That’s all, folks. Usman Khawaja has unsurprisingly been named Man of the Match for his glorious and unbeaten 195 and David Warner has surprisingly won Player of the Series for rebounding from a multiplicity of dud scores and off-field dramas to hit a jaw-dropping double-ton in the Boxing Day Test. Thanks for joining us across five rain-affected days in Sydney. After a wonderful home summer of victories over West Indies and South Africa, Australian cricket fans now cast their eyes to the subcontinent, the fabled “last frontier” of India, and a series against the world’s No 1 Test side starting in Nagpur on February 16. Should be a cracker. Go well ‘til then – may all your cricket summers be endless!

As we toast another glorious home summer of success for Pat Cummins’ side, I’ll ready Geoff Lemon’s just-arrived match report and post it on this page shortly. Stay tuned…

Who was your Man of the Match and Player of the Series? Although it was a series dominated by bowlers, Australia’s batters all had wonderful moments. David Warner’s rousing double-ton in Melbourne was perhaps the most memorable and Usman Khawaja’s unbeaten 195 in Sydney was the most majestic but Travis Head’s 92 at the Gabba was probably the most decisive. Without it Australia likely would’ve lost that Test as the South African pace cartel flared into dramatic, demonic life late on the final day. Easy to forget Steve Smith also scored 104 here too, although somehow he still looks out of form…

42nd over: South Africa 106-2 (Bavuma 17, Erwee 42) Although the crowd haven’t seen the victory charge they longed for it’s been a sunny day conducted in sunny spirits. Marnus is tossing up some comic relief in these final overs and Sarel Erwee is so relaxed he’s taken off his helmet and donned the cap. As the over comes to a close, Pat Cummins calls it. He shakes Temba Bavuma’s hand and the Sydney Test ends in a draw and the series with a 2-0 scoreline.

41st over: South Africa 101-2 (Bavuma 16, Erwee 40) Bavuma sweeps Agar for four in a sign the South Africans think they’re home and can throw off the shackles a tad. But for Ashton Agar it’s deadly serious. Every ball matters to his future prospects. So far he’s wicketless and woebegone in his Test return and there’s a ticket to India on the line. Cummins has given him every chance to succeed but maybe all that rain early in the Test has robbed him of a true fifth day fizzer to show his true colours. Bavuma shows his, belting another four.

40th over: South Africa 96-2 (Bavuma 11, Erwee 40) Can Marnus be the mouse that roared? If self-belief took wickets he’d have have a hat-trick already. Instead he settles for three dot balls, an Erwee driven boundary from the fourth and two more dots. Seven overs left in the day and eight wickets required. Where’s Scott “double-wicket maiden” Boland when you need him?

39th over: South Africa 92-2 (Bavuma 11, Erwee 36) Ashton Agar gets another go but his tight lines are getting no bites from Bavuma and Erwee. Desperate, the tall lefty from West Australia tosses the fifth one up and Erwee flays him to the outer for three. Eight overs left in the day and much to the Sydney crowd’s delight, Marnus will get another of them.

38th over: South Africa 88-2 (Bavuma 10, Erwee 33) Something different? Meet Marnus Labuschagne. Finally, Cummins scratches the flea in his ear and gives his livewire little No 3 a go at bowling Australia to glory. I’m a little surprised he hasn’t bowled already. Marnus magic does have a habit of sprinkling itself in the strangest places in the oddest ways. The crowd love it as Labuschagne wheels in wide and fizzes a few in. He appeals for the fourth and draws an edge to the fifth with much ado about what is ultimately nothing. Lots of fun but futile, alas.

37th over: South Africa 88-2 (Bavuma 10, Erwee 33) With nothing to lose and not much to gain, Pat Cummins will give Ashton Agar another chance. A kindly move to the newly-returned tweaker who hasn’t had the Test comeback he’d have hoped for. Perhaps he used up every iota of mojo in that magical Test debut at Trent Bridge all those years ago? He leaks a single but doesn’t break through. What next for Cummins? They need something different, and they need it now.

36th over: South Africa 87-2 (Bavuma 10, Erwee 32) Nathan Lyon is wicketless from his 15 overs so far and on a turning Sydney wicket that will hurt him. For all the GOAT’s bravura deeds in his 114 Tests and 438 Test wickets there are still rumbles that he’s not delivered on last day wickets. He still has time to change that but the shadows are lengthening at the SCG and so are the odds of victory.

35th over: South Africa 87-2 (Bavuma 10, Erwee 32) If Pat Cummins had been at Beersheeba for the 3rd Light Horse Brigade’s charge in 1917, he’s have led it. Here he does the same, marshalling his troops and spearheading the final charge. Sure, there are only 13 overs remaining and Australia need eight wickets but he’s running in hard and hurling the old rock with everything he’s got. Unfortunately for him Sarel Erwee has had his feet up for a few days and is in no hurry whatsoever to score runs or chance his hand chasing them. Five dots and a single is the dull result of all that backbreaking labour.

34th over: South Africa 86-2 (Bavuma 9, Erwee 32) Bavuma drops his bat (but not his bundle)! He belted Lyon’s second ball through mid on and set off hard for three but fumbled his willow running the second, meaning he may have cost himself a run. He has. The bat hit a divot near the bowler’s crease and jarred out of Bavuma’s grip but he ran the third anyway. Sorry Temba, just two to the tally.

33rd over: South Africa 84-2 (Bavuma 7, Erwee 32) Eight wickets in 15 overs? Surely it can’t be done. But Pat Cummins won’t give up on the dream just yet. The captain has the match ball in his big right hand and is blasting it at Sarel Erwee who has meandered to 31 from 87 deliveries to provide much-needed ballast to an innings that might’ve floundered like those in previous Tests. He drives Cummins’ third ball down the ground and takes a single and Bavuma does the same from the fourth easing it around the corner for another run. The last jags back at Erwee and hits the inside edge before ricocheting below the belt. Sarel may be singing an octave higher after that one.

32nd over: South Africa 82-2 (Bavuma 6, Erwee 31) “Get it up there Gazza!” is the cry from the close in fielders as Lyon tries to make his 13th over a lucky one. Bavuma is up to the challenge though. He shuffles across each time and blocks out a maiden. As drinks come onto the field, there’s talk of calling it a draw by mutual consent of the captains but there’s no movement from Cummins on field or Elgar from the sheds. It looks like these old rivals will fight to the last.

31st over: South Africa 82-2 (Bavuma 6, Erwee 31) The boy from Penrith runs in from the Paddington end. It’s Cummins’ sixth over and he is drawing deep into his arsenal of attack balls. The first is a fast one, 140kph, which Bavuma watches sail by. The second is a slower ball, just 108kph, and Bavuma gets in front. He gets his body behind the third too but it hits his hip and sends him hopping. Cummins has bruised him up but can he blast him out?

30th over: South Africa 81-2 (Bavuma 5, Erwee 30) South Africa have lost two wickets but they are hanging on. Nathan Lyon continues in his long spell. He’s still wicketless after 12 overs but it’s not for want of trying. Bavuma won’t be intimidated though. He steps out to the third and strokes it through the covers for three. Erwee doesn’t look as convincing. Lyon’s last delivery hisses past the outside edge, another close thing that sends the offspinner’s hands to his head looking for hair to pull out in anguish.

29th over: South Africa 77-2 (Bavuma 2, Erwee 30) Cummins v Bavuma has been a genuine battle this series. The little right-hander has stood up to the champion fastbowler in each and every Test. The captain has rested his workhorse Josh Hazlewood and brought himself back into the attack. Bavuma blocks the first five and sneaks two from the last. Just 18 overs remaining in the day.

28th over: South Africa 75-2 (Bavuma 0, Erwee 30) Cummins backs his champions and after one delivers he persists with another. Can Lyon follow Hazlewood’s wicket with one of his own. The fifth ball almost does it. Lyon tosses it up and it finds rough and rears like a funnel web out of the dirt and almost catches Erwee’s edge. Bit of blood in the water for South Africa here. Can Australia swarm in for the kill? Or will Bavuma’s bravery blunt their final charge?

27th over: South Africa 75-1 (Klaasen 35, Erwee 30) He hasn’t given an inch but he hasn’t taken a mile either. Josh Hazlewood rumbles in for another to Klaasen who has 35 from 57 balls and cantering to stumps…. until Hazlewood rockets one into his pads. There’s a shout but it’s leaning down legside and there’s nio reviews in the back pocket so the gas goes out of it pretty quick. As always, Hazlewood is bending his back and giving it everything. Klaasen looks calm but he needs to stay alert. With 20 overs left in the day after this there’s still ample time for this Proteas side to implode one last time.

26th over: South Africa 74-1 (Klaasen 35, Erwee 29) Salt in the wound for Lyon as Klaasen clobbers the first delivery of his 10th over to the fence. Lovely pull shot from the big No 3 and he follows it with a clout down the ground which Pat Cummins is happy for Usman Khawaja to chase down. Lyon switches to around the wicket to the big lefty and he’s finding the rough alright but not the return. That over, where two certain wickets amounted to zilch, took a lot from Lyon.

25th over: South Africa 66-1 (Klaasen 28, Erwee 28) With Australian players and fans still shaking their heads at the catch-that-wasn’t from the previous Lyon over, Hazlewood picks up the cudgel for a fourth over. Lyon has returned to the outer rankled but is now signing autographs for kids hanging over the fence. Smith though, having had his honesty questioned twice in this Test and seen both catches cancelled by freeze-frame replays, is not as easily calmed. He’s spitting chips into his hands before every delivery. Hazlewood bowls another maiden but it’s slipping away for Australia and everyone knows it.

24th over: South Africa 66-1 (Klaasen 28, Erwee 28) Lyon’s first ball of his ninth over is a ripper. It bounces a clear foot from left to right and raps Erwee under the knee roll and bang in front. There’s a huge appeal but the umpire’s finger remains steadfastly down. Australia have no reviews left. Will it come back to bite them? It does. The ball is bashing down middle peg but it’s umpire’s call. Lyon is livid. His next two deliveries have extra venom but the batters run singles from both. The fourth catches Klaasen’s edge and slides to Smith at first slip. He claims the catch but there’s no decision from the umpire. We will review all angles and try and find a blade of grass between the ball and the hand…

23rd over: South Africa 64-1 (Klaasen 27, Erwee 27) Desperate for a breakthrough, Steve Smith gets a chance. He tosses up the first and Sarel Erwee tonks the second, a rank long hop, straight down the ground to the boundary. The third is the worst ball of the series. It sticks in Smith’s claw and almost bounces twice. Klaasen puts it out of its misery by sweeping it to the rope. Seven runs from four balls and that’s fine if the plan is to buy a wicket. The fifth fizzes out of the rough but Smith’s grip is sticky and he doesn’t look happy.

22nd over: South Africa 56-1 (Klaasen 24, Erwee 22) As Lyon leans into his eighth over without a breakthrough, the absence of Cameron Green is being discussed in the commentary box and the crowd. With Ashton Agar selection a bust and Scott Boland benched to make way for him, and Matt Renshaw in for Green, Australia look imbalanced. How Cummins is craving that fourth seaming option.

21st over: South Africa 52-1 (Klaasen 20, Erwee 22) Hazlewood returns! This will be the big quick’s third over of the innings and he needs to make it count. After resting his injury for the first Tests, the 58 Test tyro with 217 wickets to his name should be cherry ripe and raring to go. He bowled 23 overs in the fiurst innings and claimed four wickets with them, each better than the last. Can he find that reverse swing he seeks and cause havoc in the Proteas ranks one last time? Sarel Erwee knows Hazlewood’s reputation too well. He’s on the back foot and watchful to each probing delivery, content to concede a maiden over and give the strike back to Heinrich Klaasen for the Lyon over to come.

20th over: South Africa 52-1 (Klaasen 20, Erwee 22) Nathan Lyon continues to wheel away to little effect. He is tossing the ball up and pinning Heinrich Klaasen deep in the crease but the first drop’s bat looks broad and his demeanour is utterly unfussed. He sees off another over and the crowd is getting restless. They want fresh blood and they want it now.

19th over: South Africa 51-1 (Klaasen 20, Erwee 21) South Africa are in cruise control here, rotating the strike with ease clipping three and then two from Head’s benign spin. Their feet are moving and they’re on top of any attempted deception. Australia need a jumpstart. Surely a fresh burst of Josh Hazlewood is on the breeze?

18th over: South Africa 48-1 (Klaasen 18, Erwee 20) We have spin from both ends now, with Lyon resuming for a sixth over. Erwee takes a single from the third but despite some jagging out of that dark patch in front of the crease, the batters look comfortable playing with the spin. Lyon needs to lift it a notch.

17th over: South Africa 47-1 (Klaasen 18, Erwee 19) Cummins plays his wildcard! Travis Head has the ball and will need to better his best bowling of 4-10 if he’s to steer his side to triumph. He tosses the ball up and tries a few variations but Erwee and Klaasen are using the crease well, lunging forward and skipping back to nullify any spin. They add a single and survive another over.

16th over: South Africa 46-1 (Klaasen 18, Erwee 18) It’s Nathan Lyon charged with the first over of the last session. Lyon the Lionheart needs to get his line right here. There’s rough aplenty in this pitch but Sarel Erwee watches all six fly by untouched. Seems the South Africans will not chase victory, alas.

16th over: South Africa 46-1 (Klaasen 17, Erwee 18) Final session of the final Test. Here we go. The Sydney skies are sapphire blue. The players are emerging from the Members Pavilion. We have 32 overs remaining and nine wickets required for Australia to claim an unlikely victory and a 3-0 series sweep. Much depends on this first hour. Who will Pat Cummins throw the ball to?

15th over: South Africa 46-1 (Klaasen 17, Erwee 18) Ashton Agar is certainly being given every chance to succeed. Cummins puts the five year Test exile on for a fifth over. Klaasen works him away for a single from the second but Erwee is happy to tap the four back. And that’ll be Tea, folks,

14th over: South Africa 45-1 (Klaasen 17, Erwee 18) Nathan Lyon resumes to Klaasen who has 13 from 16 and is showing refreshing intent to score and not be pinned down. He takes three from Lyon’s second, taking a big step back to expose the stumps and cut it close to the rope. Lyon continues to attack. He has men on either side of the batter and Smith at slip so there’s yawning chasms of space in the outfield to tempt the batters into having a hoik. Instead, from the fourth, Lyon delivers a money ball, a floater that finds a divot, spits off the pitch and flies off the edge just wide of Steve Smith sprawling to his right. Great ball and almost a brilliant catch by Smith. Hands on heads all round out there. With 33 overs remaining in the day, Australia need to take every chance.

13th over: South Africa 40-1 (Klaasen 13, Erwee 17) Interesting! We have a bowling replacement but it’s Ashton Agar not Travis Head coming on. There’s plenty of rubble-like soil out there to exploit. Can Agar find it? He does with the first! It finds the rough, grips hard and jags back but Erwee digs it out just in time. The third shoots through at the sizzling clip of 90kph but Erwee isn’t tempted and lets it pass outside off. The fifth from Agar is flat and drops fast. Erwee flat bats it, and the sixth, away without any trouble

12th over: South Africa 40-1 (Klaasen 13, Erwee 17) Lyon grinds away but so far so little. Although he’s attacking with every delivery and couldn’t give two hoots about leaking boundaries, he’s currently bowling too straight and with too little drift. The gate won’t open that way, GOAT. Klaasen takes a four with a sweetly timed drive from the fifth delivery. Hm. Might be time to give Travis a go?

11th over: South Africa 36-1 (Klaasen 9, Erwee 17) Looking every inch the image of Atlas, Pat Cummins' shoulders will again bear the load of delivering victory. He is rolling into his fourth over and has delivered the cut the head of the snake by scalping Dean Elgar yet again. But Australia need another nine wickets and time is running out. Barring any late heroics, we must assume the Ashton Agar Experiment has flopped and that Cummins, Hazlewood, Lyon and perhaps Head are the wicket-takers. Klaasen clips three from the over to further destroy the neat symmetry of the 1 for 1 Cummins had eight balls ago.

10th over: South Africa 33-1 (Klaasen 6, Erwee 17) Lyon delivers a maiden but containment won’t cut it here. He needs to bear his fangs and scalp this Proteas top-order. Time to remind the world why in 2015, he was nicknamed “GOAT”. (That was the year Lyon became Australia’s most successful Test offspinner of all time, passing Hugh Trumble’s tally of 141 wickets).

9th over: South Africa 33-1 (Klaasen 6, Erwee 17) That was a captain’s dismissal in every sense. Skipper to skipper. But once more, Cummins dismantles his rival with a planned move Elgar must have known was coming but couldn’t resist. Poor discipline from a man in his 81st Test. Questions will be asked back home. At 35 years of age, Elgar’s captaincy career hangs by a thread. And his batting record, for all the grit of yore, still reads 5000 runs at the less than elite average of 38. Perhaps new batter Klaasen has the answers. He swats Cummins for a four to get his innings kickstarted.

8th over: South Africa 27-0 (Elgar 10, Erwee 17) Australia have a mountain to climb – 10 wickets in 25 overs – so they turn to the GOAT. Nathan Lyon has had troubles of his own bowling Australia to victory on the final day but he’ll be keen to deliver history and a warning to the powerful Indian batting lineup ahead of Australia’s tour to the subcontinent starting February 16 in Nagpur. He leaks a single to Elgar in this opening over but there’ll be chances aplenty to come.

7th over: South Africa 26-0 (Elgar 9, Erwee 17) Ball after ball, over after over, Pat Cummins is nagging at Dean Elgar. He sends a couple of tempters down the line of off stump then digs the third in short where Elgar hops and squirts it away. But he can’t get off strike and while runs are unimportant to the South Africans, the pressure is building. Finally, Elgar unpins himself from the strike zone with a hasty single. We have 25 overs remaining and the Proteas are 194 runs in arrears.

6th over: South Africa 25-0 (Elgar 8, Erwee 17) Good show of faith in Agar by Cummins as he starts his third over. With 0-17 his figures are already unflattering but he’s been picked for a reason and now’s the time to show why. Bowling over the wicket to Erwee he’s targeting a line outside off, bowling full and trying for a late nip away. He doesn’t get it, but does deliver a maiden. Might buy him another over but Australia need a breakthrough. Who will deliver it?

5th over: South Africa 25-0 (Elgar 8, Erwee 17) Cometh the hour, cometh the Cummins. The skipper has asked Josh Hazlewood to cool his heels awhile so he can take the ball. Very first delivery he gets through the defences of Dean Elgar. Huge appeal but the onfield decision is not out. It was straight enough but maybe too high. Cummins didn’t look entirely convinced but the whispers in his ear from teammates closer in tempted him to refer the decision. It’s a bad referral in the end – the ball is certainly in line but flying over the top. Cummins goes again and this time aims for the armpit of the Proteas captain. Elgar hates it, and as unconvincingly as he has all series, sends a ball fizzing off the edge but just short of Labuschagne at silly mid off. Terrible absence of footwork from Elgar. He looks awful when that ball jags back at him.

4th over: South Africa 25-0 (Elgar 8, Erwee 17) Agar in trouble here! He’s lobbed up a full bunger to open his second over then a long hop on his fourth, both dispatched to rope by Sarel Erwee. The 29-year-old needs to shape up or Cummkins will ship him out and turn to the tweak of Lyon and Head instead.

3rd over: South Africa 17-0 (Elgar 8, Erwee 13) That was close! Elgar pushed at Hazlewood’s second ball and it skythed past the shoulder of the bat to gasps all round. The Bendemeer Bullet is bending the ball back to the left-handed Proteas skipper, harnessing the reverse swing we saw signs of earlier in the day. Elgar, so wretchedly out of form as both opener and leader, will be sweating bullets of his own here. It shows on the final delivery as pushes out and swishes hard at a faster ball and it catches the edge, just avoiding the leap of Steve Smith at slip and racing away to the boundary. A wry smile from Hazlewood and relief for Elgar. For now.

2nd over: South Africa 13-0 (Elgar 4, Erwee 9) Attacking captaincy by Cummins to introduce Agar so early. He was solid but un spectacular in the first innings, bowling a short-form line when he needed to toss it up for Test match mode. Sure enough he delivers a mixed bag, a near chance at slip from the second delivery before Erwee cuts him to the boundary twice to close the over. He’ll get another chance but needs to draw blood if Cummins is to maintain confidence.

1st over: South Africa 3-0 (Elgar 3, Erwee 1) It’ll be first innings hero Josh Hazlewood opening the second innings salvo. He’ll be keen to build on his four scalps in the first dig and, like his old NSW comrade Cummins, has a reputation as a last-day destroyer. However, Erwee works him for single off the first and Dean Elgar takes a two and a single from the fifth and sixth to break their ducks and get us started. Interestingly, Ashton Agar will kick off at the other end.

Thanks Geoff. An exciting afternoon awaits. News is that Pat Cummins has indeed enforced the follow-on. Australia’s bowlers will load up on electrolytes and gorge themselves on glucose-enriched snakes in the break. Can they rattle through the Proteas batsman a second time today? Players are set to take the field now under bright blue Sydney skies so let’s get ready to rumble!

Righto, that’s me done. For the day, the Test, the series, and the season. It has been a pleasure as it always is sharing the cricket with you from around Australia. There will be more soon enough, don’t you worry.

Angus Fontaine has the reins until the close.

107th over: South Africa 255-9 (Rabada 3) Last ball of the over when Harmer falls. So Nortje comes in at the non-striker’s end, and they’re 21 away from the follow-on.

106th over: South Africa 254-8 (Harmer 47, Rabada 2) Umpire’s call again! Maybe Nathan Lyon should move away from Umpire Reiffel’s end. Again he turns it towards the stumps. This time Harmer has moved across and is hit on the back leg, but in line with middle rather than off. So again, it’s clipping or not clipping leg stump, depending on the original umpiring decision. If Reiffel gives one of these, it will remain out.

105th over: South Africa 254-8 (Harmer 47, Rabada 2) Hazlewood continues. Rabada hasn’t swung the bat yet. Goes under a bouncer, fences at a good length blocks a yorker. Endures.

104th over: South Africa 254-8 (Harmer 47, Rabada 2) Nearly the ninth! Australia review after Lyon hits Harmer on the pad. Hitting just in line with off stump, but the width of his line and the sharpness of turn means that anything hitting in line is probably missing leg stump. This one is umpire’s call. Huge groan from the crowd. No run from the over.

103rd over: South Africa 254-8 (Harmer 47, Rabada 2) Also the way Hazlewood is bowling, Harmer has the best chance to survive him and should be trying to face most of his bowling. Rabada runs a ball off the edge but Khawaja stops it well in the gully. A few balls later, he’s dropped! Doesn’t know much about the ball, leading edge to a square midwicket, and Agar has to stretch up to his left but gets both hands to it, and it wasn’t travelling at the speed of light. That’s a proper miss, not like some of the ones off the spinners. Rabada off the mark. Follow-on is 22 away.

102nd over: South Africa 252-8 (Harmer 47, Rabada 0) Harmer just settles in to see off the Cummins over. Not too sure about this, I think he still needs to look to score if possible. Maybe he knows that Rabada will throw the bat anyway, so he might as well just make sure he’s still there if another wicket falls.

101st over: South Africa 252-8 (Harmer 47, Rabada 0) Here comes Rabada, 24 runs from the follow-on. Can bat, has been very loose this series though. Hazlewood around the wicket to the left-hander, who defends his first couple of balls to finish the over.

One last burst for Australia. Cummins with the ball. Only 58 overs remaining. If they don’t get this innings wrapped up inside 10 of those, I’d say it’s gone.

The sun is shining strongly, the day is warm, and we are ready to do some cricketing in the afternoon session. Shall we?

99th over: South Africa 244-7 (Harmer 45, Maharaj 49) Steve Smith with the last over before lunch, and lands them all but Harmer defends them away.

98th over: South Africa 244-7 (Harmer 45, Maharaj 49) A big slog across the line from Maharaj, smears one through midwicket from Lyon. Harmer levels up their scores again with a single, 45 and 45. Inside edge into pad has the Australians yelping, but no bone. Then Maharaj lines one up, over Lyon’s head for four! The bowler sprang up to try to get the catch, but not tall enough.

97th over: South Africa 238-7 (Harmer 44, Maharaj 44) Harmer wakes from his slumber, driving a couple from Agar down the ground. Another over goes by.

96th over: South Africa 235-7 (Harmer 42, Maharaj 43) His name means King, and he’s batting like one now. Maharaj goes back and thumps a short ball from Head over the midwicket rope for six!

95th over: South Africa 227-7 (Harmer 41, Maharaj 36) Agar bowling left-arm over the wicket to Maharaj and Harmer, who are mostly happy to kick the ball away. Can’t be leg before wicket if it pitches outside leg stump. 49 from the follow-on.

94th over: South Africa 225-7 (Harmer 40, Maharaj 35) Five penalty runs! Things are slipping for Australia. Getting antsy for a breakthrough, they bring Head back on, and he gets a ball to skid through Harmer but it beats Carey as well. Hits the fielding helmet sitting behind the keeper and that’s five.

93rd over: South Africa 219-7 (Harmer 40, Maharaj 34) Agar is back on, dual spin, and Harmer defends out the over.

92nd over: South Africa 219-7 (Harmer 40, Maharaj 34) Yep, there he goes. Maharaj quickly plays a cut shot against Lyon for a couple, then onto the front foot and slams a drive down the ground for four. Shorter from Lyon, backs away and carves another four! Backward of point that time. 57 runs to the follow-on.

91st over: South Africa 209-7 (Harmer 40, Maharaj 24) A single off the Cummins over, so now it’ll be Maharaj facing Lyon, which could get interesting. The fielders trying to get the ball reversing by throwing it in on the bounce.

90th over: South Africa 208-7 (Harmer 40, Maharaj 23) Another over of Lyon working away at Harmer, who isn’t attempting anything beyond a defensive shot at the spinner.

89th over: South Africa 208-7 (Harmer 40, Maharaj 23) Cummins back for Hazlewood, and he’s not getting much help from the surface which is perhaps why he keeps throwing in the short ball. Maharaj is meeting it pretty well now with evasion instead of playing shots every time.

88th over: South Africa 206-7 (Harmer 39, Maharaj 23) Harmer meanwhile keeps on quietly doing his thing at the other end. Defending Lyon, thick inside edge but with soft hands along the ground. Walking across his stumps. No run from the over.

87th over: South Africa 206-7 (Harmer 39, Maharaj 23) Keeps finding the middle of the bat, even when he doesn’t beat the field. Nice back-foot punch from Maharaj for none, then another pull shot for two. Hazlewood will be getting a bit irritated with this fellow. South Africa have their highest score of the series, for what that’s worth.

86th over: South Africa 204-7 (Harmer 39, Maharaj 21) Lyon replaces Cummins, hitting the pad of Maharaj in front. Probably high and going down leg, fractionally. They don’t review.

85th over: South Africa 202-7 (Harmer 38, Maharaj 20) Another pull shot timed nicely but there’s protection back for Harmer, and Hazlewood concedes only a couple from the over. The new ball hasn’t done much for Australia’s quicks but it has boosted South Africa’s scoring. Maybe Lyon will have more luck with it, some extra bounce.

84th over: South Africa 200-7 (Harmer 37, Maharaj 19) Cracked away by Maharaj! Short ball and he hooks Cummins for four. Got onto it early and got plenty of it. Cummins responds with pace at the top of off stump, then dips shorter and gets clobbered again! Same result. The next short ball is not halfway up and able to be hit, it’s at the throat, and Maharaj leaps to fend it off. Then straying down the leg side and taken for a single. Cummins bowled a fine spell yesterday but hasn’t got his rhythm yet in this spell. 76 from avoiding the follow-on.

83rd over: South Africa 191-7 (Harmer 37, Maharaj 10) South Africa’s lower order going along well now. Less than an hour to lunch. Hazlewood goes full looking for swing. Harmer drives it crisply through mid off for four. Admittedly that was the ball after an outside edge for four, but it was safely along the ground. They’re 85 from the follow-on.

82nd over: South Africa 182-7 (Harmer 29, Maharaj 9) Cummins to Maharaj, who will keep on keeping on: hurls the bat at some width, no control but slices a boundary off the top edge to deep third. Gets a single to follow.

81st over: South Africa 177-7 (Harmer 29, Maharaj 4) New ball arrives, and Hazlewood grabs it immediately. Doesn’t make Harmer play at the first four balls though, outside off stump. Less comfortable with the sixth, pitched short and jumping at him.

80th over: South Africa 177-7 (Harmer 29, Maharaj 4) Travis Head is outbowling almost everyone! Gets a ball to jump from a length right up at the splice. Then he drops a return catch! Maharaj lashes a drive straight back at him, just above his right shoulder, but it’s travelling too quickly for Head to do more than deflect away. Three drops in six balls off his bowling? Maharaj is undeterred and drives a couple of runs down the ground. They’re 99 from the follow-on.

79th over: South Africa 174-7 (Harmer 28, Maharaj 2) Another over with no runs, Agar wheeling away at Maharaj, but his line is errant on occasion.

78th over: South Africa 174-7 (Harmer 28, Maharaj 2) Dropped! Two in two, was it! Both tough ones. Harmer gets a solid edge straight at Marnus Labuschagne at short leg, fast enough that it hits his wrist before he has time to react. Then next ball perhaps a tiny feather of an edge at Carey but it’s in and out. Not sure if that would have been given, there’s the tiniest murmur on the soundwave graph. But Travis Head creating at least one wicket-taking opportunity, if not two.

77th over: South Africa 174-7 (Harmer 28, Maharaj 2) Not sure about Agar and Head in tandem. Lyon looked so good that he should be at one end all day. Harmer cuts Agar with great timing, but Warner at deep cover comes zooming across to dive and save two runs on the boundary.

76th over: South Africa 171-7 (Harmer 25, Maharaj 2) A couple of singles from Travis Head’s over, no more drama yet.

75th over: South Africa 169-7 (Harmer 24, Maharaj 1) In contrast to Jansen, Maharaj wastes no time, taking a leg-side single first ball from Agar. Jansen was out there for an hour but didn’t move them any closer to that follow-on mark. One run in the whole stay.

74th over: South Africa 167-7 (Harmer 23) He took 4 for 10 in Sri Lanka in 2022, Travis Head. That over he’s 1 for 1. Bowled an over yesterday for six runs too.

73rd over: South Africa 166-6 (Jansen 11, Harmer 22) Ashton Agar gets a bowl. Harmer is happy to go after him, lashing a wide ball through point for a run. Agar does get one to explode out of the rough, though.

72nd over: South Africa 165-6 (Jansen 11, Harmer 21) Big sweep from Jansen, misses the lot. Down on one knee and way over the top of the ball. Instead of going into his shell he tries it again next ball and middles it, but straight at square leg. Lyon darts one through faster but starts it wide, and the shot goes to cover. Jansen starts defending instead, but plays at every ball of the over.

71st over: South Africa 165-6 (Jansen 11, Harmer 21) Turning over the strike nicely now. Harmer keeps playing the pull shot when on offer, taking a run from Hazlewood. The bowler is around the wicket to Jansen, wanting to menace him with the spectre of short bowling, though he mainly bowls full in this over. Finally Jansen joins in the run-scoring caper, swinging through the line to send a single deep on the leg side.

70th over: South Africa 163-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 20) That was nearly the one we were expecting! Lyon gets the turn into the right-hander, the edge towards short leg, and it bounces just short of Head. Then an outside edge past slip that gets Harmer a run.

69th over: South Africa 161-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 19) Hazlewood operating and Harmer is defending when full, trying to score when short. He has done plenty with the bat in county cricket, has a very respectable first-class record. Gets a run off the last ball.

68th over: South Africa 160-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 18) That turn keeps coming for Lyon. Harmer waits right back and hits across the line to deep square leg. Just the one run with a fielder out. Jansen goes the other way, using all of his reach and getting right forward. Could be getting his front foot outside the line of the stumps more. They’re 116 from the follow on.

67th over: South Africa 160-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 17) Josh Hazlewood comes on and bowls short. The Australian quicks just can’t help it when Jansen is on strike. It’s like they look up at his height and have to try to hit it. A couple of good-length balls appear eventually. Surely Jansen is a strong nick candidate, the way his backlift wafts around. No run.

This is true – the thing is that in that situation the lead is necessarily under 200. So say that’s a 180 margin with two sessions to go, South Africa would have a good chance to get a win. I can’t see Australia being that generous.

66th over: South Africa 160-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 17) Lyon keeps working away near those footmarks, getting a lot of turn from them. It really does look like a matter of time until one gets an edge into pad and pops up. Harmer drives a fuller ball for a couple of runs, good that he’s looking to score where he can.

65th over: South Africa 158-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 15) He’s doing a good job with the straighter stuff from Cummins, is Harmer. Knocks away another single off the pads. Jansen is not looking to score at all, just gets behind the ball. The pitch looking more chewed up than you might expect given all the lost sessions. Scott Boland might have been handy…

64th over: South Africa 157-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 14) Spin to Harmer for the first time today, Lyon over the wicket floating them in at Jansen’s footmarks outside the off stump. Far less wear on this wicket than usual. But there is one particular patch, and after a few balls he hits it. The ball spins savagely in at Harmer, who inside edges it past short leg! Gets a run, but could so easily have gone to hand. Two short legs for Jansen, who normally only has long ones. The wicket almost comes on the other side! In about four different methods. Just gets a nick to a ball that might have had him lbw. The edge is heading for his stumps but ricochets off his back pad. The deflection heads for the keeper, but hits his pad rather than his gloves. Then it almost bounces to slip but lands just short. That’s some sequence.

63rd over: South Africa 156-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 13) In the fourth over, Harmer gets the runs part of the scoreboard moving. Knocks a ball off a straight line behind square leg for two. Then decides to tackle the short ball, pulling Cummins airborne to the empty spot behind square leg. Four runs. They drop a deep forward square leg out, because they already have a leg slip and a fine leg behind square. Doesn’t matter, Harmer pulls the next ball anyway, but into the ground and finer to pick up a run.

62nd over: South Africa 149-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 6) Three overs without a run. Jansen does try a big sweep at Lyon but misses and gets nervous after that, defending or driving to mid on.

61st over: South Africa 149-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 6) No run from Cummins to Harmer either. Cummins tries that length at the hip that brought him the wicket of Klaasen yesterday and Elgar earlier in the series. Otherwise he concentrates on off stump.

60th over: South Africa 149-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 6) Lyon in fact will spin us off, the tall figure of Jansen facing him. Lyon lands the first few nicely from over the wicket to the right-hander, drawing an inside edge that lands safely on the leg side. No score from the over.

Nathan Lyon to start off the day with the ball, Marco Jansen with the bat.

We’re about to get underway. Sunshine!

For the full story, I wrote this report about yesterday. Just for you.

What about the match? In one way, simple, Australia need 14 wickets to win. More complicated if the follow-on comes into play, which is 126 runs away. If South Africa’s first innings finishes up short of that follow-on, Australia will make them bat again immediately. If they get past the follow-on, Australia has to decide whether to bat again or declare, which gives South Africa a route to winning the game. Equally, if South Africa bat enough time to get past the follow-on, there probably won’t be enough time left in the match for Australia to bowl them out a second time anyway. So, four wickets remaining in the visitors’ first innings, and they just have to hang around as long as possible. Australia need to get them out of the way quickly.