Australia has skittled South Africa’s hopes at levelling the series with another commanding day of Test cricket.
Incredible drama struck on Day Three at the MCG with Australia’s middle order wiped out in the space of six balls.
Warner was given a standing ovation as he walked to the crease, resuming his innings on 200, but he was walking back to the dressing room seconds later when Anrich Nortje knocked him over first ball.
By then, it was too little too late for the tourists.
Australia resumed its first innings on Wednesday after reaching 3/386 at stumps — a lead of 197.
They eventually declared at 386 runs ahead.
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The major talking point is what Australia will do for the upcoming Sydney Test after Cameron Green was ruled out due to injury.
It was revealed early on Wednesday Green suffered a broken finger after he was stung by Nortje late in the day’s play. Mitchell Starc also suffered a finger injury on Day 1.
Green left the field with a bloodied finger and the latest news means Australia will only have Scott Boland, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to bowl them to victory.
Umpires call stumps due to rain
Play will resume at 10am local time tomorrow.
South Africa trail by 371 runs with nine wickets remaining
Proteas skipper out for a duck
The wheels have well and truly fallen off this South African tour.
Opening batsman Dean Elgar fell for a duck to rival skipper Pat Cummins, feathering a ball off his gloves through to Alex Carey behind the stumps.
The tourists got a tiny piece of luck shortly after in Cummins’ spell, with David Warner putting down a catch at first slip off Theunis De Bruyn.
Starc looked threatening for the remainder of his spell, smacking the batsmen on the pads for a number of LBW chances.
Rain delayed play shortly after.
Aussies declare 386 ahead at tea
Mitchell Starc has braved his finger injury and joined Cameron Green at the crease late in the innings. Alex Carey fell for 111 shortly after bringing up his maiden Test ton, sending a ball from Marco Jansen skyward and offering an easy catch for the towering seamer.
Cameron Green nudged his way to another half century with a broken finger, again proving his worth as a long-term fighter for the Baggy Green.
Starc came out swinging, hitting a huge six over cow corner before being struck on the helmet. Pat Cummins decided to declare as medical staff rushed out to do the obligatory concussion check, leaving Australia 386 runs ahead of the tourists.
Carey breaks record with MCG century
Alex Carey has scored his maiden Test century in front of a raucous MCG crowd on the third day of the second Test.
Carey put forth a brilliant innings, bringing up his Test milestone after facing 133 deliveries.
His innings puts him alongside one of Australia’s great wicketkeepers in Rod Marsh, becoming only the second wicketkeeper to score a Test century at the MCG.
And to get a little more specific …
Marsh’s century was against England during the Centenary Test in 1977 held in March, meaning Carey is the only Aussie keeper to notch triple figures at a Boxing Day Test in history.
However, he’s still a long way off catching Adam Gilchrist’s stunning record as Australia’s greatest ever keeper-batsman.
Carey’s ton was the 15th ton scored by an Australian wicketkeeper not named Gilchrist.
Gilchrist single-handedly scored 17 Test centuries in his 96 Tests for Australia.
Viewers also noticed a nice touch as Carey dashed down the wicket for his century. Cameron Green at the non strikers’ end actually began celebrating his feat before Carey got a chance to lift the bat.
Aussies bring up the 500
For the first time this series the Australian’s have gone past the 500- run mark, giving them a lead of 311 runs.
The monstrous advantage paints a bleak picture for the visiting South African party who have failed to surpass 190 runs through three innings in the series.
Australia’s bowling stocks have taken a hit with Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green suffering finger injuries, but with the lead continue to grow and two days of play left it’s almost mission impossible for the visitors.
Carey salutes after brilliant innings
Alex Carey has raised the bat after bringing up his half century during the opening session on the third day.
Carey hit three straight fours to bring up the milestone as he reached the 50 mark from 66 deliveries.
The Australian lead has reached 270 runs, a mark South Africa have failed to come close to throughout this series.
Lyon roars as Aussie lead builds
Nathan Lyon strolled to the crease as the eighth batsmen for the first time in his career and made the most of it.
The off-spin king threw the willow around as he made a quickfire 25 runs from 17 deliveries which included a six off of Kagiso Rabada.
Lyon’s departure brings Cameron Green to the crease despite the star all-rounder having a fracture finger.
‘My goodness me’: Australia loses three wickets in five balls
Anrich Nortje was on a hat-trick in his second over of the day after knocking over Travis Head and David Warner.
Nortje suddenly had Australia 5/395.
Warner said on TV in the minutes before the start of play that Nortje’s spell at on Day 2, which included one over where all six deliveries were clocked above 150km/h, was the quickest he had ever faced.
The firebrand is still bowling heat. He had Head gone when he snuck a delivery that nipped between bat and pad.
He castled Warner in the next delivery with a pitched-up ball that appeared to swing late.
In the next over Kagiso Rabada snared the wicket of Pat Cummins when he nicked off.
Cummins was sent packing when the snicko detected a faint spike, despite umpire Paul Reiffel ignoring the appeals from the South African slips cordon.
The drama had Fox Cricket’s Ian Smith losing it.
“Oh my goodness me. Talk about drama,” he said.
“Talk about the penthouse down. Goodness me. What are we seeing here? I can’t believe the drama that this series is producing.”
Warner finished on 200, while Cummins scored four from three balls.
Disaster as Green ruled out of Sydney Test, has broken finger
Cricket Australia has announced Cameron Green’s series is over after suffering a finger fracture while batting on Day 2.
Australian coach Andrew McDonald says the Aussie team has decided Green will not bowl for the rest of the Test and will miss the Third test in Sydney.
It is a disaster for Australia with Mitchell Starc already ruled out from the New Year’s Test when he suffered a finger injury, damaging a tendon while in the field.
McDonald said Green could be called upon to bat if he is needed in Australia’s second innings.
“He’s got a small fracture to that index finger, so bowling looks not a possibility,” McDonald told SEN.
“But he’ll potentially come back on for batting. So that’ll be assessed this morning (based on) where the situation of the game is at, we’ll work our way through that.”
Fox Cricket commentator said the injury gives South Africa an avenue back into the Test.
“With a threadbare attack — and this pitch is playing pretty well — we’ll see how much revolve South Africa have,” he said.
“But we’ll know where the tourists are at psychologically and how they handle this second innings against the reduced Australian attack.”
Star wants action after Spidercam smash
South African firebrand Anrich Nortje has called for Spidercam to cease operating below head height after he was taken out by the advanced camera technology on Day 2.
Nortje was hit by the Flying Fox or Spidercam camera as it ducked down at the end of an over.
The Flying Fox has generally been praised by broadcasters as it offers a tool to interview players during the game and a tool to provide shots scarcely believed possible in the past.
But the 183cm Nortje was knocked down in a bizarre incident with the camera.
As it tracked along shortly after Warner brought up his century, the Flying Fox was knocked off its shot, revealing it had left the fast bowler in its wake.
Nortje spoke after the day’s play, saying the technology needs to take the height of tall bowlers into consideration.
“I didn’t know what hit me, to be honest,” Nortje said.
“So far so good. It just knocked the [left] shoulder and the [left] elbow. The elbow is a bit sore but otherwise seems to be okay. I’ll just monitor it and see how it goes with the [doctor].
“I saw cables and then I turned around or moved my head and then I saw the camera, but I was a little bit too late. It was quite quick. It didn’t really change my mindset or anything. I tried to stay focused.
“I think the one thing we’ve spoken about earlier is how low it is and it probably shouldn’t be unless [it needs to be] for certain interviews or something. But I don’t think it should be travelling head height. That’s just my opinion. And then for Marco [Jansen] as well, they must take him into consideration [for his height].”
It comes as Cricinfo reported Fox Cricket had apologised to Nortje and found that the incident was the result of human error by the operator.
The Flying Fox will return to action on Day 3.
Ponting predicted Warner 100th Test double century
Ricky Ponting’s could sense David Warner was headed for a momentous moment before the first ball had even been bowled on Day 2.
Ponting said on Tuesday morning Warner would go on to become just the second Aussie to hit a century in his 100th Test — following Ponting himself — and then go on to be the second player in history to make it a double.
“Yes,” Ponting said after he was asked about Warner’s prospects of a hundred.
“And if he gets it, he might make 200. There you go.”
