Australia vs South Africa: 3rd Test Match Live score and Day 1 Highlight
At the SCG, Australia took advantage of winning the toss by choosing to bat before the game was prematurely called off due to difficult conditions
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Steve SmithUnlucky Scott Boland and Covid
Because of Starc's finger injury in the second Test, the Australians decided to use Ashton Agar as a backup spinner at the SCG. The dry Sydney surface will likely break up and offer turn as the game progresses. Therefore, Boland was unable to travel to Australia.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith cruise through a comfortable opening session on day two.<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvSA</a> LIVE on <a href="https://t.co/MHHfZPyHf9">https://t.co/MHHfZPyHf9</a> (in select regions) 📺<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WTC23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WTC23</a> | 📝 <a href="https://t.co/yJR6DiH5jX">https://t.co/yJR6DiH5jX</a> <a href="https://t.co/HaA508VeT6">pic.twitter.com/HaA508VeT6</a></p>— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1610812277661339648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Many people questioned how Australia could leave Boland out, given that Hazlewood had not played since the first Test against the West Indies in November and that they had only selected two front-line pace bowlers. Damien Fleming stated on Wednesday that he wants Boland to play and Agar to bat as an all-rounder at 6 or 7. Instead, Matt Renshaw is batting at position six, and the Australians will likely need to rely on the spot-fixing bowling of Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, and Steve Smith.
Before the second day of play on Thursday, Ponting was questioned about whether Boland was the unluckiest Australian player in history. The former Test captain, however, took another path.
Under a persistent cloud cover that made the poor light even more problematic than the occasional showers, Australia withstood the early pressure and then made steady progress before Labuschagne's late withdrawal meant the Australians were 2 for 147 when the stumps were drawn at 5.50 pm.
Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja scored half-centuries for Australia on a shortened day before Anrich Nortje helped South Africa fight their way back into the game in the third Test at a dismal SCG.
Usman Khawaja's continued penchant for the SCG will continue tomorrow when he enters the match unbeaten on 54 alongside Steve Smith (who has yet to score a ball), while the Australian batting line-up faces a shake-up due to illness.
The visitors perhaps felt a little in the right when Labuschagne succumbed to a 145 km/h thunderbolt from Anrich Nortje that grazed the outside edge of his bat, one ball before the umpires decided it was too dark to confront batsmen with fast bowlers.
Labuschagne fell for 79 with the last delivery of the day. Due to the poor light and rain, only 47 overs were bowled, much to the disappointment of the 31,000 spectators in another Sydney Test match affected by the poor conditions.
Labuschagne and Khawaja had put themselves in a good position with a 135-run partnership after David Warner lost by 10 runs early on.
After a spirited effort in Melbourne, Nortje was again the standout performer with 2 for 26 from 11 overs, having earlier dismissed Warner.
South Africa still have a slim chance of qualifying for the WTC finals with a consolation win as spirits lifted after Nortje's late heroics.
Day 1 Summary
Australia 1st Innings: 147 for 2 (Marnus Labuschagne 79, Usman Khawaja 54*)
South Africa: Anrich Nortje 2-26