Australia cling on with narrow lead

Session times: 7pm - 9pm | 9.40pm - 11.40pm | 12am - 2am (all times AEDT)

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A sublime century from AB de Villiers put the Proteas on the path for victory in the second Test in Port Elizabeth with Australia hanging on by their fingertips.

It was peak de Villiers, as the South Africa veteran plundered an unbeaten 126 to push South Africa's total to 382 and a 139-run lead that the tourists lost four wickets trying to recover.

First-drop Usman Khawaja put together his best innings overseas in two years to top score with 75, but his dismissal seven minutes before stumps left Australia at a precarious 5-180 and a lead of just 41.

Mitchell Marsh (39no) and Tim Paine (5no) will resume their innings on Monday morning knowing whether this will be the last Test Proteas paceman Kagiso Rabada plays in the series after he was set to learn his fate with the match referee on Sunday evening after for his contact with Australia captain Steve Smith on day one.

Having lost their last 10 Tests after conceding a first-innings deficit, Australia needed to wrap up the remaining three South African wickets in quick time to give themselves a chance of snapping that streak.

It didn't happen, as de Villiers and the tail scored almost at will in the morning session against a touring attack that for the first time in the series showed signs of fatigue.

The second new ball that was just five-and-a-half overs old brought runs, as opposed to the wickets it was designed to, as No.8 Vernon Philander frustrated the Australians, his partnership with de Villiers surging past 50.

Philander's knock ended on 36 when bat pad Cameron Bancroft plucked a sharp catch having failed to get a hand on a similar opportunity moments earlier.

Pat Cummins broke the 84-run eighth-wicket stand and played a vital part in the next highlight of the morning as de Villiers upper-cut the fast bowler over the slips to bring up Test century No.22 from 117 balls, with 18 glorious boundaries.

Tailender Keshav Maharaj, who bagged a pair in the first Test, showed he could handle himself with the bat by scoring a quick-fire 30 but the lissom left-arm spinner could well have been out for three.

Fielding on the deep midwicket fence, Khawaja clung on to a huge heave by Maharaj, and as momentum carried him over the triangular boundary rope signage he tossed the ball in the air and regathered it safely in the field of play.

But the departing batsman was told to wait as the third umpire investigated whether the catch was clean and, upon revision, it was discovered that Khawaja's foot had touched the ground before he released the ball.

Six runs were added to Maharaj's total and he doubled down five balls later, hitting Lyon onto the roof of the eastern stand to ensure there would be no chance a leaping fielder could intercept.

Whatever Maharaj did, de Villiers did better, as the master batsman incredibly deposited a 139kph rocket from Cummins over the mid-wicket fence, an astonishing shot even by his lofty standards.

Maharaj clocked three consecutive fours off Mitchell Starc before his innings was closed, bowled by Josh Hazlewood attempting to slog the right-armer to the leg-side.

The wicket brought Lungi Ngidi to the crease and either in a desperate attempt to get the No.11 on strike or simply out of ideas, Smith put eight fielders on the boundary to give de Villiers a single.

But all it did was present de Villiers another opportunity to showcase his genius as he manipulated the field to sprint twos, shield Ngidi and frustrate Smith and his charges.

When Smith brought the field up, the Proteas champion went aerial, as the lead ballooned with no bowler looking like penetrating the batsman's defence.

It took a brilliant piece of fielding from Smith to end South Africa's innings, and while it will likely be lost among the deeds of de Villiers, his direct hit from 50 metres to dismiss Ngidi was perhaps the best run out of his Test career to date.

After lunch, Australia set about reeling in the 139-run deficit but encountered a super-charged Rabada who bowled with pace, hostility and had the opening pair of Warner and Cameron Bancroft jumping around their crease.

But Rabada, with a two-Test suspension hanging over his head, was bowling like a man possessed and when he clipped Warner's off stump he screamed in celebration in front of the batsman's face, another moment in the series that could see the 22-year-old in hot water with the match referee.

Just as he had on day one, Bancroft looked solid, and he was unlucky to be bowled for 24 when an inside edge ricocheted off pad and dribbled into off stump.

Australia lost one more wicket in the middle session as the St George's Park Brass Band played at an appropriate volume in front of a spread-out crowd, and it was the big one of Smith.

While he denied pre-match that he had an issue facing left-arm spin, it once again brought about his downfall as he played back to a good length ball from Maharaj that spun just enough to take the outside edge through to gloveman Quinton de Kock.

Two balls into the final session Shaun Marsh edged a wafted drive to reduce the hosts to 4-88, still 51 runs away from making South Africa bat again.

But in Mitchell Marsh, Khawaja found a partner who stuck around and together the pair handled all the spin and seam the Proteas could throw at them.

Khawaja played and missed early and survived a probing spell from Ngidi before surprisingly flourishing against the spin of Maharaj.

His troubles against the turning ball appeared non-existent as he used his feet to punch two glorious cover drives in one over, two of 11 fours he hit as he reached his half-century from 88 balls.

The fifth-wicket partnership wasn't the only cause of concern for the hosts; by the 54th over both their reviews were gone, each an lbw call that was refereed and found to be missing leg.

Khawaja had moved to his second-highest score overseas as stumps drew near, but on 75 he was trapped by Rabada with a ball that tailed away unconventionally, nipped back off the seam, beat the outside edge of the bat and crashed into the back pad of the squared-up batsman.

No nightwatchman was necessary as Paine negotiated the nine balls he had to face in the extended final session and will look to build with Marsh tomorrow morning as Australia push to post a competitive target for the Proteas to chase.

Australia XI: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

South Africa XI: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis (c), Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

Qantas tour of South Africa

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada.

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

Warm-up match: Australia beat South Africa A by five wickets. Report, highlights

First Test Australia won by 118 runs. Scorecard

Second Test St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, March 9-13. Live coverage

Third Test Newlands, Cape Town, March 22-26. Live coverage

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3. Live coverage