Melbourne Test Archives

Australia hammer South Africa to win 2nd Test and series

MELBOURNE: South Africa were on the wrong end of a “hammering” against rampant top-ranked Australia on Thursday, losing the second Test by 182 runs and with it the series.

The loss capped a dismal first two Tests for the visitors who slumped by six wickets in the opener at Brisbane inside two days, with a potential face-saving third match at Sydney still to play.

“It is not easy at the moment. That was bit of a hammering,” Proteas skipper Dean Elgar said.

Australia declared on Wednesday at 575-8 built on the back of man-of-the-match Warner’s 200 and a gutsy 85 from Steve Smith in searing heat, in reply to South Africa’s first innings 189, and then took complete control with the ball.

South Africa resumed day four on 15-1 after Elgar went for a duck before rain halted play early on Wednesday.

But their resistance didn’t last long with three wickets falling before lunch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the rest in the second session as they succumbed for 204.

Temba Bavuma top-scored with 65 while Nathan Lyon took 3-58 in a depleted, injury-hit, attack.

“The win is right up there. We have had a number of great contests against South Africa over the years. It’s really sweet and something to be proud of,” said Australian skipper Pat Cummins.

“I thought how Warner and Smith batted in the heat was pretty gutsy. (Mitchell) Starc and (Cameron) Green as well, put their injuries behind them and turned up.”

It leaves South Africa facing a trip to Sydney next week for the final Test with only pride to play for and potentially some changes to a batting line up that has largely failed to fire.

“We have got to do a lot of reflection going ahead once again. There are a few positives coming out of this Test but not a lot,” Elgar said.

“There’s lot to play for (in Sydney), South Africa are a proud cricketing nation and 2-1 sounds a lot better than 3-0,” he added.

Australia will have a new-look team with Green and Starc already ruled out with finger injuries as they race the clock to be ready for a blockbuster series in India in February.

Josh Hazlewood is set to return for Starc after recovering from a side strain, with Green’s replacement to be decided.

Bruised finger

The wickets fell despite the hosts’ attack being depleted, with Green, who took 5-27 in their first innings, not bowling due to a fractured finger.

Theunis de Bruyn (28), Sarel Erwee (21) and Khaya Zondo (one) all departed before lunch at the hands of Australia’s high-class pace attack.

Then the spin of Nathan Lyon, and two careless run outs, ended any hope they had in the second session.

Starc was also nursing a bruised and bloodied finger, but he played through the pain and his sheer pace caused plenty of problems.

Erwee, who resumed on seven, hit a superb drive for four off him as his confidence grew, but Starc quickly got his revenge, trapping him lbw with a cracking yorker.

De Bruyn began on six and built up to 28, but he soon followed his teammate back to the pavilion.

This time Scott Boland did the damage, enticing an edge that was taken by the ever-reliable Smith in the slips for his 150th catch. He is 14th on the all-time list, led by Indian great Rahul Dravid’s 210.

South Africa were under the pump and needed to dig in, but Bavuma inexplicably attempted a single from Cummins and Khaya Zondo was easily run out by a Travis Head underarm throw.

It left them teetering at 65-4 before Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne knuckled down.

But Boland struck again soon after lunch with Verreynne, one of their best batsmen this series, out lbw for 33.

Lyon’s spin removed Marco Jansen before another disastrous run out involving Bavuma, with Keshav Maharaj out after a confusing mix-up and Starc made a direct hit.

More weak dismissals by Lyon and a rare wicket for Smith ended the match.

READ: Mohammad Hasnain added to list of probables for New Zealand ODIs

Australia eye victory after Carey century in 2nd South Africa Test

MELBOURNE: Australia closed in on winning the second Test and the series against South Africa on Wednesday after Alex Carey struck a maiden century to leave them in a commanding position.

The hosts declared at tea on 575-8 on day three with an ominous lead of 386 after South Africa were bowled out in their first innings for 189.

In reply, the Proteas were 15-1 when play was abandoned early at the Melbourne Cricket Ground due to persistent drizzle.

Their bid to save the Test, and the three-match series after losing the opener in Brisbane, got off to a horror start with under-pressure skipper Dean Elgar caught by Carey off Pat Cummins without scoring in the second over.

Theunis de Bruyn, who was dropped by David Warner on three, was not out six alongside Sarel Erwee on seven.

Wicketkeeper Carey, playing in his 14th Test, was superb in reaching three figures for the first time before he was caught and bowled by Marco Jansen for 111.

At the declaration, a battling Cameron Green was not out 51 despite a fractured finger, alongside Mitchell Starc on 10.

Carey and Green piled on the misery in a 117-run partnership after South Africa gave themselves a glimmer of hope with early wickets, including David Warner first ball after he resumed on 200.

Australia resumed on 386-3 with Travis Head on 48 and Carey on nine after a herculean unbeaten double century from Warner in his 100th Test in gruelling heat on day two.

The veteran opener retired exhausted with severe cramp after making his third Test double ton, but he returned to the crease when Head was out for 51, walking out to huge applause.

He told host broadcaster Fox before play began that he had a “rough night’s sleep”.

“I probably woke up six or seven times,” he added, and was bowled first ball by an Anrich Nortje yorker as Australia lost three wickets for five runs.

Green ruled out of bowling

Temperatures were much cooler than the 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, with conditions overcast and humid — generally favourable to the bowlers.

And the ever-dangerous Anrich Nortje took advantage, bowling Head in the third over before snaring a bewildered Warner next ball.

Pat Cummins fended off the hat-trick delivery, but he did not last long.

The Australian skipper fell to the third ball he faced when South Africa successfully reviewed a caught behind decision off Kagiso Rabada’s bowling that was initially denied by the umpire.

Carey was joined by Nathan Lyon and they steadied the ship.

Lyon made an entertaining 25 before holing out to Khaya Zondo off Lungi Ngidi

Ahead of play, Green, who took 5-27 in South Africa’s first innings, was ruled out of bowling again in Melbourne — and the third Sydney Test — with a fractured finger, but he bravely came out to bat.

After a slow start, he began playing his shots in an admirable supporting role to Carey, who counter-attacked after the early wickets fell to consolidate Australia’s advantage.

Carey was the first Australian wicketkeeper to make a Test century since Brad Haddin in 2013 and only the second at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after Rod Marsh.

READ: India drop heavyweights from T20 squad for Sri Lanka series

Australian veteran Warner slams double century in 100th Test

Melbourne: Australia’s veteran opener David Warner hit a double century on Tuesday against South Africa in his 100th Test before being helped off the Melbourne Cricket Ground in agony.

En route to three figures, the 36-year-old passed 8,000 Test runs — the eighth Australian to do so — after coming into the game under pressure after a lean run.

He notched his first Test century since January 2020 to prove the doubters wrong on day two of the second Test and with the opposition bowlers tiring in searing heat, he battled the elements and converted it to 200.

His third Test double century came off 254 balls with 16 fours and two sixes in a test of endurance in the heat.

He needed treatment for cramp several times and eventually retired in pain on 200, helped off the field.

Warner, who dropped to his knees which he reached 200, insisted before the match that “you’re never out of form”.

“They’re not the words that I use and they’re definitely not used in our change rooms,” he said. “It’s about (being) out of runs.”

READ: Shoaib suggests to include Sarfaraz in ODIs too after Test comeback

Green takes five as Australia seize control of 2nd South Africa Test

MELBOURNE: Allrounder Cameron Green took a career-best 5-27 as Australia ripped through South Africa’s fragile batting before piling on late runs to seize control of the second Test in Melbourne on Monday.

After the visitors were dismissed for 189, an aggressive David Warner, in his 100th Test, was unbeaten on 32 and Marnus Labuschagne was not out on five to steer the hosts to 45-1 at stumps on day one.

Usman Khawaja was out for one, caught behind by Kyle Verreynne off Kagiso Rabada.

Australia won the first of three Tests by six wickets inside two days on a hostile and green Gabba pitch in Brisbane last week.

The wicket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was less bowler-friendly, but captain Pat Cummins surprisingly chose to field at a venue where toss-winning teams normally bat first.

South African skipper Dean Elgar said he was bewildered by the decision, but it proved to be inspired in front of 64,876 fans with the Proteas losing early wickets as they again struggled against the hosts’ bowling firepower.

After slumping to 67-5, Verreynne and Marco Jansen launched a stirring fightback in a gutsy 112-run stand.

But then Green — the second-most expensive buy at the Indian Premier League auction last week — went on a blitz, snapping the partnership when Verreynne got an outside edge on 52 that Steve Smith collected.

Two balls later, Jansen was gone, caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey for 59 off Green before the giant Australian bowled Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.

Green took 4-8 in the spell with the Proteas losing their last five wickets for 10 runs.

Early pressure

South Africa started the day nervously, losing Sarel Erwee and Theunis de Bruyn cheaply.

They were stunned just before lunch when Elgar, who passed 5,000 Test runs, and the experienced Temba Bavuma departed in consecutive balls.

It left them in trouble at 58-4 and the inexperienced middle order facing a daunting task.

When Khaya Zondo was out in the fifth over after lunch for five, courtesy of a stunning Marnus Labuschagne diving catch, the end looked nigh before Verreynne and Jansen dug in.

On a humid day, Cummins asked some searching early questions, dropping Elgar on seven off his own bowling and then having two big lbw shouts against Sarel Erwee denied.

Erwee lived dangerously and was no match for local hero Scott Boland.

The seamer, who took 6-7 in the corresponding Test against England a year ago, came on to thunderous applause and got the breakthrough in his second over, with Khawaja taking a low catch at third slip to remove Erwee for 18.

South Africa’s batting has been under the pump recently and as the senior player, Elgar knew he had to stick around.

But it was a grind, with the captain surviving when an inside edge off Boland sent the ball rolling onto his stumps only for the bails to stay on, then being dropped by Nathan Lyon.

Green got Australia’s second wicket when Theunis De Bruyn attempted a pull shot and wicketkeeper Carey took an easy catch.

Disaster then struck with a sluggish Elgar needlessly run out by Labuschagne going for a single on 26, and Bavuma fell for one next ball, edging Mitchell Starc to Carey after a poor shot.

READ: Sarfaraz joins elite company with 50th Test appearance