After another Australian onslaught on day three of the second Test in Melbourne, the Proteas have a mountain to climb. Sitting at 15 for one in their second innings and facing a deficit of 371 runs with two days to play, it will take a miracle to avoid a first series defeat Down Under since the 2005/6 season.
Rain greeted the players ahead of the start of play on day three of the second Test between Australia and South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), and it was a welcome sight for the Proteas, but it wasn’t enough.
Having been made to toil in the field for a shattering 145 overs in the Melbourne heat as Australia amassed 575 for eight, and a lead of 386, this match is unlikely to have a happy ending for the Proteas.
Just nine balls into their second innings, captain Dean Elgar was gone for a three-ball duck after getting a touch on a Pat Cummins delivery down the leg-side, with wicketkeeper Alex Carey taking the catch to leave the Proteas zero for one.
Erwee (7) and Theunis de Bruyn (6) were able to survive the next six overs before rain ultimately brought a close to the day’s play.
At 15 for one, and with two days remaining, the Proteas are on the brink of a first series defeat Down Under since the 2005/6 season.
Control
Australia were in complete control in the Test, coming off a second day where they scored 341 runs for the loss of just two wickets, taking their tally to a mammoth 389 for three – 197 runs ahead of the Proteas’s first-innings total.
David Warner (200) was undoubtedly the star of the show, scoring a double century in his 100th Test before retiring hurt due to severe cramping. Steven Smith (85) also played a key role during a 239-run stand with Warner.
There was some bad news in the Australian camp, however, as it was confirmed that Cameron Green (6), who retired hurt after being hit on the finger by an Anrich Nortje delivery, had fractured his right index finger. The injury rules him out for the rest of the series and leaves him unable to bowl in South Africa’s second innings.
The Proteas may have been hoping for three days of showers to forge a result in the match, but the rain quickly dried up and play soon got under way after a 45-minute delay, with ...