AUS 60/3 (2nd session)
FOW: 456/5 Watson's whacking is over. No it is not. This is a no-ball, I think. Or maybe not. They are still checking it. He is given. Watson tries to go over long-off, mis-hits it, is caught at long-off. Replays show Duminy might have just that smidgeon behind the line
Watson c Amla b Duminy 40
489/6 he is caught by Amla's arm pit. Haddin wants to clear mid-off, but has got too close to the ball, hitting it flat towards mid-off. Amla fumbles it, but the ball is stuck in his armpit. First stand of less than 50
Haddin c Amla b Duminy 13
489/7 wide down leg, they ask for a stumping. He is actually asking for a catch down leg, and they have reviewed it. This is down leg, Johnson looks to flick it, seems he has missed it, but Duminy is adamant they review this. Smith is not on the field, but AB listens to Duminy and goes for it. There is a smidgeon on the inside edge as the ball passes the bat. There is a register on the snicko too. And he is gone. Duminy on a hat-trick
489/7 wide down leg, they ask for a stumping. He is actually asking for a catch down leg, and they have reviewed it. This is down leg, Johnson looks to flick it, seems he has missed it, but Duminy is adamant they review this. Smith is not on the field, but AB listens to Duminy and goes for it. There is a smidgeon on the inside edge as the ball passes the bat. There is a register on the snicko too. And he is gone. Duminy on a hat-trick
Johnson c †de Villiers b Duminy 0
Tea report: 494 for 7 (Clarke 161*, Harris 4*, Duminy 4-73) Michael Clarke moved past 150 for the tenth time in his Test career but rain intervened as Australia's total approached 500 on the second day in Cape Town. Just over an hour of play was possible in the second session before the wet weather forced an early tea and it came with Australia on 494 for 7, Clarke unbeaten on 161 alongside Ryan Harris on 4, and JP Duminy on a hat-trick.
Tea report: 494 for 7 (Clarke 161*, Harris 4*, Duminy 4-73) Michael Clarke moved past 150 for the tenth time in his Test career but rain intervened as Australia's total approached 500 on the second day in Cape Town. Just over an hour of play was possible in the second session before the wet weather forced an early tea and it came with Australia on 494 for 7, Clarke unbeaten on 161 alongside Ryan Harris on 4, and JP Duminy on a hat-trick.
Duminy had picked up 4 for 73, including three wickets after lunch as the Australians sought to lift their run-rate after the strong start provided by the top order. For the first time since the Boxing Day Test of 2009 against Pakistan, Australia's first five partnerships of the innings were all worth more than 50 as South Africa struggled to string together breakthroughs.
Shane Watson made his intentions clear by striking three sixes in a 32-ball innings of 40 but he departed when he tried to go over the top once too often, holing out to long-off from the bowling of Duminy. Brad Haddin (13) also chipped a catch to mid-off off Duminy and next ball Mitchell Johnson was out on review when South Africa asked for a replay and found he had tickled a catch down leg side.
However, that was the last ball of Duminy's over and the rain arrived before he had the chance to push for a hat-trick, leaving him wondering whether he could become only the second South African after Geoff Griffin in 1960 to achieve the feat. Depending on the length of the rain delay, though, there was the chance that he may be denied the opportunity, if Clarke decided to declare before the resumption.
On the first day Clarke had survived a physical pounding from Morne Morkel but his challenge on the second morning was all in the mind as he survived 24 balls on 99 before bringing up a hard-fought century. Steven Smith was the only man to fall before lunch; he missed the chance to become the third centurion of the innings when he played on to a low, skiddy ball outside off from Dean Elgar on 84.
That ended a 184-run partnership with Clarke, who began the morning on 92 but took nearly 50 minutes to reach his hundred as Kyle Abbott tied him down with disciplined bowling after he moved with one run of the milestone.
On 99, Clarke faced 23 deliveries from Abbott and one from Philander before he finally brought up his century with a drive to the cover boundary when Philander over-pitched, ending a nervous period that featured a few aborted run attempts - and near run-outs - and a couple of edgy wafts.
There was also a leave to an Abbott delivery that fizzed just over the top of the stumps; having not scored a hundred since the Adelaide Ashes Test, Clarke seemed as nervy as a man trying for his first. After he reached the hundred the runs started to come a little more freely and he played a couple of superb cover-drives off Abbott, and moved past 150 with another boundary pulled through midwicket off Abbott.
It was Smith who had done most of the scoring while Clarke was in the nervous nineties. Of particular note was Smith's aerial driving down the ground against the fast men - he cleared the boundary off both Philander and Morkel but there was little risk involved in the strokes as he struck the ball cleanly and followed through perfectly down the line.
Hamstrung by Steyn's hamstring strain, Graeme Smith had to rotate through the bowlers as best he could but his part-time spinners were the only men who struck. Steyn was not on the field and will not bowl again in the first innings, although he was considered an outside chance of bowling in the second innings.
If there is one.
FOW: 401/4 Smith b Elgar 84 (oh played on. Smith misses out on a ton, and this is one of the filthiest balls that will get you a Test wicket. A long hop, a wide one at that, but it stays low, doesn't quite come on, and takes the bottom edge onto the stumps)
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