Resuming from their overnight score of 45/1 in 12 overs, Australia added 341 more runs at the cost of losing only two wickets on paper in the 79 overs that were bowled on the second day of the second Test match against South Africa in Melbourne today.
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A healthy run rate of 4.31 on Day 2 has propelled Australia’s first innings lead to 197. With Travis Head (48*) and Alex Carey (9*) set to resume tomorrow, Australia have a golden opportunity of batting the Proteas out of the match.
Having said that, it is worth a mention that Australia’s actual loss on Tuesday mounts to more than a couple of wickets. Following fast bowler Mitchell Starc from Day 1, opening batter David Warner and all-rounder Cameron Green also suffered respective injuries to retire hurt while batting.
Although there isn’t a lot of clarity about the exact status of these injuries, Australia can surely not afford to lose three key players within two days especially in the middle of a home summer.
Kagiso Rabada imitates Merv Hughes to entertain MCG Bay 13 spectators
Warner, who scored a third Test double century to become only the second cricketer after former England captain Joe Root to do so in his 100th Test, entertained the crowd throughout the day on the back of hitting a total of 16 fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 78.74.
Having said that, South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada still felt the need to engage with spectators after Warner’s unfortunate exit. Perhaps not wanting to keep the spectators bereft of entertainment other than the on-pitch happenings, Rabada imitated former Australia fast bowler Merv Hughes’ iconic warm-up routine to successfully engage with the spectators sitting at the Bay 13.
For the unversed, Bay 13 stand at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground is infamously known for the presence of rowdy spectators. Having said that, a section situated towards the fine-leg (for a left-handed batter) region from the Great Southern Stand was seen not only being lenient towards Rabada but also following his warm-up step-by-step.
Having dismissed opening batter Usman Khawaja on Monday, Rabada couldn’t dismiss a single Australian batter today. Bowling figures of 18-1-94-1 see Rabada as the most expensive South African bowler in this innings thus far.
Today match crowd attendance at the MCG
Not as much as the Boxing Day yesterday, a grand total of 42,614 had visited the MCG on Day 2 today.
