patrick O’Brien: How about this option: first innings Australia open with T B Determined and Renshaw, with Head at 5; second innings they open with T B Determined and Head, with Renshaw at 5.

I like the aggressive Head mixed with the watchful Renshaw, actually. I think they’ll do well to stick with that and allow others to come into the side in the middle order. Bavuma must be keeping an eye on this blog because here comes Jansen. 45th over: Australia 174-2 (Renshaw 67, Green 61) Interesting to note that Jansen, the number one Test bowler in the world (although that Starc’s six-for might rejig that after the Test is done) has only bowled six overs.

Wonder why. Anyway, Mulder continues. Round the wicket to Renshaw and gets one to hold on the surface and it pops up off the bat, but soft hands means it’s safe. A lovely on drive is well stopped by Rabada, keeping it to two. Those are the only runs until the last ball which sees Renshaw walk out his crease and across his stumps to flick a single down to long leg.

Rob Knapp writes in: Twenty-four hours ago I wrote to you about this being a historic toss moment, thinking along Nasser/Brisbane lines. And Starc had been looking out of sorts, surely Boland would be better, etc. Well, today I have no opinions, no predictions, nothing.

I’m just going to enjoy this, the best format of the game, the best two teams and one of the best locations. We should lap it all up while we can. Amen. 44th over: Australia 171-2 (Renshaw 64, GReen 61) Another Harmer maiden, this time to Green. He’s doing his bit and controlling things from one end.

43rd over: Australia 171-2 (Renshaw 64, Green 61) Mulder continues. He’s looking to target the top of off as he did so well in the last Test. But the left hand, right hand combo, plus the height differential between the two batters means its tricky to find a consistent area.

Also it’s sticking in the surface a bit more, rather than speed on. The name of the game for South Africa is patience. For Australia, its keep going. They rotate the strike well, particularly to the sweeper down at deep point. Renshaw then closes the set with a lovely steer down to deep third for four.

These two look in total control as the partnership climbs to 113. 42nd over: Australia 163-2 (Renshaw 58, Green 59) Harmer delivers a teasing over, but Green is watchful and it ends with a maiden. Harmer has a massive role to play here. Starting to grip and bite a bit more.

Thanks Geoff! Top stint mate. Particularly liked your “footballers are 28 until they’re 29” gag. Righto, South Africa need to break this partnership. Can they do it sooner rather than later? 41st over: Australia 163-2 (Renshaw 58, Green 59) So often a wicket after drinks, but not on Renshaw’s watch.

Blocks out Mulder’s over assiduously. Loving this style of batting in the modern era: it’s like finding an antique Chesterfield stuffed down the back of Franco Cozzo’s showroom. For every run that Green adds today, the intensity around that disallowed catch will ratchet up.

Nothing is black and white in those scenarios, but for me that was out. You could say, it would have been entirely credible to give it out, and consistent with past decisions. There is third-umpire protocol, we know that, but I don’t even believe that is to blame, I think that’s just an error in reading the image.

That’s me done for the day, let’s see what Dan Gallan made of the Green review. 40th over: Australia 163-2 (Renshaw 58, Green 59) Again, a boundary from the last ball of the over. This time it’s Harmer who slips up, bowling towards the leg side, and that allows Green to help the ball on its way to fine leg.

Australia have gone past South Africa’s opening partnership from yesterday, and this partnership has gone into triple figures. Drinks. 39th over: Australia 157-2 (Renshaw 57, Green 54) Mulder is back on the case, refreshed by a big bag of sunflower seeds. Very tidy for most of the over, but he slips full at the last, and Renshaw drives for four.

38th over: Australia 152-2 (Renshaw 53, Green 53) More singles from Harmer, as the stand approaches 100. 37th over: Australia 149-2 (Renshaw 52, Green 51) Both players raise fifty in the same over, working Rabada around, which is not what you want from your premier quick.

Too easy to rotate strike now. Bavuma tries to put some pressure on with a charging underarm at the stumps to deny Renshaw’s single, but is there a way to put more pressure on with field placings? 36th over: Australia 144-2 (Renshaw 49, Green 49) The runs keep flowing and the drama keeps coming.

Renshaw now goes to town on Harmer, sweeping him for four, then glancing him finer for another boundary. But Harmer ends the over with a stunning delivery: off-break, around the wicket, drifting so far into the left-hander that it almost pitches outside his leg stump, then rips back to beat the outside edge and hit him on the back leg in front of middle.

That has to be out! You would think… but the umpire doesn’t give it. Was he worried about where it pitched, or if it’s turning too much, or bouncing too much? It is high on that back leg. South Africa obviously review, and the ball-tracking says height is the issue: it’s possibly hitting a sliver of the bail, so it’s umpire’s call.

The not-out decision stands. 35th over: Australia 136-2 (Renshaw 41, Green 49) What is going on here! Cameron Green has exploded, and Kagiso Rabada is in the blast zone. Short ball, hooked over square leg by Green, and the first one carries the rope there with nobody in side.

Flat six. Second ball of the over, same again, this time higher on the bat and more hang time, and it goes just in front of square, but Ackerman leaping on the rope can’t get the elevation. It would have cleared a taller fielder, but not by much. Third ball, Rabada goes short again, and Green pulls him this time for four, through midwicket now, in the air as well but there’s a mile of empty space there.

Rabada keeps bowling bouncers, and now Green ignores them, but the damage to the bowler is done. A fiddle at the short ball outside off stump ends the over. 34th over: Australia 120-2 (Renshaw 41, Green 33) Back and forth! Harmer comes on, bowls a peach first ball, then a stinker second ball.

Beats Green’s outside edge, then feeds him a short one to belt for four through point. A single to follow, then Renshaw plays the Renshaw for two. 33rd over: Australia 113-2 (Renshaw 39, Green 28) Rabada with an uneventful five balls, not doing much with it and giving up a couple of singles, so he gets annoyed and bashes one into Green’s body to end the over.

Fast bowler’s perogative. Green wears it without demur. “Everyone does it now, so I’m not picking on you,” begins Michael Quinnell with an ominous glint in his text, “but where did this infuriating trend come from to summarise the game by stating that the side batting second is “trailing” when they haven’t yet competed their 1st innings.

I’m sure someone today said ‘Australia are 0-0 at the start of play today, trailing by 329’. What utter nonsense! They cannot possibly be trailing until they are all out - if they pass the SA score with wickets in hand they would then be ‘leading’.” It seems linguistically straightforward to me, Michael: the team batting second are trailing until they’re in front, in the same way that footballers are 28 until they’re 29.

If Australia are at some stage on 330 then they’ll be leading by one. If they’re on 328 they’ll be trailing by one. It’s not a permanent state while the innings is still live, and as you say, won’t be formalised until the innings is complete, but the relative state still exists in the moment.

I agree it’s redundant to give that number when a team is 0-0, but when partway through an innings, it’s relevant to know the batting team’s score in relation to the team that has already batted. Not sure how else to describe it. 32nd over: Australia 111-2 (Renshaw 38, Green 27) Smoked!

Green uses all of Coetzee’s pace, striking the ball through point with a straight bat, just placing the blade there. All timing. Nasty bouncer is Coetzee’s riposte, Green getting under it like the BFG trying to come in for breakfast with the Queen. Bouncer again, and Green bends at the knees, trying to resist the urge to lift his gloves, but they were wavering up there, halfway there and then dragged back, skirmishes in a man at war with himself.

The partnership is worth 53. 31st over: Australia 107-2 (Renshaw 38, Green 23) Even Renshaw’s streaky boundaries are well played. Very softly met defensive shot facing Rabada, which kills the outside edge as it leaves the bat, and sees it roll sweetly to the rope through that cordon gap that has been profitable for Australia today.

That luck is followed up with two intentional runs, with what is quickly becoming the Renshaw signature of the tuck off his pads, like old-school Steve Smith without the line-dancing preface. 30th over: Australia 99-2 (Renshaw 31, Green 22) This will raise the same old debates, and Harmer will be filthy about the decision made here.

Cam Green survives a big edge to slip, pace from Coetzee, high on the bat, and the ball heads down and to the right of Simon Harmer at second slip. He gets down to it, ends up with the ball in his hands, and immediately launches into a celebration. He took a couple of wonderful catches in Gqeberha, and knows what he’s doing in that position, so his confidence means something in this situation.

Green, though, stands his ground, and the referral goes up to Umpire Gaffaney in the box. He says that Harmer’s hands are apart as the ball approaches, and that he thinks the ball has hit the ground. I don’t agree with that at all. We know the problems with front-on cameras having deceptive results.

From here it looks like a common case of the ball landing on Harmer’s fingertips as they lie on the ground, and from there bouncing up into the palms. That’s the decision, though. Will it hurt South Africa, or can they conjure another wicket-taking ball? 29th over: Australia 99-2 (Renshaw 31, Green 22) Here’s Rabada, at last.

It doesn’t start to well for him, though, cut for four by Green, then flicked gracefully off the pads by Renshaw. Give him an over to warm up, ok. Here’s Eamonn Maloney. “I think last Test after 99 all out you said something to the effect that the Australian psyche cannot compute abject failure.

The foreseeable future looks a notch or two better than that at least, perhaps call it studied mediocrity – so are we really much better at tolerating that? How did the fans look on the deeds of the sometimes ok-ish teams of the early to mid 80s? Once Smith is gone our best might be Head for a few years, averaging 42, blazing the odd ton, while a succession of Shield battlers are tried and discarded, and there’ll be a Rodney Hogg or two come through to replace the bowling greats, probably no one to match their feats though…” Australians won’t take it well!

People older than my vintage, who remember that era, still talk about a very poor years in the mid-80s like they were a source of generational trauma. So painful were those years to Australians that they fired Allan Border’s furious determination into building the era of dominance that followed, picked up by Mark Taylor, then Steve Waugh, then Ricky Ponting.

The intensity of Australian players through that later era was all fuelled by remembering a brief time when the team was not very good. Not dismal, just not great. It was a little similar between about 2008 and 2012, perhaps, with some middling sides turning out.

People hated that, too. Remember the Argus Review? I think the upcoming bowling ranks are looking pretty good. Xavier Bartlett, Spencer Johnson, Jumping Jhye, Lance Morris, Riley Meredith, Callum Vidler, Mahli Beardman, several more quicks besides, along with a few spinners, surely Australia can get some decent attacks out of that batch even with injuries and franchise demands.

The batting, though, may be as you say. 28th over: Australia 90-2 (Renshaw 27, Green 17) Coetzee to start up after lunch, and if that’s with the intention of bouncing Green, then it’s a bad choice because Renshaw is on strike. He soaks up the whole over, leaving where possible, ducking bouncers, squeezing out a yorker.

Looks an opener. Play is about to resume in Cape Town. “It does seem that Head’s primary mode of dismissal is played on,” writes Tom Barrington. “Is there any data out there that could show how many times he’s got out like this, and compare this to other players and modes of dismissal?” Certainly easy enough to track his percentage of dismissals bowled, and to split those by different periods of his career, because he didn’t used to get out that way so often.

I don’t quite have time to run the numbers mid-blog, but someone else is welcome to do the Statsguru bit and email me. “When Trav’s in the mood, doing ‘Trav things’ as they say, it is quite easy to forget Test cricket is quite hard,” writes Gervase Greene. “Yes, there’s some of the ‘see ball, hit ball’ about him, but he still manages to look like a bloke who wouldn’t mind a beer if this lark oddly ends a little bit prematurely.

In this era of sometimes beige Mac-Cricket, he really is quite the original.” A lot of that is why people want to see him open, because it’s fun that he walks out there and doesn’t care for convention. Fun when it works, not strategic long-term. There was a fair bit of Travis Head correspondence during the first session, so let’s have a look.

Starting with Michael Hall regarding the first-wicket stand. “South Africa didn’t bowl badly but Australia took their chances well. Is this the opening partnership the Australians have been looking for?” I’m still not sold on Head opening, simply on the basis of probability: he’s such a proven damaging player in the middle order, and playing him up top means that he’s more likely to get out cheaply more often.

You’ll get more bang for buck from him by playing him where it’s safer to bat, and using someone more defensively capable where it isn’t. Yes, he has some amazing opening innings, but a lot of those were beating up a broken England attack that was tailor made to feed runs to that style of player.

And it doesn’t help a team if their opener regularly makes low scores when conditions are tough batting first. You need someone who’ll survive that. In short, you get value from him opening, but probably more if he were in the middle behind a good opening pair.

Another eventual session, though of a different type to yesterday. We had 27 overs bowled on day one, and the same on day two, but South Africa were 140 without loss from theirs. Australia a more modest 90 for 2, though Travis Head was threatening that 140 when he was up and running.

But he’s gone, couldn’t go large today, and if there is to be a big score, it will have to come via the Matt Renshaw method, one of patient accumulation. Green can play that way as well, but him getting his tempo and concentration right on return to this arena will be the challenge.

They missed a trick not having Rabada bowl to Green at the start, surely he must do so right after lunch. 27th over: Australia 90-2 (Renshaw 27, Green 17) Jansen to finish off the session, with Renshaw again collecting a single into the leg side. Green might have considered defending his way to lunch, but instead he crushes the last ball of the session for four!

Huge cover drive, very wide of the stumps but if anyone has the reach, he’s the one. Cannoned to the fence. Different reaction if he’d edged that to slip or hit it to the cover fielder! It was in the air… 26th over: Australia 85-2 (Renshaw 26, Green 13) Coetzee replaces Harmer, double change.

Beats Renshaw’s outside edge, then gives up a glanced single. The plan might be for Coetzee to bump Green, but he doesn’t get the chance, first ball at his hip and it’s knocked away for a run. Same again for Renshaw gives Coetzee two more balls at Green, potentially.

And he does use one to go short! Fierce short ball at throat height, Green uses all of his height to get his gloves right over it and drop it safely away, but that would not have been fun. Coetzee’s last ball strays down leg, beating everyone for four byes. 25th over: Australia 78-2 (Renshaw 24, Green 12) Now we have Jansen, who only bowled four overs this morning, back for another burst.

Strays on the legs twice, worked for singles. 24th over: Australia 76-2 (Renshaw 23, Green 11) A couple of runs for Renshaw, driving Harmer uppishly through point. “Ohh my f***!” screams a South African fielder, loudly captured by the stump mic, sending the commentary box into frantic flailing.

23rd over: Australia 73-2 (Renshaw 21, Green 10) Another edge from Green facing Mulder, and this time it nets the batter four runs, past the second slip into the gap to gully. Mulder is annoyed, smashes a bouncer into the pitch, so fiercely that it clears the wicketkeeper, but first slip makes an unusual intervention by saving four extras!

Dives across to pluck the ball one-handed. So the umpire calls a wide, but not the extras that would have come from the ball reaching the boundary. Mulder overcorrects for the next ball, and Green drives that for four. 22nd over: Australia 63-2 (Renshaw 21, Green 1) Harmer continues, and Renshaw scores a run from the first ball, worked into the leg side, before Green gets off the mark from the sixth in similar fashion.

21st over: Australia 61-2 (Renshaw 20, Green 0) You’d get Rabada or Jansen back on to target Green, wouldn’t you? New to the fight, new to the middle, but now probably the key player if he gets in? Neither of them bowled a lengthy spell up top. Mulder it is, however, and from his bowling Renshaw finally moves off 17!

He drives a couple of runs through cover, then adds a single the same way. Green immediately nicks a defensive push, but at Mulder’s pace it doesn’t carry to slip. 20th over: Australia 58-2 (Renshaw 17, Green 0) Cameron Green, now. Coming back from injury, hasn’t played a Test since August against Bangladesh, when he was Australia’s best in a series far more challenging than anyone realistically expected.

Very open stance against Harmer, which combined with Green’s height, you would think would give Harmer a lot of chance to hit pad. Huge targets that Green is wearing. No run from the over. 19th over: Australia 58-2 (Renshaw 17, Green 0) Renshaw, as he did in Durbab, looks to shrug off all of this palaver, remaining firmly in his zone of calm in the middle.

He blocks out the Mulder over like he’s tuning up in a net. 18th over: Australia 58-2 (Renshaw 17, Green 0) Incredible double-strike over from Harmer. It was a big call to leave out Maharaj for Gqeberha, and stick to that choice here, but Harmer justified it with the bat in the previous Test, and does so with the ball here.

He was picked to take out left-handers, but he’s got the right-handed Labuschagne in his last two innings as well. I had just typed: “Thus we come to the biggest story of the day. Marnus Labuschagne, propped up at the bar in the Last Chance Saloon.” Well, he’s been kicked out.

His money’s no good here. That could really be the end of Labuschagne’s Test career, second innings notwithstanding. This is the knock that mattered. First dig, Smith missing, Head out, desperately needing senior leadership, and he, as the player most qualified to fill that role, has lasted less than an over.

Just a normal off-break outside the line of his stumps, no evident turn, skips on straight, no footwork from him, prods at it defensively, and edges low down to slip. Chopped on again! Again, again, again. How, in a setup with so many coaches and so much support, can a key player keep getting out the same way and not have it addressed?

That’s a poor shot from Head, the very first ball he faces from Harmer, going back and trying to heave a cut shot away. His weight is nowhere, his balance is off, he’s lurching back but has one foot off the ground while throwing hands at that ball, too close to his body as well, not short enough.

It’s just sloppy in every way, and his modest first-innings record opening continues, despite perfect conditions. What a waste. But what a move from Bavuma. Spinner on, wicket first ball. 17th over: Australia 58-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 41) A lusty swing from Head, but one run from Mulder with deep point back.

Down to two slips now for Renshaw, who shifts across his stumps slightly to defend back to the bowler. Last ball of the over sees the first dynamic shot Renshaw has played in a while, seeing a nice half volley and driving it, but hits it directly to cover. Shrugs his shoulders and gets on with the job.

Australia have 58. A mere hundred more to match South Africa’s opening stand! 16th over: Australia 57-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 40) This time they opt for parsimony: no boundary, just a single first ball of the over, before Renshaw blocks out the rest of Coetzee’s pace.

He’s playing very late, very watchful. 15th over: Australia 56-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 39) Head keeps going, he’s past his first-innings opening average now. Belts Mulder square of the wicket on the off side, off a length, then rotates strike. Renshaw sees out the rest, though a late yorker challenges him.

This is a good system for Australia: Head 4, Head 1, Renshaw block. 14th over: Australia 51-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 34) Smashed by Head! Coetzee gives pace on the ball, Head gives pace off the bat. Drops down low and demolishes the first ball of the over through cover.

Second ball? Up and over! Less controlled, perhaps, like the earlier one that he tried to play so close to his body, but gets enough of a piece of it. Then, smartly, doesn’t try to triple down, but takes a single. Renshaw has been sitting on 17 for six overs, and sees out this one to make it seven.

13th over: Australia 42-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 25) Over to Wiaan Mulder, who was crucial with the ball in Gqeberha, taking big wickets at big times. He’s a shorter and skiddier bowler than his stablemates, so he can surprise with a different trajectory, as well as swing early or seam later.

A single from his first over. 12th over: Australia 41-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 24) Coetzee to Renshaw, that’s quick! He cranks up the speed gun that over, through the high 140s and eventually hits 150. The downside for him, around the wicket to the left-hander, is that everything is too far outside off stump to make Renshaw play, bar the last ball that draws a defensive push.

That miss means there is no contact of bat on ball in the over. 11th over: Australia 41-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 24) Travis! He does a Renshaw impression facing Rabada, a very light leave based on the length of the ball. Nipping back but going over. Even this new monkish mindset though won’t stop Head hitting a half volley, and with almost no foot movement, all eye, he does exactly that, just the slightest shuffle towards the off side, but he strikes that through the covers to end the over well.

10th over: Australia 37-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 20) Time for a change, here is Gerald Coetzee. He had the broad black headband on in the ODIs, but has gone for the classic traditional white headband for Tests, just as I’m sure Terror Turner and Demon Spofforth used to wear.

He, like many before him, starts his day being cut for four by Head, always taking on the width with a right-armer’s angle across the lefty. And then, like many before him, almost bowls Head dragging on, this time the batter getting lucky. It’s become a genuine problem for Head in the past year.

9th over: Australia 32-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 15) Travis Head getting off strike facing Rabada may well be a great move for Australia. A glance achieves that, hopping and poking the ball away, allowing Renshaw to soak up most of the over. As a batting team, you just want Rabada’s spell done with no damage.

A bit of damage to Renshaw’s shoulder, as he wears a short ball and smiles it off. Plays the line well, too, even when the ball does deck away. Not many have done, but Rabada has produced a couple, as has Jansen. 8th over: Australia 31-0 (Renshaw 17, Head 14) There’s been a lot of talk about Head as an opener, some people saying he should go back to five where he prospered, others scoffing and pointing as his good overall numbers, averaging near 50.

The thing is that all of his big scores as opener have come in the second innings, when the match situation is clearer. He averages literally twice as much as he does in his first innings, when conditions are usually tougher. He’s averaging 67 vs 33 on that split.

So today is a chance for a big first-innings score. Although, given its the second innings of the match, this still isn’t the same as a tricky session-one challenge on the first day, with the ball moving around in the gloom. In the first innings of matches, rather than his first team innings, he averages 23 opening.

Adds a single here, struck to deep point but they have a sweeper back. So it’s Renshaw who does the boundary scoring, playing a fine on-drive from Jansen. 7th over: Australia 26-0 (Renshaw 13, Head 13) Three slips and two gullies for Rabada bowling to Renshaw, after Head slips away from strike again.

Renshaw happy to leave where he can. He made his first impression in Test cricket at the age of 20 by leaving a lot of balls at Adelaide Oval, and in the peak “play your natural game” era of Aussie bats booming drives to slip, people fell upon his innings like desert-walkers quenching thirst at an oasis.

6th over: Australia 25-0 (Renshaw 13, Head 12) South Africa really blew a chance after that opening stand yesterday. It was 158 in quick time, and they looked on track to make the biggest score against Australia after being sent in. That record is 479, built on the famous Viv Richards 208 at the MCG in 1984.

Instead of that, South Africa got nowhere near it, and their 329 all out finished up 17th on that list. Head flashes outside off again, and again finds the boundary Jansen now the bowler wincing. That wasn’t even wide, Head leaned back to create room for his hands, and took the ball almost from the line of off stump.

Again, follows it up by dashing the single, challenging Bavuma’s whirring legs. Renshaw leaves. 5th over: Australia 20-0 (Renshaw 13, Head 7) Streaky bacon! That’s for breakfast in the Head household. Width from Rabada, nearly caught at gully, though a gully for Head is set deeper, more like a conventional backward point.

Head flashes the bat at this width and steers it past the fielder’s right hand by a metre or two. Next ball, tries to uppercut over the slips a ball that’s too close to his body. Things that are not conventional for opening the batting, but nor is he, and seeing the Ackerman and Markram stand yesterday will have only reiterated to Head that he can score quickly out here.

Bowlers in the game, though. He plays more conventionally by taking a single to cover. 4th over: Australia 15-0 (Renshaw 13, Head 2) Some luck for Renshaw there, edges the ball along the ground behind point while looking to turn it to leg. It rolls down to the fence, with fielders up around the bat early.

He ends the over with a more convincing shot for four, clipped off a leg-stump line, past the short leg catcher, lovely timing. There was a good leave in between those, too, a ball that he leaves on length even though it’s angling in, and goes over the off bail.

Well over. Considering that he was bowled while leaving in Gqeberha, that’s brave. 3rd over: Australia 7-0 (Renshaw 5, Head 2) In typical Travis Head style, he hasn’t faced many balls, doesn’t look convincing with the shot, but scores runs. Two of them from a thick inside edge off Rabada, into the leg side, and almost four more as he reaches very wide to flirt with a ball outside off, lucky not to middle rather than nick it, but unlucky to find backward point.

2nd over: Australia 5-0 (Renshaw 5, Head 0) All 12 balls so far have been faced by Renshaw, after that sixth-ball single. He carries on as he played in Durban, leaving wherever possible. Jansen does beat his edge at one stage, getting movement away, but Renshaw doesn’t follow the ball.

When Jansen ends the over going short at the body, Renshaw gets gloves underneath it. Very organised defensive approach to the over. 1st over: Australia 5-0 (Renshaw 5, Head 0) Lovely bounce and carry from Rabada with the new ball. Two left-handers for him to aim at.

The sun is shining again, the sky brilliantly blue, it looks a lovely day on the Cape. You’d best believe the mountain is hulking over the shoulder of the ground like a suspicious bouncer. Rabada doesn’t use the bouncer himself, comes around the wicket after a few balls but bowls a low full toss, and Renshaw with placement rather than effort deflects his square drive behind point for four, then takes one.

It’s Kagiso Rabada firing up the engines! Renshaw in his sights. This is good stuff. We’re about to start play in Cape Town, so let’s have at it. Meanwhile, Cricket Australia’s AGM has been the forum for them to announce a big annual profit, which they’re also using to further argue that they should privatise part of their operation because they need the money.

Funny how their answer to every scenario is the same one. While we’re on the subject of former England bowlers, always worth considering the one who probably still believes, in his heart of hearts, that he should still be a current England bowler – and perhaps he’s right.

James Anderson, bless him, still kicking, via Emma John. Our reader Rowan Sweeney suggested posting this article, purely as an exercise in underlining that Chris Woakes is a solid human being. I’ll do that because those of us working at this joint think the same of Ali Martin.

Here’s our match report from yesterday. For a time, it was heading up there with the worst. David Gower at Leeds in 1989, when Australia topped 600 and declared. Nasser Hussain in Brisbane, 2002, when Australia were 364 for two by the end of the day. Edgbaston 2005, where England lamped 407 from 80 overs.

Those were the looming comparisons for captains deciding to bowl at the toss, after Pat Cummins did the same in the third Test at Cape Town, only for South Africa’s openers to smash 140 by lunch. Yet, by day’s end, Australia had taken 10 for a further 189, Mitchell Starc destroying the tail with four wickets in six balls, 329 all out constituting a serious Australian comeback.

For those pondering why that batting sequence would be questionable, consider this. Travis Head: lots of runs as opener in his second innings of matches, bugger all the first time he bats. Matt Renshaw: was supposed to be the opener, then got bumped to five, made a ton first Test, had a poor second Test, and now has been moved back up top.

Marnus Labuschagne: playing for his spot, no hundreds in three years, keeps making 30s on this tour and then getting out. Josh Inglis: is not Steve Smith, who is out with a stiff neck. Cameron Green: coming back in after an injury layoff, still trying to prove himself as the genuine article with the bat at this level.

Alex Carey: mostly poor run since moving to six, averaging 20 in his last seven Tests. Cooper Connolly: spare-change pick to have him batting at seven, in the squad as a future talent, never made a first-class ton. Hello, friends. You’re back. Why wouldn’t you be?

Day one of this third Test in Cape Town was a barnstormer. How often do you see a team sent in, none for a hundred at lunch, and all out by stumps? It twisted, it turned, it rocked, it rolled, and it had Double Richard umpiring duties in the middle for Dick Kettleborough’s 100th Test.

We can at least guarantee the continuation of the umpiring part, barring any more illness absences like the one that took out Chris Gaffaney in the previous match. Australia ended the day happier, after Mitch Starc’s absurd ending burst of 6 for 10, and South Africa started it happier, after Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman flayed everything in the first session.

Now everyone will have had a night’s sleep to calm down, and then it will be time to see whether Australia’s heavily rejigged batting lineup can put anything reasonable together.