South Africa had more joy with the ball on the third morning of the Boxing Day Test, but it wasn’t enough to stop Australia from adding 93 runs to the session and pushing their first innings to 300 runs. did. Anrich Norje cast another heavy spell, but by lunchtime Alex Carey’s half-century had prevented the hosts from leaping from their dominant position.
The day’s schedule was delayed, at least temporarily, by a light drizzle that seemed to brighten both the pitch and the South African spirit. Nortje tracked one of him through his Travis Head defenses of half a century and defeated him. Double Centurion David Warner received a standing ovation after retiring last night from 200 injured due to cramps. After the ball, Warner returned to the pavilion for another round of applause. when Norce offered him a low fruts toss that hit the base of the stump above the batter’s pad.
In retrospect it looked like South Africa would end Australia’s first innings fairly quickly with Kagiso Rabada outplaying Pat Cummins. Not for the visitors, as the pitch remained good for batting and the pair of Carey and Nathan Lyon had little trouble penetrating the line of the ball. Lyon stunned the MCG crowd by drawing Rabada by 4 and then 6 in the next over. His 17-ball stay of him scored his 25th run in Australia before Lungi Ngidi pulled him to square leg with his ball short. Australia sent in another injured retired batsman, and all-rounder Cameron Green proved to be an ideal opponent for Carey despite a broken finger. The keeper’s stick was impeccable in his driving and Ngidi’s 4 hat-trick gave him a half-century on 66 balls.As the partnership expands, Dean Elgar must again look to Nortje. However, the pair of Carey and Green were able to keep the Express at bay and bring the lead closer to 300.