Australia v South Africa: first Test, day two – live | Australia cricket team

45th over: Australia 199-7 (Carey 8, Starc 8)

Kagiso Rabada is the leader of this Proteas attack but he was loose and expensive in his first spell. Captain Elgar banished him to the deep to cool his heels awhile and now he’s back. The hackles are up and he’s running in hard, albeit to a stubbornly defensive field. He has Carey hopping with the first three deliveries but slackens slightly to allow a single from the fourth. Starc sees out the over. Australia lead by 47.

44th over: Australia 198-7 (Carey 8, Starc 8)

Carey and Starc aren’t going into their shell here. Even against the pace of Jansen, the scoreboard is ticking over at just under a run-a-ball. If the Test has shown us anything so far it’s that batters, once established, can score freely. Australia threw the first punches this morning, then South Africa countered with the wickets of Head and Green. Now Australia are consolidating and the Test is teetering in the balance, ready to be taken by the scruff of the neck.

43rd over: Australia 197-7 (Carey 8, Starc 8)

Nortje thunders in amidst 50% humidity at the Gabba. This is a vital partnership. Alex Carey knows how to bat time. The diminutive wicketkeeper has climbed to a respectable 33-plus batting average from his 13 Tests so far but is yet to notch a century (his highest score is 93). Conversely, Starc loves to live by the Lance Cairns credo of ‘give it a heave’ but is watchful against the speed and guile of Nortje… until he isn’t. Bored and beligerent, he heaves the final ball to the rope.

42nd over: Australia 192-7 (Carey 7, Starc 4)

Marco Jansen is showing why South Africa have won their last three series in Australia. He has 3 for 23 from his six overs. That said, Alex Carey is a man in form with gloves and willow at the moment, and he shows why on Jansen’s second delivery, hoiking it square and running four. After Carey taps a single and Starc swerves inside some chin music, Australia take their lead to 40.

41st over: Australia 187-7 (Starc 4, Carey 1)

South Africa have done it again, taking wickets in clumps to derail Australia’s momentum. This time it is Head, out in the 90s for the second time this summer, getting some glove on a rising ball from Jansen he was looking to squirt down the legside. Although he reviewed the decision, Head looked sheepish from the get-go and so it proved as Snicko showed a clear flutter. He’s got to go and suddenly Australia have two fresh batters at the crease and the door is ajar for the Proteas to wrap up the tail and keep the lead (currently 35) small. Starc joins Carey and having clattered a boundary from his first ball from Nortje, shows again that he’s here for a good time not a long time.

WICKET! HEAD caught Verreynne bowled Jansen 92 (96)

40th over: Australia 182-6 (Head 92, Carey 1)

Green was every inch the impetuous youth there. He moved late and pushed hard to a fast angled ball in the corridor of uncertainty and got a healthy edge which flew into the slips where it was juggled, ballooning high, before being pouched by Sarel Erwee. South African tails are up!

WICKET!

39th over: Australia 174-5 (Head 89, Green 14)

As predicted, Rabada has been put on ice and the dangerous Marco Jansen enters the attack. He has 1 for 18 already and looks full of beans this morning.

38th over: Australia 178-5 (Head 89, Green 18)

Green has spanked three boundaries so far, all down the ground through long off, and he swipes Nortje to the rope on the first delivery. There is ominous intent in this strokeplay by the Australian batters. The Proteas need to tighten up fast or these two will take the game from them very quickly. Australia has rattled off 33 but Nortje’s final ball, a scorcher that narrowly whistles past the edge of Green’s bat, injects a bit of hope for the visitors.

37th over: Australia 174-5 (Head 89, Green 14)

Head plunders his way past 2000 Test runs off Rabada’s second ball, a short wide ball on the offside. He steals another three runs to move to 89 and when Green moves calmly onto the front foot to pump Rabada down the ground for another boundary, Dean Elgar sends the signal for Marco Jansen to warm-up for an early blast. Rabada has woken up on the wrong side and cost his side five runs an over so far.

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36th over: Australia 166-5 (Head 86, Green 9)

Nortje’s first ball of his 10th over is on the button but the second strays down leg side and Travis Head slides it off his hip to the fine leg boundary. The third is on an off side line but Head skips inside it and clips it close to the rope for more runs. He squirts another two square and cuts for a single to move to 86 from 92 balls and retain the strike for the next over from Rabada.

36th over: Australia 157-5 (Head 81, Green 9)

After some advice/ admonishment from skipper Dean Elgar, Kagiso Rabada has tightened up his line and length. Green can’t get any of the first four deliveries away but when Rabada errs and it’s in the slot Green leans in and taps it with a tremendous crack to send the ball careering down the ground for a four. Lovely shot by the big Sandgroper. He has his eye in now and looks to have slept well.

35th over: Australia 153-5 (Head 81, Green 5)

Anrich Nortje, already with 2 for 37 from his first day’s toil, is partnering Rabada and he’ll want to do better than his mate did in his opening over. He does. The first two are bang on the money and Head parries them back. He lashes at the third but it doesn’t hit the middle and Nortje fields it easily off his own bowling. Head is jumping at the fourth as it angles across his body. He wants a single but Green smartly sends him back. The youngster is happy at the none-striker’s end, still aglow from that silky drive down the ground in the previous over.

34th over: Australia 153-5 (Head 81, Green 5)

Green is off the mark, nudging Rabada down the ground for a single off the first while Head misses the chance to blaze two half-volleys through the gaps, finding the field each time. He makes no mistake off the fourth long-hop and crunches it to the rope for three. Inspired, Green clobbers the last one down the ground for a boundary. Bright start by the men in baggy greens

The players are on the field. Here comes Travis Head swaggering to the middle with the long tall drink of water that is Cameron Green trailing behind. The big allrounder is 17 Tests into his career but has looked every inch the rookie lately. Can he dust off the cobwebs and find some time in the middle? Mr Rabada, who opens the attack, will have plenty to say about it.

34th over: Australia 145-5 (Head 78, Green 0)

Congrats to Mike in East Maitland, home to that prince of the ring Les Darcy, who answered correctly that Dale Steyn is the other South African speedster to hail from Uitenhage. Like Steyn once did, Nortje tends for the title of fastest bowler in the world right now. He made his name as a T20 sensation in the Indian Premier League, but now has 57 wickets from his 15 Tests so far at the impressive average of 27.52. Doubtless the Australians studied his barrages on the flat Pakistan decks and knew he’d take to Australian conditions with gusto. He will be primed for a big morning under the Brisbane sun today.

There’s still time to catch up with all the Day 1 action. Read Geoff Lemon’s report

It’s a sunny Sunday here in Brisbane. The Gabba ground staff are lending last minute additions to this blazing green-top and South Africa’s speedster Anrich Nortje is talking about the origin of his fearsome pace: the run-up apparently, not the pantomime twirling of what is his splendid fast-bowler’s moustache. The burly 29-year-old certainly troubled the Australian batters yesterday, nudging 150km/h and finding good lines. Perhaps those lines and speed emulate that of the Volkswagen factory in his home town of Uitenhage? Q for readers: Which other Proteas pace great hailed from this town, north of Port Elizabeth?

Angus Fontaine