A 239-run partnership between David Warner and Steve Smith followed by Travis Heads 48 gave Australia a lead of 197 in the second day’s Stamps.
An emotional and exhausted David Warner retired after suffering 200 injuries as Australia dominated the second day of Tuesday’s Second Test and South Africa languished in a blast furnace in Melbourne.
Australia were 3 for 386 in response to the guests first innings of 189, with a lead of 197 runs and a series after a six-wicket victory in the opening match at Brisbane.
Nearly his century clean sheet in his three years, an exhausted Warner limped from his 254-ball to his 3rd his 200-ball, succumbing to a cramp and leaving Melbourne for his cricket career. Ground limped with the help of his pitch coach.
The newly promoted 36-year-old became the eighth Australian to reach 8,000 Test runs en route to his 2500th, ending a debate over his place in the squad. .
Australian number 5 Travis Head was 48 not stumps and wicketkeeper Alex Carey was 9.
Warner and Steve Smith scored a streak of 239 runs for the third wicket before Smith was caught in a ravine at 85 by paceman Anrich Noche Bowling.
After Australia restarted at 1 at 45 in the morning, Marnus Labuschagne fell short for 14 and was the only wicket the bowlers took two for the Proteas on a disastrous day.
To add insult to injury, after lunch, Nortje was knocked down by the host station’s “spider cam,” a cable-hung mobile camera that takes aerial photographs on the ground. Warner scored the first 100 by pulling pace spike Kagiso Rabada into a thin-legged fence and celebrated enthusiastically by blowing kisses off his racket as the terraces roared.
At 124, he lay down from the field for his coaches to work on his cramped legs, but finished his second 100 with 4 against Lungi Ngidi before retiring.
All-rounder Cameron Green (6) became his second hitter to retire from the tee with an injury after being hit on the index finger by Norce.
Green’s injury could leave Australia attacked unmanned as Mitchell Stark, who spearheaded the pace, is suffering from soreness in the middle finger of his bowling hand.
South Africa, however, could take a little heart out of Australia’s struggles, where a batsman failed to pass his 200 mark in a recent Test.