First Test: Day two at a glance

State of play

South Africa 6-140 (de Villiers 52 not out, Johnson 4-51) trail Australia 397 (Marsh 148, Smith 100, Steyn 4-78) by 257 runs

Morning session: Aus 7-374 (3-77 from 26 overs)
Afternoon session: SA 4-63 (7-86 from 23 overs)
Evening session: SA 6-140 (2-77 from 26.3 overs)

Fine glance

Australia entered day two looking to ram home their advantage. Half an hour in the nineties didn’t deter Steve Smith from scoring his fourth Test ton, but he would add no more after he raised his bat. A brief Mitchell Johnson cameo propelled the Australian total to 397 all out. Johnson then made it a double act, obliterating the South African top order with fire and brimstone not seen since the early books of the Old Testament. His first wicket, that of Proteas' skipper Graeme Smith, sent shudders through the dressing room that moved Richter’s needle. At 3-23 the hosts were struggling to keep their head above water until AB de Villiers strode to the crease, chest puffed like a life preserver, and set about keeping the innings afloat. He and JP Duminy started the resurgence but it would be Mitch again to break it up, taking a superb sprawling catch and firing another missile to swing the pendulum back to Australia. Thunder and lightning of a different kind forced play to end with the visitors firmly in control.

Man of the moment

Who else? The hype before the series was focused on the two stellar fast bowling units, headed by Johnson and Dale Styen. The latter claimed four wickets in Australia’s innings, so Mitch thought it be a good idea to catch up as soon as possible. In 3.1 overs he had three scalps; Smith, Petersen and Du Plessis all shell-shocked and back in the sheds. It brought back memories of Durban 2009 where he ran through Neil McKenzie and Hashim Amla before maiming Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis. He finished the day with 33, 4-51 and a top catch. Yeah, he’s the man of the moment.

The turning point

A 143.6kph bullet to the head. It was like something out of Call of Duty. Greame Smith had no chance. Johnson has twice forced Smith to retire from the field with his wicket in hand. One hand. He broke the other. This time the crosshairs were aimed between his eyes and Johnson didn’t miss, his lethal bouncer demanding an instantaneous evasive manoeuvre, but it was too quick, thudding into glove and looping to a backpedalling first slip. Johnson unlocked South Africa’s top order and also the ‘fear of God’ achievement in one delivery.

Top shots

Like Marsh on day one, Steve Smith’s leg- glance brought up his fourth Test century at another crucial time for his country.

Well past his own ton, Marsh rocked back and flattened Ryan McLaren between three fielders around point. Those men did not move once the ball left Marsh’s blade, such was the ferocity of the shot.

Morne Morkel had scans on his shoulder in the morning and subsequently missed a majority of the first session. When he returned, Mitchell Johnson greeted him with a brutal cover drive. Real stand and deliver stuff. Welcome back!

So if your side has just been ambushed by a foreign invader, one’s normal mindset would be to bunker down and dig in. Not AB de Villiers. Johnson fired one into leg stump, and instead of defending he went the exact opposite direction, heaving Australia’s hero over long-leg for a huge six.

Paging Dr. S

In a first appearance of the series, DRS upheld one and overturned another. Brad Haddin missed a slog sweep off Robin Petersen and was given out by Aleem Dar. With two reviews in the bank, Haddin punched his forearm and sent it upstairs. What live looked stone dead proved closer than first thought; umpire’s call on the impact of off stump. Upheld.

Australia would have picked Smith, Amla and de Villiers as the big wickets in the top order. Johnson took care of Smith, De Villiers is still there and it was Peter Siddle who took care of the third amigo. A ball that nipped back cannoned in to the pads of the stylish right-hander, but it wasn’t liked by umpire Dar. The ‘T’ was signalled by Michael Clarke, and with three red lights Siddle had the breakthrough. Overturned.

Pitch perfect

Downgraded from green seamer to highway as day one wore on, the wicket is now classified as generous. The bounce and pace is still there, so much so the red kookaburra has flown over the keeper’s head on several occasions. A close inspection at the start of play showed cracks beginning to open, and after another hot day those worms are starting to look like pythons.

Short point

That mo ain’t going nowhere

He said, he said

“Australia are definitely on top, there’s no doubt about that” South Africa coach Russell Domingo says it how it is.

“I can’t really say what they were saying” Mitchell Johnson on the advice the crowd were offering.

Rapid Statz

185 – the number days since Nathan Lyon has been dismissed in a Test, stretching all the way back to the fourth Test of the Ashes in England.

11 – the number of consecutive Tests AB de Villiers has scored a fifty or more in. His first was way back in 2012 at the WACA.

246 – the number of Test match wickets for Mitchell Johnson. He’s now equal 8^th all-time for Australia. Next in line is Richie Benaud on 248.

First Test - day two