And with that I’ll sign off.

We’ll be back tomorrow for the final day of this second Test.

Will South Africa claim the six wickets they need to square the series? Or will Australia bat long enough to save the draw, or even pull of a remarkable comeback win?

We’ll find out together.

Some readers comments:

Simon McMahon:

Hey Dan. Off topic, if there is such a thing during an OBO, but just found out that Lancs will not offer James Anderson a new contract for next season. I mean, he’s only 44. With a name like that, he’s surely eligible for Scotland...

Will Ellin:

A lot has been said and written about the dwindling role spin plays in Test Match cricket, but the Saffas havent lost the faith, and a smart spinner is worth their weight in gold. And any County will tell you Harmer is certainly that. Holding up an end, giving the quicks a break, and taking wickets.

Alex Steel:

Loving your coverage but not the current score. What are your thoughts about the Aussie batting order going forward? Should it be flexible like Pat Cummins thinks? Is Nic Maddison gone? What is the point of having Beau Webster as an all rounder when the batters are preferred as bowlers to him? Plus is some of this just good bowling and/or terrible shot selection, i.e. needs some coaching?

Worth catching up on this week’s Spin.

Written by Ali Martin who lets us know what its like writing a book about cricket’s nicest guy:

53rd over: Australia 156-4 (Head 87, Boland 2) Head has no intention of scoring runs now. Even when Markram throws one up and down the leg side, Head pulls out of an expansive sweep. There’s one more over to come I reckon.

52nd over: Australia 156-4 (Head 87, Boland 2) Harmer is in the zone. Lovely flight and guile. Boland presses and gets a thick edge onto his pad but it shoots over Ackerman who is very close at silly mid-off. It’s also gripping and turning. But Boland survives. Just about, he survives.

51st over: Australia 156-4 (Head 87, Boland 2) Head bunts a flat ball from Markram down the ground for one. To Boland it has more loop and the firm forward press catches a thick outside edge, but its low and wide of the slip so he gets a single off the last ball to keep the strike.

50th over: Australia 154-4 (Head 86, Boland 1) Harmer has catchers at slipm silly mid-off, forward short leg and leg slip for Boland. He’s tossing it up and looking for one that grips and takes an edge off the pad. Boland is watchful, though, and sees out a maiden.

49th over: Australia 154-4 (Head 86, Boland 1) Head won’t protect Boland. Boland won’t protect Head. They exchange runs as Bavuma misfields at cover, letting one go right through his legs and gifting Head two runs. Boland plinks a single to get off the mark.

The umpires consider taking the players off, but Bavuma assures them that he’ll only bowl spin.

So on they go.

48th over: Australia 150-4 (Head 83, Boland 0) South Africa are inching closer and in the fading light Scott Boland walks out to steer his team to the close. Head also has a big job to do.

The natural light is fading fast as the flood lights come on. Could be spin from here to the close.

47th over: Australia 149-3 (Head 82, Webster 8) Jansen back into the attack and as you’d expect he’s extracting extra bounce off the surface. One leaps up at Head who has to steer it away from his face. He gets some width and cuts hard but just for one as it’s straight to the sweeper in the deep. But there is some encouragement for the bowler as one keeps low and Head takes a wild swish at it, missing by some distance.

46th over: Australia 147-3 (Head 81, Webster 7) When Harmer – back into the attack – slows his pace down he looks a real threat. He tosses one up and gets it to rip past the prodding poke of Head’s bat. Delicious off-spin bowling. Three runs in this comeback over, all to Webster who first flicks for two before bunting to long-on for one.

45th over: Australia 144-3 (Head 81, Webster 4) Head slashes at width, gets a thick edge that screams about a hand’s width away from the diving Bedingham. If there was a second or third slip that might have been that. Instead it goes away for four runs. Earlier, Mulder strayed onto Head’s pads and was tickled fine for another four. Head is approaching a pretty special ton.

44th over: Australia 136-3 (Head 73, Webster 4) Markram continues. Still flat and at the stumps. Head glances fine and picks up four past the keeper and away to the boundary. Then he takes a single to keep the strike. Goes without saying that Australia’s hopes currently rest on Head’s shoulders, knees and toes.

43rd over: Australia 131-3 (Head 67, Webster 4) Mulder into the attack. He’s straight at the stumps. Just two runs, a single apeice.

And here’s reader, Simmi Areff:

Markram to end the game with a three-for before the close. If he can only get one to float up to the batters.

I love the optimism.

42nd over: Australia 129-3 (Head 67, Webster 3) Markram continues. He’s flat and quick through the air. The Aussies have no trouble milking three singles across the set.

41st over: Australia 127-3 (Head 66, Webster 2) A maiden from Rabada to Webster. Not a lot of bounce or zip, but KG is bowling into the breeze and up the hill. Why South Africa’s spearhead is doing that is another matter entirely.

40th over: Australia 127-3 (Head 66, Webster 2) Markram into the attack, giving Harmer a break. Four singles off that set. The Australians will consider this a small reprieve from the pressure.

39th over: Australia 123-3 (Head 64, Webster 0) KG bags the breakthrough. Renshaw, who was so good at leaving in Durban, falls shouldering arms. The new man Webster has a heck of a job to do in the fading light.

38th over: Australia 120-2 (Head 62, Renshaw 10) Renshaw plays a lovely clip off his pads and it canters away for four. He barely touched that but the timing is on point. Three milked singles elsewhere means it’s a handy set for the Aussies.

37th over: Australia 113-2 (Head 60, Renshaw 5) Renshaw plays a contender for shot of the Test by leaning into a full ball and driving Rabada through mid-on for four glorious runs. That should count as 14. But Rabada then drags his length back and finds the edge, but Renshaw’s soft hands means it lands well short of the slips.

36th over: Australia 109-2 (Head 60, Renshaw 1) Streaky from Head. He takes his hand off the bat as he tries to cut behind point, but there’s no control. Was uppish, but not close enough to Rabada hovering behind square and the ball skips away for four. Harmer will take that as a moral victory. Earlier Renshaw got off the mark with a push into the covers.

35th over: Australia 103-2 (Head 55, Renshaw 0) Watchful. That’s the word for the Aussie batters. Just one run to Head who flicks off the back foot to backward square. Renshaw is nice and tight as Rabada keeps it in the channel.

34th over: South Africa 102-2 (Head 54, Renshaw 0) Harmer is in his groove. Lovely flight and a slower pace. He knows what he’s doing. Just the one single to Head down the ground.

Correction from the last over. Head actually scampered a single off the last ball.

33rd over: Australia 101-2 (Head 52, Renshaw 0) Renshaw is the new man as Smith has his neck wrapped up. He’s not batting today unless something serious happens out in the middle. Rabada, back on, bowls a tidy set to Head who takes a single off the last ball. Nice and tight from KG who is targeting the top of off.

31st over: Australia 100-1 (Head 52, Labuschagne 39) Hundred up for Australia as both batters collect a single apiece. Jansen continues back of a length and finds that lift. Credit to these Aussies. They’ve dug in and shown some proper grit.

30th over: Australia 98-1 (Head 51, Labuschagne 38) Head brings up his 50 with an inside edge onto his pad as he tries to sweep Harmer. A reminder that he was dropped in the gully by Jansen on 5.

29th over: Australia 95-1 (Head 49, Labuschagne 37) Jansen’s extra height is generating extra lift from a pitch that has looked pretty dead for a large part of the afternoon. But Head and Labuschagne have managed to negotiate it, trading three singles across the set.

28th over: Australia 92-1 (Head 47, Labuschagne 36) Marnus survives a lbw review! He was stuck lbw but the replays show that Harmer got too much turn on it and it was missing the leg stump. Round the wicket, he lands it on around middle and off and gets it to turn back in. Marnus reviews straight away. Was there bat? No. But was it turning too much and missing leg? Only just.

Good signs though for South Africa as Harmer found both the inside and outside edge – the latter scampering away for four – in that over. The spinner is finding his groove.

27th over: Australia 87-1 (Head 46, Labuschagne 32) Jansen returns and he almost finds the breakthrough; a back of a length banger invites a pull from Marnus but the extra bounce catches a top edge. It flies high in the air but lands well short of the man at deep square leg. Jansen then beats him with an absolute jaffa from around the wicket to the right hander. Good work from the lanky bowler. Just the hint of something going the way of the South Africans.

26th over: Australia 85-1 (Head 45, Labuschagne 31) There’s a huge appeal for lbw, but surely Harmer knew that it was sliding down leg on the angle to Head. Better from Harmer who finds a bit of purchase and coughs up just one run.

25th over: Australia 84-1 (Head 45, Labuschagne 30) This has the feel of the middle overs of a ODI. Mulder continues with the keeper up and both batters are comfortable knocking him about for ones and two. Head punches the last ball on the up through extra cover, that is a great shot. It deserves four but the sweeping fielder makes good ground and keeps it down to two. Still, that’s seven off the over and the partnership is up to 76.

24th over: Australia 77-1 (Head 42, Labuschagne 26) This partnership is up to 69 now and they don’t look like going out. Harmer is mixing his pace and flight up, but both batters have him covered as they collect four run runs around the ground. South Africa bowling more in hope than to a plan now. But they are still in control. They have to stay patient.

23rd over: Australia 73-1 (Head 41, Labuschagne 23) Lots of ooooohs from Mulder from the last ball of the over, but I’m not sure why. Labuschagne had that covered. Not sure where a wicket is coming from. Both batters looking set.

22nd over: Australia 70-1 (Head 38, Labuschagne 22) A hint of extra turn from Harmer. He finds a thick outside edge of Head’s swishing bat with a bit of flight, but it flies away past slip for four. Head will keep the strike after driving to the cover sweeper.

21st over: Australia 65-1 (Head, 34, Labuschagne 22) Two cracking strokes. First a swivel pull from Marnus who bangs a half-tracker from Mulder behind square. Then a flowing drive wide of mid-off from Head that is the shot of the innings from me. Things are starting to drift a little for the Saffas.

20th over: Australia 54-1 (Head 29, Labuschagne 17) Harmer is a bit flat and quick for my liking. I’d also like an extra fielder catching, perhaps. Both sides waiting for the other to blink. Just two runs off this set.

19th over: Australia 52-1 (Head 28, Labuschagne 16) There’s a review for caught behind as Head swishes at Mulder’s width, but you could drive a London bus between the bat and the ball. Perhaps a sign of Bavuma’s desperation. Was it a mistake to make them follow on? Still too soon to judge I think. It’s a tidy over. Just the one run to Head. Rickelton is up to the stumps, which I like.

18th over: Australia 51-1 (Head 27, Labuschagne 16) Head cuts hard at Markram’s first ball but there’s cover down in the deep. Labuschagne can’t work a gap for the remainder five balls so it’s just the one off the first over after tea.

Aiden Markram will get us going again after the break.

Steve Smith is not padded up. He has had an issue with his neck. Renshaw in next then. South Africa will be desperate to force Smith to come out this evening.

Before I nip off for a cuppa, let’s hear from reader, Guy Honrsby:

What a day this has been Daniel. Sure, as an England fan, I’m absolutely not impartial, but I think I’ve earned the joy of watching Australia folding for less than 100 after 40+ years of mostly demoralising outcomes at the hands of the visitors. It’s so life-affirming seeing KG Rabada back bowling, but a crying shame that his partnership with Nortje lasted so few overs. Harmer will be key here to tie up an end, and Australia will want to put pressure on him but it feels too early to risk that yet. There’s still so long in the game left, but it’ll test this depleted attack. I’d not be surprised to see Australia pile on the runs, but who knows? What a glorious game this is!

16th over: Australia 45-1 (Head 21, Labuschagne 16) Rabada continues. Just the one off it but not very threatening. Games within games.

15th over: Australia 44-1 (Head 20, Labuschagne 16) Oh, was that a chance at short leg? It was. Beddingham got his fingers on the Labuschagne clip, but couldn’t get them around the ball. Smiles from Harmer but he’ll know that was close. Three singles off the over.

14th over: Australia 41-1 (Head 18, Labuschagne 15) These Aussies are staying patient. Marnus is forcing KG to bowl at him. When he gets what he wants, he clips a couple down to fine leg. Earlier in the set, Head collected a single through point. South Africa have to stay equally patient for this wicket.

13th over: Australia 38-1 (Head 17, Labuschagne 13) Spin now as Harmer replaces Mulder. He’ll be expected to hold an end as the three seamers rotate. Bavuma will want him to bowl all day if he can. There’s just a run off Head, and then a quarter of a chance at short leg as Labuschagne flicks a ball straight to the man under the lid, but that would have been the greatest catch you’d ever seen if he pulled it off.

12th over: Australia 37-1 (Head 16, Labuschagne 13) Head launches into a bit of width from the returning Rabada and heaves him over cover for four. Swashbuckling, is the word that springs to mind. Two singles elsewhere means it’s another productive over for Australia. More to the point, they’re looking comfortable out there.

11th over: Australia 31-1 (Head 11, Labuschagne 12) They could have had the wicket of Head. They should have had the wicket of head. You’d back Jansen to take that catch in the gully. Instead it’s four runs down to deep third and frustration for the South Africans. Head then clips two down to fine leg when Mulder gets too straight.

10th over: Australia 25-1 (Head 5, Labuschagne 12) Just the one off this Jansenover, a single to Head. Australia are bedding in. Watchful. Nothing loose. They’re looking to play the long game here. A reminder that a draw in this match will mean they can’t lose the series.

9th over: Australia 24-1 (Head 4, Labuschagne 12) Mulder continues. There’s a catcher at short extra cover for Head, but he pings a single off the back foot down to the sweeper at deep point. That brings Labuschagne on strike and he’s moving across his pads, bringing ooohs from the South Africans when he’s defending. A ball later he clips a lovely clip through midwicket for four. Mulder over corrects and it’s short and wide and Marnus scythes it through point. Good from the Aussies. The pitch, which got the heavy roller treatment between innings, is looking a little flatter than it did earlier.

8th over: Australia 15-1 (Head 3, Labuschagne 4) Something has flown into Marnus’ eye and he needs some attention. Maybe that’s why he misses out on a half volley, scuffing his drive off Jansen. But he does pick up two through backward square leg.

7th over: Australia 13-1 (Head 3, Labuschagne 2) Change of bowling a Mulder comes into the attack. Reminder that Nortje is injured so a big shift is needed from the medium-pacer. He starts with a maiden to Head.

Here’s some correspondence from Will Ellen:

“If any Test series deserves 5 tests its surely Australia South Africa. Your almost guaranteed a brilliant contest. Both sides sheer bloodyminded determination, ability, and pride in performance means contests are rarely just one way traffic. Folding is simply not in their natures. If the Aussies went 2-0 down you just know they’d fight back to make it 2-2, and vice versa.

“Brave decision to enforce the follow on here with a bowler down..”

6th over: Australia 13-1 (Head 3, Labuschagne 2) Head gets up the other end where he’d want to be. Jansen then shifts to round the wicket to Marnus, looking to angle it into his stumps. But Marnus is tidy and keeps him out.

5th over: Australia 13-1 (Head 3, Labuschagne 2) A maiden from KG to Marnus including one ball that almost, almost, comes back off a length to bowl him as he shoulders arms. To repeat a cliche, there are two types of leaves.

4th over: Australia 11-1 (Head 1, Labuschagne 2) Head won’t just let the South Africans bowl at him. Off the first ball of this Jansen over, he goes after a short one with a mighty swing of his bat, but the pull shot finds nothing but air. A couple of deliveries later he creams a drive off the front foot but finds the fielder at mid-off. Jansen gets one to spit off a length before Head drops into the covers to scamper a single off the last ball.

3rd over: Australia 10-1 (Head 0, Labuschagne 2) Exactly what Bavuma would have wanted having sent the Aussies in to bat again. Maddinson showed a glimmer of what he can do with one stroke, but then underlined why his future in the side remains in serious doubt. Marnus in at first drop steers a couple off his pads through midwicket to get off the mark.

2nd over: Australia 4-0 (Maddinson 4, Head 0) Jansen, only bowled 11 overs earlier today for his 5-33, starts over the wicket to Head, looking to get one to land on the stumps and hold the line off the surface. He’s a bit wider than he’d like to start and Head can let it go safely, but he clearly wants something to cut. Jansen goes straighter with the last ball and Head blocks firmly. Maiden over.

1st over: Australia 4-0 (Maddinson 4, Head 0) Maddinson survives the first over and also avoids bagging a pair. He’s nicely in line on the forward defence when Rabada goes full and steers a lovely late cut behind square for four when Rabada drags down. The follow up, though, is an absolute seed! On a great length and jags back into the left hander to cut him in half. But there’s no nick and the stumps remain in place. So that’s a first assignment complete for the opening bat.

Thanks Geoff. Hi everyone. Who saw this coming?

From 110-6 in their first dig, South Africa are now chasing an innings victory. Funny game.

Here’s KG with the new nut.

Right then! Australia trail by 326, following on. A huge moment for Nic Maddinson here, he simply must do something to justify his spot. A tough test for Australia, a big opportunity for South Africa, and so it’s the perfect time for me to make way for Daniel Gallan.

Here’s a nice message from George van Zijl.

“Greetings from Potchefstroom. I’m so glad I can actually follow the OBO with skin in the game. Just because the OBO is so good as reading material I even started following the Ashes, which I think is a ridiculous sporting event as it just breeds arrogance from whoever the winner is, when more often than not it is being played by a mediocre team vs Australia (This will probably age terribly later this year when England tours South Africa, in which case I apologise in advance to Bavuma and co). Anycase, thanks for the coverage of this series and all others covered by the OBO, I have spent hours otherwisely productive reading the cricket, philosophy, music and whatever discussions are on.”

That very much captures the spirit of it, George, thank you. And I agree about the Ashes, which often don’t have the quality to deserve the kind of billing they receive.

42nd over: Australia 98-9 (Cummins 7, Hazlewood 1) Just one wicket to go for South Africa. Hazlewood wafts, then again, and gets a run at his second attempt. Cummins is looking to score anything while he still can, and shapes to clean out Rabada over long on, but the length is nowhere near full enough, and it’s a fresh-air shot.

41st over: Australia 97-8 (Cummins 7, Starc 1) Mulder joins the wicket party.

40th over: Australia 92-7 (Smith 28, Cummins 7) Jansen to Smith, who nudges a single into the off side, and that is 11,000 runs in Test cricket for him.

Joins the former XI of Border, Jayawardene, Chanderpaul, Lara, Sangakkara, Cook, Dravid, Kallis, Ponting, Root, Tendulkar, making them a dozen.

Cummins is doing more of the scoring, though, pushing a brace and then clipping four square of the wicket.

39th over: Australia 84-7 (Smith 27, Cummins 1) Australia need Cummins out there. He’s responsible for four balls of Mulder’s over, but prods at one and has a wild drive at another. Can’t be offering more slip catches…

38th over: Australia 84-7 (Smith 27, Cummins 1) I was asked yesterday whether Jansen was among the world’s top ten bowlers, and prevaricated. Might need to revisit that assessment, he’s seized this game by the scruff. Cummins squeezes out a single behind square.

37th over: Australia 84-6 (Smith 27, Webster 12) DRS reprieves Webster! Given out caught behind off Mulder, the South Africans think that they are right amongst the pigeons in their feline forms, but the moment is retracted. The ball beats the outside edge and just beats the off stump, Webster saying that he thinks it clipped the bail. But DRS shows no spike from bat or stump, and the decision is overturned. Webster celebrates by blazing four through the covers, off a no-ball as well.

36th over: Australia 78-6 (Smith 27, Webster 8) Jansen to Webster, and Beau is one player who isn’t mismatched due to Jansen’s height. He clouts the short ball, because it’s harder to get one up to his head height. Two runs there. They turn over a few singles to follow. Nobody looks comfortable against Jansen though.

35th over: Australia 73-6 (Smith 26, Webster 4) Nortje is out of the game. He’s wearing the full training kit on the balcony. They’re saying it’s a groin strain. Jansen had one of those yesterday when he had his fruitbowl turned into a smoothie.

Mulder joins Jansen as the post-lunch bowler. Presumably now Bavuma wants to go Jansen, then Rabada, rather than using them both up in tandem. Mulder is less of a threat in these conditions, more an honest operator, and he tries to stay on Smith’s off stump. Given some of Smith’s wild shots though, it might not be the worst idea to feed that wider line.

34th over: Australia 73-6 (Smith 26, Webster 4) We’re back after lunch, with Jansen unsurprisingly opening up after his burst before the break. Webster is batting all the way down at No8 thanks to the nightwatch scenario, but he still has a specialist bat’s job to do today. Simply must stay with Smith for a while. He’s beaten early in the over, but whacks his first boundary through cover late in the piece.

Gervase Greene writes in. “Not judging anything on one innings, or even one series, but isn’t it about time we had a sensible discussion about whether Head remains as opener As I recall, originally the main argument for his opening was to balance Uzzie Khawaja’s important but increasingly stolid presence. Some miracle innings notwithstanding, fact is I would love to see Trav coming in tonight at 5 or 6. But he’s already gone, as he so often has been in the past two years. The issue is not so much the perennial Australian debate about ‘can he fill the opener spot?’ but whether we are really getting the best out of Trav while he’s with us. He is a one-in-a-generation talent, a rare diamond in the rough, and I fear we are chucking a lot of his remaining time in the big league away.”

That was exactly my concern after the wild hundred at Perth. It was so much fun that of course everyone wanted to let him keep doing it, and it did work through the rest of that series, but it never felt like a long term solution, especially against better bowling in foreign conditions. Head further down the order was someone whose style had a better chance to work; opening you’ll always have a greater attrition rate. The classic taking from a strength to look after a weakness.

33rd over: Australia 69-6 (Smith 26, Webster 0) Rabada is the last act before the tray of sausage rolls. Smith leaves a couple, then walks across and shovels a leg glance, unorthodox way of playing it, to fine leg where he gets a couple of runs thanks to a tangled attempt to save. Was that the draw shot? Did Smith glance that between his legs? He gets back on strike, and sees out the over.

32nd over: Australia 67-6 (Smith 24, Webster 0) Not that Smith is having an easier time than anyone else. Where was this sense of threat from the Australian bowlers yesterday with an older ball? Jansen has Smith jumping to defend, then jumping out of the way. Next, a swish outside off stump, then a loud appeal for a ball that cuts in and thuds into pad. It’s just going over the bails on the projection, and Bavuma correctly guessed that, gesturing height to his teammates. Smith pushes a run to cover fifth ball. One over to go before the break.

31st over: Australia 66-6 (Smith 23, Webster 0) Interesting byplay here. Not that you’d need to shield Webster from strike, but I wonder whether a cricket strategist would want the set Smith to take a single first ball of Rabada’s over, five minutes from lunch. It very nearly brings about Webster’s wicket, the ball a beauty that seams away slightly, similar to the way that Cummins does it, and so nearly takes the edge of Webster’s bat.

30th over: Australia 65-6 (Smith 22) Two wickets in three balls, ten minutes before lunch. Jansen has ripped the game open anew. Follow-on back in the projections.

29th over: Australia 65-4 (Smith 22, Renshaw 12) Smith is playing with fire against Rabada. Can’t help himself reaching for width outside the off stump, not once but repeatedly. Rabada keeps bowling there. The first shot is the safest, relatively close to him and a bit back of a length as he punches square. But then he aims a huge drive at a very wide ball that swings away, missing it completely and astounding Rabada. Another drive at width, inside half goes to the leg side. He doesn’t need to be playing these balls. It’s a weird innings from Smith today.

28th over: Australia 63-4 (Smith 20, Renshaw 12) Jansen will have a crack as well, with lunch not far away. Beats Renshaw first up with a good ball, moving away, but Renshaw settles into his work again immediately, leaving what he can leave until the bowler comes straight and he can pick off a run.

27th over: Australia 61-4 (Smith 19, Renshaw 11) Time for anothher Rabada burst. Good pace, Smith waits and watches the first few, then looks to drive the fifth, connects well but finds the field. Wants a scoring shot. Last ball of the over, edges to slip, but on the bounce! Rabada looks absolutely furious with… physics, on this occasion. The ball travels low and flat towards the cordon, and bounces a few inches short of Markram’s fingers. Smith didn’t need the big drive there. He’s also thrown his neck out while playing that shot, and has to call the physio. Maiden over.

26th over: Australia 61-4 (Smith 19, Renshaw 11) Finally, Smith finds a run. He’s not perturbed, just knocks one away to leg. Harmer almost gets Renshaw after that! Cut shot, bottom edge, chopped into his shoe rather than the base of the stumps. Lucky…

25th over: Australia 58-4 (Smith 17, Renshaw 10) More strike for Renshaw, drives a couple from Mulder and gets back to the business end. He faces the lot. Nine overs since Smith scored.

24th over: Australia 56-4 (Smith 17, Renshaw 8) Smith has been sitting on 17 for a long time, while Renshaw takes one single per over. That’s eight overs now with Smith on that score. Harmer, single.

23rd over: Australia 55-4 (Smith 17, Renshaw 7) The cameras have picked up Nortje sitting in the dressing room wearing his gym shorts, getting an ice pack on his thigh. His expression is blank.

Rowan Sweeney emails to ask whether openers are being picked on the wrong metrics. “With the wobble-ball being maximally effective with the new ball, is it time to look at bringing back the old school obdurate openers? In short, don’t say, ‘Who’s making runs in Shield Cricket?’; maybe say, ‘Who’s surviving til Lunch in Shield Cricket?’”

That might be a play. The counter is that if someone like Travis Head is aggressive, he can throw those opening bowlers off their length, and deny them the chance to take bulk early wickets. None of the wickets in this innings have come from wobble seam, I don’t think: Maddinson was a bad drive, Boland reached for one, Head got conventional nip, and Labuschagne played the wrong line. Correct me if some NASA cameras got a super slow-mo.

22nd over: Australia 54-4 (Smith 17, Renshaw 6) Harmer burrs through an over. He might be locked in at one end for a long time today.

21st over: Australia 53-4 (Smith 17, Renshaw 5) Mulder to Renshaw, around the wicket, and a pretty bit of bowling, seaming away from the edge. Renshaw is on the walk at that delivery and still doesn’t get close enough to nick it, so the length needs to be fuller. Keeps strike off the last ball. The follow-on mark is 225, by the way, to avert the risk of being asked to bat twice in a row. It would be much harder for South Africa to make that work though now that they’re a bowler down.

19th over: Australia 50-4 (Smith 17, Renshaw 3) Mulder to Renshaw, who tries to leave as much as he can, but gets a couple of runs from an awkwardly skewed edge. A lot of expectation on Renshaw now, which is a bit unfair, he produces that Durban marvel and is suddenly expected to be the best player in the team.

18th over: Australia 48-4 (Smith 17, Renshaw 1) Strange seeing the forensics of Labuschagne’s dismissal. He was very early on that drive, losing balance slightly to the off side and thus bringing his bat across the line of the ball slightly. I don’t think it did move away from him, Nortje doesn’t get much movement, but the batter created the effect of seam away by not having his balance right.

Renshaw has had hardly any strike, but finally gets his first run by knocking Nortje to midwicket.

17th over: Australia 47-4 (Smith 17, Renshaw 0) It’s time for Mulder. He got the new ball in Durban, when they had two spinners, and was mighty effective with it. But no new ball for him now that Rabada is back. Short, skiddy operator. Bowls a tidy first over to Smith, nothing from it.

16th over: Australia 47-4 (Smith 17, Renshaw 0) Nortje is going at Smith hard. It’s a cloudy morning, murky light, and Nortje is bowling rapidly and short. In at the body a couple of times, Smith rides the bounce at one point, gets out of the way stepping to the off side at another. Forward late in the over to block a run through cover.

15th over: Australia 46-4 (Smith 16, Renshaw 0) Goodness me. South Africa were 40 for 4 at one stage, now Australia much the same, albeit only three of them specialist bats. Now it’s down to Renshaw to save the day again. The drumbeating will renew for Labuschagne, though he has another innings in this match.

13th over: Australia 42-3 (Labuschagne 14, Smith 12) Shot from Smith! Straight drive, back past the bowler through a straight mid off, and he really gives that some toe, too. Hard swing of the bat. Then clips a single. Rabada has one ball at Labuschagne and bowls him a beauty! Tiny bit of swing in, tiny bit of seam away, and past the edge.

12th over: Australia 37-3 (Labuschagne 14, Smith 7) Oooff! Punch and counter punch. Labuschagne drives down the ground for four early in the over. Jansen around the wicket beats the edge of Labuschagne’s bat with a ball that holds its line, has the batter jumping and trying to draw the bat inside the line of that ball. “Good nut,” mutters Labs, half to himself, while looking back at the bowler. Two balls later though, he could say “Good shot” to himself. Steps forward into a fuller length ball and drives with complete economy of effort away to the cover boundary. No follow through, just places the bat in the right spot at the right time.

11th over: Australia 29-3 (Labuschagne 7, Smith 5) As his been his wont in this later stage of his career, Smith goes for the cover drive rather than the shuffle to leg. Smashes Rabada for four with that shot, then later goes off his pads for two. This is Smith Version Whatever It Is. He’s not the run glutton of years past. He scores more quickly, while lasting for shorter periods of time. Australia need a long innings today.

10th over: Australia 23-3 (Labuschagne 6, Smith 1) Australian turn back to Smithbuschagne to dig them out of a jam. Smith has a poor record in the later part of Test matches, although he’s played so little in the first three days that perhaps this feels like day two?

9th over: Australia 22-2 (Head 14, Labuschagne 6) This is some spell from Rabada. Operating at serious pace, even if there’s a little sauce on those readings. Making Head hop around by bowling at the pads, where Head has had a lot of trouble recently, getting out to leading edges a number of times, when he’s not dragging balls onto the stumps. Eventually he’s able to jump up and stab down a ball to leg, to get off strike. Labuschagne gets about a quarter of his bat on another quick delivery to edge it through square leg for two.

8th over: Australia 19-2 (Head 13, Labuschagne 4) Positive for Labuschagne, but risky, hurling the bat at Jansen’s angle across him and lifting a ball over backward point. There to hit, as they say.

7th over: Australia 15-2 (Head 13, Labuschagne 0) Pop goes the hammer! Split goes the field. Travis Head cover drives Rabada for four, in that rather rustic way of his, more whack than finesse. Full enough to play that shot. Rabada responds with one that whistles past off stump. Full and close to the stumps, and Head lets it go, and that ball might have come back a bit. The speed gun claims that’s almost 155 kilometres an hour. I don’t trust the radar in this series, it’s been clocking all the fast bowlers at speeds that seem unlikely. Within the bounds of possibility for each of them, at their peaks, but I’m not sure that they’re all bowling at the fastest rates of their careers, given the advanced years of the Aussies and Rabada just coming back from injury.

6th over: Australia 11-2 (Head 9, Labuschagne 0) One of the big stories of the day, then, will be Labuschagne, and whether he can build something of substance. He’s been good at times when the team has needed him to bat out time to protect a draw – think Lord’s 2019 and Old Trafford 2023. But the latter of those was also his most recent Test hundred, over three years ago. Has to get those performances out of the scrapbooks and onto the turf in front of him. He begins by leaving everything he can from Jansen.

5th over: Australia 11-1 (Head 9, Boland 2) We have begun. Travis Head facing Rabada, who took the wicket in the first over last night, then had to be replaced by spin given the light was so bad. This morning Head begins with a boundary, driving him through cover point. He’s not been in great nick, has Head, and needs a score to help his team out here. A second boundary follows, though not much say over it for the batter, who prods forward and gets a thick outside edge through the cordon.

“There’s so much to adore about Temba, for so many reasons, but from a cricketing standpoint, his record as captain is so impressive,” emails Guy Hornsby. “Sure, the difference may reflect his modest returns without the armband, but he’s into Warwick Armstrong territory, and who wouldn’t want to emulate the Big Ship?”

It would take about 13 Tembas to fill the space of one Warwick.

The forecast is decent for today: cool temperatures around 20 degrees, some cloud cover with plenty of scattered sunshine. Hopefully no more rain, though we may not get all of the extended overs in due to the light. We’ll start 15 minutes early and hope to go later than the scheduled stumps, to make up for rain earlier in the match.

In seriousness, that Bavuma innings was one for the ages. Scarcely have we seen such a deviation from the mean, from a player who struggled to convert fifties to one who dominated from such a difficult situation across three, however abbreviated, days of play. Plenty of help from his lower order, but he was the core.

Here’s our match report from yesterday.