Source : the age
Since 2000 Australia have only been made to follow on twice – at Nottingham in the 2005 Ashes and at Sydney in January 2019 against India.
In the first instance, with plenty of time left in the game, Ricky Ponting’s team scrounged a lead and had a chance to bowl England out before Ashley Giles steadied things and took the hosts home.
At the SCG, things were more similar to here, where India made a big first innings total and rain reduced the time left in a game that ended in a draw.
Alex Carey is usually among the most dogged batters in the Australian side but Jansen bowled one tightly outside his off-stump and he just couldn’t resist pushing his bat out and getting the edge.
Jansen has two wickets in the over and Carey is gone for a duck.
AUS 6-65 from 30 overs
Renshaw has not looked troubled today but Jansen made a ball fly up at his shoulders and it hit the shoulder of his bat and flew to Harmer at slip.
Renshaw is gone for 12 and lunch is still 14 minutes away.
AUS 5-65
We are about 15 minutes away from lunch, which is due at 9pm AEDT.
Rabada and Jansen have come back on and they are firing away at Smith and Renshaw.
So far, they are holding on but Rabada was asking some very tough questions of Smith who played a few false strokes in the last over.
Feels like it is a crucial moment in the match.
AUS 4-65 with Renshaw on 12 and Smith on 22.
Rabada has come back on and he forced the edge from Smith.
Luckily for Smith, the ball just dropped short of second slip but it was mighty close.
Smith has asked the physio to come out and check his neck.
I think this injury must have happened earlier as the physio came out at the end of the over.
AUS 4-61
Renshaw and Smith are arguably Australia’s two most in-form players and they are continuing to battle away.
They just passed 60 balls together but they haven’t been able to score much as Mulder and Harmer are bowling tight spells.
Rickleton is keeping up to the stumps to Mulder to force the Aussies to stay in their creases.
AUS 4-58 from 25 overs
The Proteas look to have lost speedster Anrich Nortje who has come off the ground and stopped his over midway through.
It appears he has injured his right groin or abductor.
Bad break for South Africa. Anrich Nortje has broken down in the middle of his fourth over. He flexes his leg and walks off. That could have an impact on things. Harmer subs in to complete the over.
You have to find the small victories in a struggle like this and Australia has reached 50.
Problem is that the team is 4-50 with Smith and Renshaw at the crease.
They are fighting away and there does feel like there will be better conditions later in the day for batting.
But for now, they are in survival mode.
AUS 4-50. They trail by 375 runs.
Smith and Renshaw are doing their best to hold off the South Africans until the conditions settle down but the ball is doing a bit.
Speedster Nortje and seamer Wiaan Mulder are on deck now and asking some tough questions.
Australia are 4-47 and need 179 more runs to avoid the follow on. South Africa made 9-425 declared in the first innings.
