That’s stumps on Day 4. South Africa trail by 326 and face a massive challenge to avoid the follow-on tomorrow. Australia did as expected and went for the win via the jugular. They took six wickets in two sessions. Can they claim 14 in three sessions tomorrow? A mouthwatering feast of final day Test cricket awaits. Join us from 9am – or head to the SCG for the price a gold coin admission – and we’ll dive in together. Look out for Geoff Lemon’s incoming match report shortly and thanks for joining us. Until we meet again on the morrow… happy trails!

59th over: South Africa 149-6 (Jansen 10, Harmer 6) Josh Hazlewood starts his final over of the day with his fastest delivery yet – a 142kph rocket which Simon Harmer parries to safety. He scurries to the other end and leaves Marco Jansen to see out the final four bullets. Or not. Jansen clips a run off his left hip and leaves Harmer to see off the final two. Rookie error by Harmer. He should’ve been leaning on his bat and looking in the opposite direction. Still, he survives to stumps and he heads into the long shadows of the Members Stand – and safety.

58th over: South Africa 147-6 (Jansen 9, Harmer 5) Tall and resolute, Marco Jansen squares up to Nathan Lyon, shuffling across to tap back the first three. But he goes too far to the fourth and the ball finds the gap between both pads and just misses the pegs. There’s an appeal but it’s muted. So too for the sixth which skids on and skims the right pad. Wonderful over. Every ball asked a different question. Jansen didn’t get any of them right but gets a point for courage under fire (and neat handwriting). Final over coming up.

57th over: South Africa 147-6 (Jansen 9, Harmer 5) The ever-generous Pat Cummins has regifted Harmer on strike to his NSW teammate Josh Hazlewood. Will the man known as “The Bendemeer Bullet” have a bunny for his tea? Or can Harmer, a 33-year-old eight-Test rookie, hang on until stumps? He goes one better and clips Hazlewood’s wider fifth delivery off his pads to the rope.

56th over: South Africa 143-6 (Jansen 9, Harmer 1) There will be three overs after this Nathan Lyon over. Marco Jansen craves only to survive. He blocks and fends at the first fiver as they duck and dive around him and misses the last. That’s a gift for the skipper who will now have rabbit Harmer in his headlights.

55th over: South Africa 143-6 (Jansen 9, Harmer 1) Simon Harmer is the new batsman but a decidedly sheepish one. He didn’t sign up for this when selected to spin a few in the final Test of the series. Marco Jansen is standing tall at the striker’s end and he does a good job to defend the over from Cummins and dash for a single from the last to retain the strike and let his new partner get his bearings.

54th over: South Africa 133-6 (Jansen 4, Harmer 1) For once the heavens aren’t closing in but the Australians certainly are. Lyon is pinning the Proteas batters at one end while Cummins plucks their wings off at the other. With five overs remaining will we see a final flurry from Pat Cummins who has 3-24 from his 13 overs and a hunger for more?

53 over: South Africa 133-6 (Jansen 4, Harmer 1) In his fifth over of his second spell Cummins has now taken two wickets for eight runs. It’s been a masterclass of fast bowling and inspired captaincy. Verreyne had to play at that one but it was a throat ball with demonic intent. He went back when he perhaps should have pushed forward and caught a thick edge which Steve Smith swallowed.

52nd over: South Africa 133-5 (Jansen 1, Verreyne 18) After all the heavy weather of the past few days, the Australians are lighting up the Sydney Cricket Ground with their own brilliance. Lyon is finding vicious turn at one end and Pat Cummins is in the middle of a blistering spell at the other. Runs hav e become immaterial, only survival is paramount now. Marco Jansen looks nervous and almost lobs a return catch to Cummins. But the screws are tightening…

52nd over: South Africa 133-5 (Jansen 1, Verreyne 18) After the fastbowling fireworks from the other end it’s time for the style and guile of Nathan Lyon. His third ball to Jansen hits an airpocket and drops like a rock before viciously jagging into the pads of Jansen. There’s a huge appeal, enough to review. A review shows it might’ve hit the stumps but it was, and remains, umpires call so Marcos Jansen survives and the Australians retain the review. Close thing tough.

51st over: South Africa 133-5 (Jansen 1, Verreyne 18) Pat Cummins is on fire and Marco Jansen is in trouble. He’s been struck on the arm twice in succession by Cummins thunderbolts delivered at over 140kph. Batting way out of his crease, the tall Proteas bowler blocks the inevitable fuller ball that follows and gratefully escapes for a single. Verreyne is the far more accomplished batter but he too is nearly undone by a Cummins cannonball that rears off the pitch, catches the edge and falls just short of the school of sharks in the infield. Inspiring spell from the captain.

49th over: South Africa 130-5 (Zondo 39, Verreyne 16) Superb bowling from Cummins. He took the ball to force the issue and again has led from the front, bending his back from around the wicket to beat Khaya Zondo’s bat on the inside channel and send a straightening ball careering into his pads. Zondo appealed the decision but it was straight enough for the third umpire. Zondo was understandably miffed but seemed to be appealing against the light as he walked off and faded to black. Sorry Khaya, that light at the end of the tunnel you sought was the express train from Penrith AKA Patrick James Cummins.

48th over: South Africa 130-5 (Zondo 39, Verreyne 16) Labuschagne is vigorously warming up (but then again he always is) and shining the cherry in his armpit. Right now his captain is oblivious to the hint and has eyes only for extracting Khaya Zondo. Which he may have done as a ball thunders into the pads of Zondo. It’s been given out but the Proteas will review…

48th over: South Africa 130-4 (Zondo 39, Verreyne 16) Lyon’s 20th over is treated with respect until Verreyne switches his wrists and reverse sweeps sweetly to the boundary in front of the old Members Stand. That won’t displease Lyon. He’s trying to tempt the South African batters into recklessness by hanging the ball out wider and dropping it from a higher arc. Verreyne helps himself to two from the final delivery.

47th over: South Africa 124-4 (Zondo 39, Verreyne 10) Pat Cummins was pleased by the attack from the Proteas batters against Lyon last over. The light towers may have sharpened the view and the effort balls may have softened the ball. At four wickets down it’s a high-risk strategy from the visitors but at 351 runs behind and with just over a day remaining they’re trying to salvage some pride.

46th over: South Africa 121-4 (Zondo 37, Verreyne 10) The lights are on at the Sydney Cricket Ground as South Africa trail by 356 runs and Australia drill down on a fine first session of play where they decapitated the Proteas top order again. Nathan Lyon’s first over after drinks draws two near-catches, one a long hop swat that falls short of Matt Renshaw on the boundary and the second narrowly skirting the outstretched paw of Ashton Agar at midwicket. This dervish will excite both teams as South Africa chase runs and Australia hunt wickets.

45th over: South Africa 112-4 (Zondo 31, Verreyne 6) The beauty of being a bowling captain is when you want the ball your teammates will give it to you. Here comes Cummins to Kyle Verreyne, running in hard with the ball cleverly concealed in his left hand before that familiar late transfer to the right just before the leap. It’s bamboozled the world’s best batters and it has Verreyne playing cautiously. He plays out a maiden as Australia up the ante in a bid for fast wickets tonight and a feeding frenzy of wickets on day five of this Test.

44th over: South Africa 112-4 (Zondo 31, Verreyne 6) With only 16 overs remaining in the day, it’ll be Lyon skipping jauntily in for his 18th. Zondo has his dander up now, having cantered through his twenties with a few lusty blows. Will Lyon tempt him into a heave down the ground where he has men waiting? Or will the offie try to pin him in the crease to fend a ball down the gullet of Marnus Labuschagne in close? Cummins isn’t waiting. He’s taken the ball.

43rd over: South Africa 111-4 (Zondo 31, Verreyne 6) Seems a wicket slipped off the scorecard for a bit there. Sorry to gloating Australians and apologies to smarting South African supporters. The Proteas are four wickets down but they are starting to swing for the fences here. We saw Nathan Lyon dispatched into the Victor Trumper stand in the last over and now Khaya Zondo has smashed Josh Hazlewood to the rope. After crawling into double figures those boundaries have catapulted him into the thirties with close to a 50 strike rate.

42nd over: South Africa 107-4 (Zondo 27, Verreyne 6) Nathan Lyon is digging deep into his bag of tricks but Khaya Zondo is up to the challenge. He hoiks Lyon 83-metres deep into the stands where it’s caught by a heavily tattooed gent with a marvellous skullett. Good catch but a better shot from Zondo who has two sixes in his 27. Lyon has now been blasted over the fence four times this innings.

41st over: South Africa 100-3 (Zondo 20, Verreyne 6) The SCG is abuzz again. They have an ancient rival on the ropes, a hometown hero thundering in with two notches in his belt already and no sign of rain on the horizon. Ashton Agar brings them alive with a fast throw to the bowler’s end as Zondo scampered a chancy single from a glance into gully. Replays show a direct hit would’ve had him. It wasn’t Zondo’s call and he’s clearly not seen the Agar sizzle reel of fielding marvels from T20 and one-day cricket. Verreyne has eyes only for Hazelwood. he pulls a four from the fourth and a single from the fifth to take five in total, retain the strike and send Hazlewood’s figures spiralling to 2-19 from nine overs.

40th over: South Africa 92-3 (Zondo 19, Verreyne 0) Thanks to comrade Hazlewood, Lyon has fresh meat for his fork. Zondo isn’t bothered by th threat it seems, he takes Lyon’s third delivery and crisply rolls his wrists over it on the up, lifting it over the fence. Nice shot. After 51 deliveries, Zondo has had enough ‘sighters’ is going to go down swinging. Will he be as brave against Hazlewood?

38th over: South Africa 85-3 (Zondo 12, Verreyne 0) That was gorgeous bowling from Hazlewood and canny captaincy from Cummins. Bavuma was well set and starting to master the spinners until the big quick returned and slid a ball into the thin red line outside off. Bavuma had to play at it and he did. But he needed the ball to straighten and instead it wobbled inward with a smidge of reverse swing, feathering the edge of the bat and sailing serenely into the gloves of Alex Carey. Now we have Kyle Verreyne coming to the crease with another rescue mission on his hands. The wicketkeeper-batter has been the Proteas best all series but he will be tested this afternoon, in fading light and a stiffening breeze, against an Australian attack that seemingly has all the answers.

38th over: South Africa 85-3 (Zondo 12, Bavuma 35) Lyon continues to Bavuma. Although he’s clattered a couple of fearsome boundaries, this duel is honours even so far. Lyon has Marnus chirping in Temba’s ear as he mutters to himself from the other end. What he wants is the nervier Zondo on strike. he gets his wish on the last but a cheeky reverse sweep for a single shows Zondo’s confidence on the up. It draws a wry smile from Lyon. Good Test cricket here.

37th over: South Africa 84-3 (Zondo 12, Bavuma 34) The line has gone slack and the South African batters suddenly look comfortable. Time for a change it is. Who else but Josh Hazlewood? This will be his seventh over after a superb spell earlier in the day. Zondo must have watched it. He wants only the non-strikers end as another maiden is added to the tally.

36th over: South Africa 84-3 (Zondo 12, Bavuma 34) Ashton Agar has 10 wickets from his two matches but his seventh over doesn’t advance the stats too much. Bavuma clips a couple and we’re due a change, Captain Cummins says…

35th over: South Africa 82-3 (Zondo 12, Bavuma 32) There’s a calm after the break. The usually festive Sydney crowd may be in a post-tea torpor after a flurry of cricket after so much waiting around. Or perhaps it’s a sign the Australian ascendency is slipping a little as Temba Bavuma leads a fightback. Lyon looks a little lethargic in this over and may be due a spell as the Proteas rotate the strike with ease and rumble the chase under 400 runs.

34th over: South Africa 80-3 (Zondo 11, Bavuma 31) It’s a switcheroo alright and we’ve got the tall lithesome form of Agar wheeling in for his sixth over. The irst two are bang on the money and Zondo is watchful. When Agar hangs the third out wide the batter lashes at it and misses. There’s murmurs of encouragement from both the ‘keeper Carey and the Sydney pitch for Agar. He’s encouraged enough to throw the final ball up and Zondo flashes again but only chops it into the infield for a single. We’ve got 25 overs left today. Where will they take us?

33rd over: South Africa 77-3 (Zondo 9, Bavuma 30) Lyon tidies things up at the other end, delivering an easygoing maiden and then tossing the ball to Agar.

32nd over: South Africa 77-3 (Zondo 9, Bavuma 30) And we’re back, and an exciting final session awaits. Technically it’s the second of the day, after we lost the first to rain, but either way Pat Cummins has decided to push the envelope. In something of surprise it’s going to be Travis Head starting us off. Clearly the skipper has forgiven Head taking his eyes off the popped chance from Bavuma in the penultimate over before tea. Maybe Travis made him a nice cuppa by way of apology? Either way he’s gone from the outhouse to the penthouse and has the ball in his hand for the first over after the break. Perhaps Cummins will simply use the sparky South Australian to give his spinners a go from opposite ends? Maybe not, after Head leaks a few runs in his first over of the day.

31st over: South Africa 71-3 (Zondo 5, Bavuma 28) After years in the white ball world, Ashton Agar is settling into the slower pace of Test cricket with aplomb. He’s found his drift and the grand old dame that is the Sydney wicket is madly batting her eyes at him, showing a hint of turn and rewarding changes of pace. Bavuma breaks the spell, bashing another boundary from Agar’s last delivery. That’s a fine fighting riposte from Bavuma who goes to tea with 28 runs from 48 deliveries and Zondo holding steady with five from 29 balls faced. Even so, with three wickets claimed – one apiece for Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon – it’s Australia’s session. What will this final session deliver? The skies aren’t blue but they’re a bright grey so let’s hope the players decide where this Test goes next. Back in a bit, folks.

30th over: South Africa 63-3 (Zondo 4, Bavuma 22) Lyon catches the rough with his first ball and an appeal goes up. But it’s halfhearted and in his quest to have his voice heard Travis Head has missed a trick. Replays show the ball has puffed off Bavuma’s pad and grazed his glove. Head had by then turned to appeal. Definitely a catching opportunity missed there. Bavuma celebrates his good fortune by heaving Lyon’s next ball into the grandstand, a pull shot of beauty and beligerance that goes five rows back and takes the little righthander to 22.

29th over: South Africa 57-3 (Zondo 4, Bavuma 16) Better signs for the batting side here as they rotate the strike and work Agar away for a couple of singles. The run drought broke with Bavuma’s boundary in Lyon’s last over and these two now look reasonably set against the softer ball not yet causing serious peril.

28th over: South Africa 53-3 (Zondo 3, Bavuma 14) Lyon is into his eleventh over and chasing a third successive maiden for his side. Agar has dried up the runs at his end which frees Lyon up to chance his hand. he does, throwing one in short but Bavuma is onto it quickly and flogs it over the infield to the boundary. A very good shot and welcome positive intent from Bavuma whom Australian crowds have warmed to for his grit in the middle order and courage under fire this series. These will be the final overs before tea – a dangerous period for the Proteas.

27th over: South Africa 49-3 (Zondo 3, Bavuma 9) Agar has not let a run leak since his feral first ball and he now finishes his third over with a second consecutive maiden. Australia’s spinners are turning the screws here. How long will the natural attacking instincts of Bavuma and Zondo be contained?

26th over: South Africa 49-3 (Zondo 3, Bavuma 9) Lyon and Bavuma are duelling beautifully here. There’s no chance to settle against the former groundsman-turned-GOAT. He turns and hops in so quickly the batter has no chance to breathe or scope the surrounds. It’s wearying and takes its toll as a maiden is delivered, a nice gift of pressure for his spin brother Agar at the other end.

25th over: South Africa 49-3 (Zondo 3, Bavuma 9) Agar resumes and it’s a better start, the first three probing outside off. Agar hasn’t chanced much flight yet. He’s bowling quickly, looking for revs and deception off the pitch instead of subterfuge through the air. Bavuma takes that bounce and bats it over his shoulder for a single. Agar is settling nicely into what could be a lengthy spell.

24th over: South Africa 48-3 (Zondo 3, Bavuma 8) Lyon’s wheels away in his nith over but Bavuma doesn’t want any of it. There’s a cry of CATCHIT from the last but the stroke nutmegged Travis Head at silly mid on.

23rd over: South Africa 46-3 (Zondo 3, Bavuma 6) Now this will be intriguing. Ashton Agar hasn’t played a Test since 2017 and many feel he’s lucky to have jagged one here when Lance ‘Wild Thing’ Morris was keening at the leash for a run. Agar’s first ball is as rusty as an old Cortina and sent to the rope by Bavuma. The next one turns sharply though, an encouraging sign for the 29-year-old who made such an unforgettable debut at Trent Bridge in 2013. Coming in at No. 11, with Australia in a mess at 117 for 9 and only he and Phillip Hughes standing between them and oblivion, Agar whacked and wheedled a jaw-dropping 98 - the highest Test score ever by a No. 11. A glorious memory but a distant one. He’s here to bowl, with an eye to the turning wickets in India.

22nd over: South Africa 40-3 (Zondo 1, Bavuma 3) Zondo takes a wide stance outside off to Lyon’s eighth over. He fears for that off stump and is crabbing across to the Australian offie. It’s a dangerous game and Lyon will like that movement. He’s crowding Zondo and the batter is able to lean on a wider one to piece the field and find a single. Looks like Ashton Agar is coming on to bowl…

21st over: South Africa 40-3 (Zondo , Bavuma 3) Cummins enters his eighth over, bowling to Bavuma with 1 for 15 to his name. Temba Bavuma has shown heart in this series. He’s a stout man with a stout heart and, unlike his teammates, has put a high price on his wicket. That said, the 32-year-old from Cape Town hasn’t kicked onto a big score in this series and a sole century from his 53 Tests and 91 career innings so far shows he’s far from the finished article. Perhaps this is his day. He sees out a maiden from Cummins and juts his chin to say: Bring. It. On.

20th over: South Africa 40-3 (Zondo , Bavuma 3) Two new batters at the crease now and seemingly a change of intent too as Bavuma bashes Lyon away for three. Zondo is surrounded by Australian fielders in close. There’s blood in the water now. The onfield burble has lifted a notch and with Lyon’s wicket, the crowd finally have clear skies overhead and some momentum behind them.

19th over: South Africa 37-3 (Zondo 0, Bavuma 0) That was a lovely ball from Cummins. It lifted on Klaasen and the big man tried to counter the steepling bounce by following it and fending off his eyebrows. But it was too high and fast to fend and the ball kissed the glove and Carey was following its trajectory to pouch it easily. It’s another hot mess for the Proteas as their top order falls like flies and leave the middle order men to shore up any hope of a recovery.

18th over: South Africa 37-2 (Klaasen 2, Erwee 18) Class bowling from Lyon. He puffed up Sarel Erwee with the boundary on the previous delivery then pricked his bubble on the next by shooting a fast ball outside his swishing blade, beating him by the beat of a bee’s wing to clip the top of off stump. Erwee thought it was going past and missing so his bat went high to leave but it caught a sniff of breeze and swerved in to take enough varnish to rattle the castle. South Africa two down and officially in trouble. Again.

18th over: South Africa 31-1 (Klaasen 2, Erwee 14) Lyon to Erwee. The veteran offie is content to mine a good length and marshal drift and drop until the wicket crumbles to his liking. He tries to hard on the fourth and Erwee punches a cut shot square to the rope. What will Lyon’s riposte be?

17th over: South Africa 31-1 (Klaasen 1, Erwee 13) Grey skies at the SCG but they remain bright as a light breeze stirring the flags on the ribbed domes of the Members and Ladies stands. It’s picturesque stuff and the rhythmic rolling gait of Pat Cummins adds to the vista. His first three balls are full and Klaasen is circumspect, but the fourth strays to leg and the batter works it off the hip for a single. Not a bad sign for Cummins. He has a man at midwicket waiting for that popped chance a faster ball might elicit. But Erwee is happy to evade any trap. He has 14 from 50 and is trudging toward the 422 runs required to break even.

16th over: South Africa 31-1 (Klaasen 1, Erwee 12) Lyon is throwing a mixed bag at Erwee. The second leaps like a scalded cat and the tall leftie swipes and misses. The third has a skinnier margin but Erwee chases it too. The spinner is turning the screws here and Erwee senses it. He goes back into his shell and flat bats the over out, content to survive and in no rush to push the score along.

15th over: South Africa 30-1 (Klaasen 1, Erwee 12) With necks oiled nicely, it’ll be Cummins to Erwee, another of South Africa’s rookie thirtysomethings. Sarel is 33 years young and playing in his 10th Test for a batting average 24 with one fifty and a century to his name so far. He is hanging tough here though and perhaps growing in confidence too as he skips off the mark. Cummins’ fifth ball is right in the slot and Klaasen leans into it and sends it skidding across the damp veldt to where Labuschagne leaps to retrieve it inside the rope. Erwee scampers three.

14th over: South Africa 25-1 (Klaasen 0, Erwee 8) Lyon skips in from the Paddington end to Erwee who exited his shell briefly in the last over, perhaps a sign he’s settling in as the ball softens and his gaze sharpens. Lyon isn’t giving much respite though, he’s hitting a silk hankie in front of the wicket, retrieving the ball and turning to go in again. The over rate is soaring but Erwee is having none of the change of rhythm. He’s bats out the last to earn a Gatorade. Drinks.

13th over: South Africa 25-1 (Klaasen 0, Erwee 8) Australian captain Pat Cummins has returned hismelf to the attack, switching ends to give his sparring partner Josh Hazlewood a spell and to have a crack at Erwee, who has faced 30 balls for his seven runs. It hasn’t been pretty but it has been gritty and that’s what South Africa need if they’re close this 451-run gap. Cummins’ fourth ball is shorter though so Erwee swipes it to the outfield where Travis Head on the rope saves the boundary and whips it in so quickly there’s only a single.

12th over: South Africa 24-1 (Klaasen 0, Erwee 7) Lyon is fizzing through his overs, licking his lips at this slowly crumbling Sydney wicket. Erwee sweeps a single off the third but that brings Klaasen on strike, not an unwelcome prospect for the wily offspinner. But the tall Proteas batsman survives, getting his eyes over the ball, dabbing the ball down and keeping out of reach of the close fielders breathing heavily down his neck and chuntering away to each other.

11th over: South Africa 23-1 (Klaasen 0, Erwee 6) Klaasen survives but no one’s quite sure why. Did the ball hit him outside the line? Was there bat first? Was the burr on Snicko bat or pad or bat hitting pad. None of it matters because Hazlewood has turned his back. He finishes out the over with the customary tight lines and Klaasen remains scoreless. Australia with their tails up.

11th over: South Africa 22-1 (Klaasen 0, Erwee 6) Hazlewood is testing the tall right-handed Klaasen now. He sees out the first three and has a lash at the fourth but there’s that dervish Labuschagne in the field so it’s a firm ‘no run’ call. Hazlewood’s fifth is full and fast and straight and he likes it. So does Cummins. The skipper will refer this one…

10th over: South Africa 22-1 (Klaasen 0, Erwee 6) Lyon is back now to Erwee and there’s a big shout on the second delivery as the spinner squares him up in front. But there’s no referral and it’s all noise, an attempt to unsettle the nervy Proteas batters me thinks.

10th over: South Africa 22-1 (Klaasen, Erwee 6) That was a fearsome delivery from Hazlewood. It leapt off the pitch and caught Elgar backpedalling. He fended it off his eyebrows and balooned a catch to Carey who took it above his head. Just reward for a fabulous spell from The Hoff.

9th over: South Africa 22-0 (Elgar 15, Erwee 4) Hazlewood lopes in with that easy rhythm. His second ball snorts off the pitch and Elgar fends it uneasily. South Africa’s captain has got himself started but doesn’t look comfortable. He had 31 from four innings coming into the Sydney Test so why would he be?

8th over: South Africa 22-0 (Elgar 15, Erwee 6) Bold captaincy from Cummins to bring the GOAT into the fray so early but he needs to fast-forward this innings and get the crowd into the game. Lyon’s first ball rewards the faith, fizzing from middle to leg and popping behind square. The next two to Elgar are straighter, but the last is loose and Elgar works it off the hip for a single. The first over of what could be a long spell for Lyon.

7th over: South Africa 18-0 (Elgar 12, Erwee 6) Good afternoon all, and thanks to Geoff Lemon for calling so little cricket so elegantly. Hazlewood resuming here to Erwee who is watchful as the big quick from Tamworth probes the slender channel outside off stump. The fourth ball is straighter and Erwee swishes across the body and sends it unconvincingly skewing along the ground to gully. No run. However he sneaks a single off the last to reclaim the strike. Looks like Nathan Lyon coming online here…

6th over: South Africa 15-0 (Elgar 11, Erwee 4) A drive from Elgar and he’ll pick up four behind point. Not sure he meant to hit Cummins there but he moves into double figures. That’s nearly where he stays! Missed at short leg. Again he gets the ball off his gloves, lobbing up in the air, but Head at that position is quite deep and doesn’t pick up the ball quickly enough to lunge in. Reaches it on the half volley. And then nearly runs out Elgar from that position next ball after Elgar plays down a short ball, well defended.

Right! After two days of rain and six glorious overs of cricket, that is me. From here you’ll have the company of Angus Fontaine.

5th over: South Africa 11-0 (Elgar 7, Erwee 4) Elgar gets the lucky break, then finally manages to get off strike with a run behind square. He should stay at the far end and hope that Erwee has a way to deal with Hazlewood.

4th over: South Africa 10-0 (Elgar 6, Erwee 4) Perfection from Cummins. Seam movement in this time, that impossible length that nobody knows how to shape up to, and the ball slithers through the gate of Erwee but over his stumps, clipping the back leg above bail height on the way. Almost two gullies, with Lyon just behind point but walking in with the bowler. Renshaw in the conventional gully dives to save a thick edge on the bounce.

3rd over: South Africa 10-0 (Elgar 6, Erwee 4) This Hazlewood feller! Where has he been? First ball of this over is literally unplayable. It pitches straight, full of length, and moves so viciously off the seam that it still beats Elgar’s edge and his off stump. Too good to take wickets. The next full one is outside off, though, and Elgar is able to drive two runs straight. Up at the body, down to short leg, where Travis Head is waiting under the helmet. Finishes with another ball that beats the edge, moving away. A wicket feels a matter of time.

2nd over: South Africa 8-0 (Elgar 4, Erwee 4) A little easier for Erwee first ball. Just stands still, brings the bat through straight and stops it dead as it meets the ball, and times his push through backward point for four. Economy of effort. Cummins has some excitement of his own with a leg-before shout, but it was pitching fractionally outside the left-hander’s leg stump.

1st over: South Africa 4-0 (Elgar 4, Erwee 0) Josh Hazlewood with the ball! Three slips and a gully! Point, mid off, mid on, midwicket, long leg. Runs before wickets on the scorecard, don’t freak out.

Elgar on strike. The first ball he hints at gloving it down the leg side again, but it’s a bit straight and goes into the body.

The second ball… edged for four! A proper nick, a proper delivery. It snorts off a length like Smaug emerging from his mountain, takes the shoulder of the bat and somehow goes through fourth slip instead of straight to hand.

There is life in Hazlewood, and life in this deck after its long sleep.

Two more balls square up Elgar and have him fending. The lift from a length is prodigious. Full goes Hazlewood and past the leg stump, Elgar judging his leave. A hint of swing in there? Then past the outside edge with jag.

What a first over.

Can’t believe I’m going to post about cricket rather than spin nonsense. Thanks for keeping me company with that. The reader numbers on this page yesterday and today have been massive, I’m told. Truthfully. People really like reading about whether or not it has stopped raining.

The last bit of Pink Test ceremony takes place, with the South African players coming down a pink carpet wearing the pink caps that they’ve signed. They’re met by the McGrath family and hand over the caps, with Dean Elgar taking a moment to chat with Glenn McGrath before leading his team back to the sideline. He grabs his batting helmet and blade, pairs up with Sarel Erwee, ready to think about cricket for the first time in days.

Normally that’s a Day 3 ceremony but it got put off for obvious reasons.

In theory with an early start tomorrow we should get 98 overs on Day 5. Meaning that all up Australia has 157 overs to bowl out South Africa twice. Quite possible on the evidence of this series. Or South Africa need to get past the follow-on of 275 to make it really hard for Australia to win.

We have revised match details. A minimum of 59 overs today.

First session: 13:45 to 15:55.
Second session: 16:15 to 18:00.

They can also add half an hour to the second session if short on overs.

Regarding the light, because I’m sure there are plenty of people like me who were watching Pakistan and New Zealand play yesterday and were frustrated at seeing it called off with three overs to spare – it is more complicated than it looks at times. The key isn’t whether batters can see the ball, or want to face it. It’s whether fielders can see it.

In that game we had nine New Zealanders around the bat, and a couple of Pakistan tailenders with a target in sight who like giving the ball a whack. If one of them does so, and a fielder can’t pick up the ball, then they’re at risk of being hit and badly injured or worse. We get annoyed with umpires for taking players off, but if an umpire lets play carry on and then a fielder gets smashed in the face from a pull shot or something, people would be blaming the umpire for it. It’s a no-win situation, and not just for the teams playing.

So, see? Lunch didn’t affect anything. I don’t have word on the revised overs or session times yet. We can probably play until 6:30 tonight, maybe 7pm, depending on the light.

Tell you what, it is not exactly sunny out there but there is a suggestion that the sun exists. Sun behind light cloud rather than blackout shade cloud. Sydney has been hiding in its room telling its parents to go away while it plays video games for the last two days. Now it might be venturing out.

We’ve got the rope going around! That’s when you know things are getting real. And they’re going to take lunch as planned.

Wait! Wait. Before you get mad. It will take at least that long to give the ground a chance to drain and dry off, and for the umpires to be happy. Probably longer. So they’ll do some pitch inspections during the break, and if they approve play it will probably sometime after the scheduled end of lunch.

I’m going to take that lunch break too, back with more updates in about half an hour. Get a sandwich. You’ve earned it.

The hessians are off. We can see the actual pitch again. Like catching a glimpse of a long-lost friend across a room. A friend who doesn’t have a lot of personality, to be honest, but it’s been so long that you feel unduly fond of them for the first five minutes. Lots of ground staff activity out there.

I think we’re clear on the radar from now on. But I’ve been burned before. The radar is saying all the right things, but… am I ready to love? Am I ready to take that chance again?

The big covers are still on, but there are now stirrings from the ground staff. Lunch is scheduled in about 40 minutes, and goes for 40 minutes, so I wonder if they can call it early and use that time for the clean-up. Given the amount of rain it’ll probably be at least an hour to get the ground ready, even if the umpires decide that it’s fit for play.

There’s a ceremonial moment in the middle, with the large pink silk flag featuring Jane McGrath’s face and the Foundation message being unfolded and held out by dozens of volunteers. A lot of them are nurses who work for the foundation in helping people with breast cancer. That’s the main thing the organisation does, it allocates specialist nurses to help people through their treatment and care after their diagnosis. Glenn McGrath is on the field to watch this, with his adult kids Holly and James and his little daughter Madison.

It’s still raining. I don’t know what that radar was thinking earlier.

Gosh, so many mopey teenage flashbacks flickered by in the course of that three minutes.

Ladka writes in, humming one of the original sadboy anthems.

“Manchester often gets stick, lovingly, I guess, for being a damp squib. But the reality of Sydney actually being one is fairly remarkable. Alas, an ode to the cultural hearts of blighty and the Land Down Under.”

As of right now, I’d probably still want to slog a few more runs to increase the chance of bowling out South Africa short of the follow-on. If that mark is 275 and they get two sessions today then maybe they pass it by lunch tomorrow. On the other hand, if time gets so short that a result is improbable, then spending a couple of overs to let one of your players achieve something coveted doesn’t have much downside.

Maybe we just need to re-envisage the rain as Test cricket. As a quiet drifting session of Test cricket. They’re both interminable contests against an implacable opponent. We sit and watch very little happen until we slip into a trance, a meditation. We’re soothed by the gentleness of repeating sounds, with occasional patters of increased activity. Then once in a while, something big happens – the tractor comes out, a cover goes off and then on again. We get excited, rouse ourselves, watch intently, then we go back into our lull. After a couple of hours of that, it’s time for lunch.

I’m just a boy, standing in a front of a ground, asking it to please stop being festively damp.

Strangely there are only a few wisps on the radar. We must be wearing one of them, but it has to disappear soon. Doesn’t it?

It’s properly raining again at the ground. The full covers are back on.

“Is there a stat about which Test grounds have suffered the most rain delays over the past 10 years and if so where does Sydney show?” asks Julian.

Not a stat about delays, but Ric Finlay’s tally of full days lost has been getting a workout. You can add a 26th day to this list for yesterday.

The SCG Trust boss Tony Shepherd was speaking on SEN this morning, and Gerard Whateley asked some questions about the problems in Sydney.

On moving the Test from early January: “I don’t think so. This is the tradition, and we just have to live with the climate.”

But more flexible on tweaking the format.

“We can make it a pink-ball Test. One of our directors, Jane, said why don’t we do that and sell the balls afterwards for the McGrath Foundation. The alternative is if you had that bad light issue at the end of the day, have a bag of pink balls there, worn ones, and finish the game that way. The show must go on, and we should do everything in our power to make sure [the first day light problem] doesn’t happen again. We could do a day-nighter or we can just use the pink ball the whole game.”

It’s drizzling again. Boo. Booooooo. I am not saying Joe Boo-urns. I don’t think that he would help at this stage.

Still no official start time, by the way. We’ll have a pitch inspection by the umpires in 25 minutes from now, which is 10:45am local time. Then they’ll announce a start time or a time for another inspection.

My favourite thing about yesterday was that I had a chat to Glenn McGrath and some of his foundation workers and family members late in the day, and they were all so upbeat despite the rain. Their fundraising went really well regardless, where a few years ago the structure of the fundraising style would have meant the effort was badly hit. More power to them all, they’re doing a great thing.

The pitch cover is coming off! Like a saucily unrolled stocking in a 1960s movie. Stop it, you nitrate diva.

Angus wants to know what it means for South Africa if this match is a draw. “Could they still qualify for the World Test Championship final if they beat the Windies at home and the Aussies muster a series win in India? Would the Saffas even want to qualify for another drubbing on neutral turf?”

To answer the last first, of course – you can’t win the games behind you but you can still turn things around in the game ahead. And yes – I’m not a natural arithmetician but I think they could qualify by winning their next couple, except they would also need Australia to take a lot of paint off India over there. Which is unlikely but possible.

Here are the current standings if you want to figure it out for me.

We had some bids for replacement venues for the Sydney Test yesterday. Tommy from Terrigal thinks that his town is the spot, even if it’s only up near Gosford. Does the rain not get that far north?

“Mat wicket so always plays consistent,” he says. “Six and ocean is out. Cooling off water for fast bowlers and David Warner on hot hot days. Perfect venue.”

A lot of people out in the middle at the moment, players warming up, running around, looking at the wicket square, chatting idly. After such a quiet day yesterday its a hive of activity. We won’t start on time at 10am but it’s in the works.

What happened yesterday? Not much on the field, but that does influence how the rest of the match might be played, and plenty happened off the field with Pink Day raising funds at the ground. Here’s my round-up.

The better news is that they’re running the sopper machine around and trying to soak up the water, and the rain at the Moore Park precinct specifically has stopped. The process begins to get ready.