Guided by Usman Khawaja’s undefeated 195 and Steve Smith’s 30th Test 100 in a day that topped Don Bradman’s tally, Travis Head hit a daring 59-ball 70 to beat Australia at the docile Reinforce SCG track. ended a complete second day of racket dominance. South Africa struggled for most of their 84 overs bowling for just two wickets.
In the fading light of the final session, Khawaja was on track for his 100, doubling his first in the test. South Africa had no means of stopping him, but he was stranded on an unbeaten 195 as the weather in Sydney turned intrusive, with rain ending the day early. It was a day that rekindled his love for SCG and the city he grew up in for many years, opening his session at the venue as he scored his 100th Test in a row and his 13th overall. did. With Marnus Labuschagne sent off at the end of the first day, Australia dominated from the start and the visitors didn’t get the momentum they had hoped for on the second day. Steve Smith came on to replace Labuschagne and took time to score his first run, but did not appear to be bothered by the South African bowlers. Again, Anrich Nortje stooped to create something out of seemingly nothing, but fell short as the batting duo comfortably added a 100-run streak in the morning session.
Neither South African spinner could pull anything off the pitch as Australia’s third pair of wickets casually continued after the lunch break. Now it was Smith’s turn to hit the milestone by achieving his 100 in his 30th Test. Don He overtook Bradman’s record and placed third (alongside Matthew Hayden) on the list of Australian Test Centurions. He also rose to fourth behind Michael Clarke and was one of Australia’s run-getters in the format. Fighting off a delivery, he returned with a 104 to provide South Africa with a breather.
But even this dismissal was not a turning point for South Africa. If anything, things got worse when Travis Head came out and threw his racket in the final session as rain and weak light rolled into his SCG. Seemingly floored all day, South Africa were further punished when their left-hander shot across the floor to score a short half-century. Simon Hamer got a little extra turn towards the end of the second session, which prompted Dean Elgar to use him early in the third session, but Head sliced a short ball and pulled away. Ground the bigger ball.
An attempt by Marco Janssen to fend off a head also went awry, converting a short boundary into an easy one, resulting in a play into his hand. He brought in 46 balls for half a century in a period of play that saw South Africa lose borders on both ends. Kagiso Rabada, who made the least impact for South Africa in that game, also got in the line of header before finishing an enterprising shot at 70/59.
The dismissal of the head has brought Matt Renshaw, who spent his first day away from the rest of Australia in the dugout due to Covid-19 and only for the second time. In his first Test since April 2018 in his innings he had to face his 11-ball before the rain started to fall, ending the day.
Brief scores: Australia 475/4 (Usman Khawaja 195*, Steve Smith 104, Marnus Labuschagne 79, Travis Head 70; Anrich Nortje 2-55) vs South Africa