Sports News | South Africa 120-4 in 2nd Innings to Trail Australia by 266
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Trailing by a massive 386 runs on the first innings, South Africa recovered from a shaky start Thursday to reach 120-4 in its second innings at lunch on day four of the second test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Melbourne, Dec 29 (AP) Trailing by a massive 386 runs on the first innings, South Africa recovered from a shaky start Thursday to reach 120-4 in its second innings at lunch on day four of the second test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Resuming on 15-1, South Africa lost three wickets in the morning session. The Proteas still require another 266 runs to make Australia bat again.
Leading the three-match series 1-0, Australia can claim the series with victory Thursday.
The determined duo of Temba Bavuma (37 not out) and Kyle Verreynne (27 not out) have added 55 for the fifth wicket, as South Africa ponders its monumental task of batting on for another five sessions to avoid defeat.
Mitchell Starc, nursing a tendon injury to the blood-stained middle finger on his bowling hand, produced a fast yorker to remove Sarel Erwee lbw for 21 at 47-2.
Ten runs later, Scott Boland had Theunis de Bruyn (28) caught at second slip as cracks continued to appear in the Proteas' brittle batting lineup.
Those cracks widened when Khaya Zondo was run out in demoralizing fashion for one at 65-4. Bavuma pushed to mid-off and called Zondo through for a risky single before Travis Head's under-arm throw hit the stumps with Zondo well short of his ground.
Struggling South Africa has failed to reach 200 in its past seven test innings.
Medium-pacer Cameron Green claimed a career-best 5-27 in South Africa's first innings of 189. All-rounder Green also scored an unbeaten 51 in Australia's reply of 575-8, retiring hurt for six with a broken right-index finger before returning to share a century partnership with wicketkeeper Alex Carey (111) for the eighth wicket.
Opener David Warner, who scored 200 in his 100th test, along with half-centuries from Steve Smith (85) and Travis Head (51), gave Australia a solid foundation before the late-order heroics of Green and Carey allowed captain Pat Cummins to declare with its 386-run advantage on the first innings.
Green has been ruled out of the third and final test of the series which starts in Sydney on Jan. 4. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)