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Australia vs South Africa: Cricket live scores, blog, 3rd Test – Day 2

25th November, 2016
First ball: 2:30pm (AEDT)
Venue: Adelaide Oval
TV: Live, Channel Nine
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong
Betting: Australia $1.70, South Africa $2.50, Draw $14
Teams:

Australia
David Warner, Matt Renshaw, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird

South Africa
Stephen Cook, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi
Usman Khawaja is one of the few Aussie cricketers that should be guaranteed selection for the rest of the summer. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Roar Guru
25th November, 2016
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11272 Reads

Despite the series being wrapped up, both Australia and South Africa played with great intensity at the start of the third Test on a day the home side may have just edged. Join The Roar for live scores and blog of day two from 2:30pm (AEDT).

The first day of the third Test between South Africa and Australia leaves the two sides in a very similar position to what they were at the end of day one of the first Test in Perth.

This means Australia hold a slight advantage, but had it not been for Faf du Plessis it could have been a massive one, with the South African captain finishing unbeaten on 118.

It was a strange occasion for du Plessis. The Adelaide crowd booed him onto the field, with du Plessis having been controversially found guilty of ball tampering in the lead-up to the Test, a charge that could have seen him suspended.

But not dissimilar to his debut Test in Adelaide four years earlier, du Plessis bailed his team out of an awkward situation. He eventually declared with his side 9 for 259 allowing his bowlers to have a run under the Adelaide lights.

These types of low scoring declarations in the final session of play have been common in day-night Sheffield Shield games, but the situation with David Warner that followed the declaration was anything but common.

Warner, having gone off the field for treatment on his shoulder while South Africa were nine wickets down, was told in the wake of the declaration that he could not open the batting as he had not returned to the field for long enough before the end of the Proteas’ innings.

This meant that Australia was left with an entirely different opening combination from their previous game, as Usman Khawaja was moved up the order to open with debutant Matt Renshaw.

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With 12 overs to bowl before the end of play, a couple of wickets may have put South Africa ahead in the game.

However, Khawaja and Renshaw showed great resilience, ending the night not out on three and eight respectively.

The main contributor to Australia’s favourable position was Josh Hazlewood, who put in another impressive bowling display, finishing with 4/68.

Hazlewood is the leading wicket-taker in the series, now with fifteen scalps beside his name, though it is worth noting that Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott all have superior averages.

It will be up to this trio, along with debutant spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, to try to ensure Australia’s new-look batting line-up doesn’t find any joy on an Adelaide pitch that just seems to have a bit of life in it.

Be sure to join The Roar from 2:30pm (AEDT) for live scores and commentary throughout the second day’s play of the day-night Test between Australia and South Africa.

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