Carey’s maiden ton drives home Australia’s advantage

Only Melbourne's traditionally fickle summer weather seems capable of slowing Australia's charge to victory in the second NRMA Insurance Test against South Africa after Alex Carey's maiden century carried his team to a position from which history suggests they can't lose.

When stumps were called early after an hour was lost to persistent light rain, South Africa were 1-15 having lost skipper Dean Elgar for a third-ball duck and still 371 runs shy of forcing Australia to bat a second time.

That seems a distant proposition given the Proteas have not breached 200 in their past seven Test innings, and an even tougher assignment noting Australia have never lost a Test when holding a first innings lead the scope of this one.

Image Id: 19CB81707324476FAC8976CD3F6ED5DC Image Caption: Cummins removes Elgar for a third-ball duck // Getty

If South Africa held any hope of avoiding defeat over the next two days beyond the onset of more rain, it resided in obdurate opener Elgar but his forgettable tour continued when he gloved a rising ball from Pat Cummins' opening over to be smartly caught low down by Carey.

It capped a day that was as dismal for the Proteas and well-chilled fans as it was triumphant for Australia's keeper.

In the sort of diurnal divergence for which Melbourne is renowned, today's ambient temperature barely reached half of yesterday's 37C and the cloud was so heavy that the MCG floodlights blazed within an hour of play beginning.

But perhaps the contrast was best portrayed by the sight of several Australia players who had battled cramps and heat distress while in the middle on day two, huddled under full-length woollen jumpers while fielding in slips for the 36 minutes South Africa batted this evening.

The chill could not dim the inner glow felt by Carey, who became the first Australia keeper since Brad Haddin nine years ago to post a Test ton, and the first to do so at the MCG since the late Rod Marsh's 110 in the 1977 Centenary Test.

It was not the only reminder of that historic encounter to emerge during the left-hander's four-hour, 149-ball innings today.

Carey's century came about in no small part to the courage shown by teammate Cameron Green who went to the crease amid a clatter of wickets this morning despite nursing a broken index finger on his right hand.

Australia had lost 3-5 in less than an over as South Africa suddenly found themselves eyeing a potential first innings deficit of less than 250 as Anrich Nortje singlehandedly hauled his team back into the contest.

Having managed just two wickets across six and half hours of draining heat yesterday – one of which was a run out kindly gifted by their opponents – the tourists snared three in barely 20 minutes in vastly different conditions today to suggest their fortunes had finally turned.

But that dream proved illusory as Carey and Green initially withstood the resurgent Proteas quicks, before the former launched a blazing counter-attack to restore Australia's ascendancy and consign the visitors to a soul-destroying fifth session in the field.

Image Id: 81661186A3EA451C8FEB04392A9BCB98 Image Caption: Carey preparing to bat on day three at the MCG // cricket.com.au

In a manner reminiscent of another South Australia left-hander David Hookes who announced himself at the MCG during the 1977 Centenary Test with five consecutive fours off England's Tony Greig, Carey reached 50 with a hat-trick of boundaries.

All came from the bowling of Lungi Ngidi and found the rope at three divergent points – a Hookes-like cover drive followed by a neatly controlled pull through mid-wicket then a sweetly timed punch down the ground.

The elegant keeper, who in a previous life had aspired to elite sporting success at the MCG as an Australian rules footballer, played barely a false stroke in reaching 50 from 66 balls faced, and continued to not put a foot wrong until his score had progressed to 73.

That was when he was hurried up by a bouncer from Kagiso Rabada that yielded a top-edged hook that fortuitously flew for four, with the next delivery being guided marginally above the finger tips of 207cm Marco Jansen at slip for another boundary.

Green had also experienced moments of discomfort having resumed on six after last night's injury retirement, and laboured to 14 from 57 balls faced at lunch.

The bowling hero of South Africa's first innings had copped another blow to his hurt finger when on nine as Jansen speared a bouncer into the right-hander's rib cage.

But Green provided invaluable support as Carey closed in on his historic moment, with uncertainty surrounding Mitchell Starc's availability to bat given the tendon damage he had suffered to the middle finger of his left hand that appears set to sideline him for up to two months.

When Carey's crowning glory arrived courtesy of a punch-drive through cover off Jansen, Green was outwardly more euphoric than his batting partner as he set off for the first of three runs that took Carey to 101 with his (Green's) arms raised in triumph.

Image Id: 19C0086136FF42EBA6E422FF47FA5A03 Image Caption: Green and Carey embrace mid-pitch at the MCG // Getty

It continued a memorable match for the 31-year-old who had snared the 50th catch of his 14-match Test career on Boxing Day, then produced an impressive low grab to remove South Africa's skipper before a run had been posted in the Proteas' second innings.

The only dark spot, albeit on a forebodingly cloudy day, was the ungainly manner in which Carey ultimately lost his wicket shortly before Cummins called the declaration with Australia 8-575.

In chasing quick runs before the closure, Carey instinctively prepared himself to allow a high bouncer from Jansen fly harmlessly above his head before belatedly and speculatively poking his bat to provide the South Africa with a simple return catch and his sole wicket.

Green was then joined by his fellow infirmed quick Starc long enough for the all-rounder to post a half-century to sit alongside his day one five-for, and for Starc to add a hit to the helmet to his damaged finger as he failed to avoid a bouncer from Jansen.

As Starc underwent inspection of his protective equipment and a standing cognitive examination, he appeared to joke with Jansen that the blow had caused sufficient injury that the already wounded quick could be substituted out of the Test in line with the game's concussion protocols.

While that might have been in keeping with the Proteas fortunes so far on this luckless trip, it proved not to be the case and Starc took the new ball with an unassailable lead at his back.

Image Id: 6BE453A3F90F4BF8802D14B11FB87F00 Image Caption: Starc’s damaged finger on his bowling hand // Getty

That iron grip Australia holds on the Test and the series was fleetingly prised loose this morning after a rollicking start to day three by South Africa speedster Anrich Nortje.

Not only has Nortje been the Proteas' most impressive bowler of the tour to date, David Warner claimed prior to play resuming today he sent down some of the fastest bowling the Australia opener had encountered in his 100-Test career with average speeds of 148kph (peaking at 155kph) yesterday.

The 29-year-old then set about proving Warner's premise by snaring two wickets in as many balls, including that of the Australia opener who had returned to the middle in the unaccustomed guise of number eight having retired hurt with full body cramps after plundering 200 in yesterday's heat.

Nortje's first strike came immediately after Travis Head had posted his fourth half-century in as many Tests, with his golden summer seeming likely to continue given he reached the milestone scoring at almost a run per ball.

But no sooner had the MCG applause subsided, the left-hander swung across a full ball fired into his pads and was dismayed to see it rebound into his stumps.

Warner then emerged to a rousing ovation, and was cheered off with no demonstrable drop in volume a ball later when he copped an even faster (147kph), even fuller delivery that likewise shot from pad to wickets as Nortje found himself on a hat-trick.

Not since Don Bradman's famous final-innings duck at The Oval in 1948 has a player been cheered to and from the middle with such vehemence in such quick succession.

Cummins narrowly kept out Nortje's hat-trick ball that was fired in shin-height at leg stump, but perished next over when South Africa successfully reviewed a faint edge that had not been detected on-field.

By that stage, Australia had slumped from 3-386 overnight to 6-400, with uncertainty over how many more fit batters they might muster.

Nathan Lyon mixed a willingness to hang with Carey alongside some adventurous shot-making, including a hook off Rabada that sailed beyond the boundary rope at fine leg.

But when another short ball fired into his rib cage ended his innings on 25, it seemed only last man Scott Boland would be left to partner Carey who at that stage was unbeaten on 31 and timing the ball sweetly.

However, to the surprise of many, Green strode to the middle at the fall of Lyon's wicket despite his damaged digit, and shared in a 117-run stand that carried Carey to his century before being joined by Starc as the two injured quicks saw Australia through to their declaration at tea.

Men's NRMA Insurance Test Series v South Africa

First Test: Australia won by six wickets

Dec 26-30: Second Test, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Jan 4-8: Third Test, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

South Africa squad: Dean Elgar (c), Temba Bavuma, Gerald Coetzee, Theunis de Bruyn, Sarel Eree, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo

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