Key events

1h ago Preamble

49th over: South Africa 110-5 (Bavuma 43, Mulder 13) George from Brisbane asks: “Is Josh Hazlewood on the field?” Yes, at least he was moments earlier, positioned at mid on from what the long lens showed. Australia begin with Boland, riding his strong run, and Cummins for added intensity. A sharp bouncer from Cummins! It rises to badge height for Mulder, who ducks just in time. That may explain why he dashes for a single to mid on, where Hazlewood is indeed seen, underarming toward the stumps.

48th over: South Africa 108-5 (Bavuma 42, Mulder 12) Boland continues, delivering the full over to Mulder. He beats the edge more than once and mixes in a bouncer, yet Mulder handles it and pulls for a couple of runs.

47th over: South Africa 106-5 (Bavuma 42, Mulder 10) Bavuma appears focused on building his stay. Cummins sends down a pair of bouncers, which he is content to avoid. The ball angled outside off stump goes untouched. Mulder, by contrast, plays and misses at a similar delivery.

46th over: South Africa 105-5 (Bavuma 42, Mulder 9) Boland versus Bavuma could shape the session. Scott targets him tightly on the off-stump channel, with the seam moving subtly either way and darting in at the right-hander. The batter defends solidly and finally works one to leg for his opening run of the day. Mulder follows with a similar stroke.

45th over: South Africa 103-5 (Bavuma 41, Mulder 8) Boland’s fielding at the start is untidy, sliding awkwardly at fine leg and ending up half on his back rather than cleanly. He gets a hand to Mulder’s glance but cannot prevent it from reaching the rope. Cummins looks less than pleased. South Africa reach three figures. Mulder adds a couple more through midwicket. He showed resolve in the Durban fightback and is required once more. He has three centuries to his name, all against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

44th over: South Africa 97-5 (Bavuma 41, Mulder 2) Boland opens the day with the sun out and the grass losing its green tinge. He mentioned yesterday his aim to limit easy leaves early on, yet Bavuma leaves three of the first six deliveries.

First message of the day arrives from Kenrick Riley.

“Dear Geoff, thanks for the link to that documentary. What a journey you two have shared! [That was yesterday, see the earlier post.] I rashly wagered with a friend that Boland would claim 7-27 in the first innings. At 4-31, a hat-trick now would leave me just four runs short of the call! Thanks for the coverage.”

It was a daring forecast, one that would rank among Australia’s finest innings hauls, yet boldness has its place. Seven wickets remain very much possible. In theory, matching Laker’s 19 is still alive.

Scott Boland’s 4 for 31 has defined the opening two days, and he will have further chances for a five-wicket haul in his debut visit to South Africa. He has now appeared in his fifth country, alongside England, India, West Indies and home soil.

A recent claim suggests his strong figures stem only from helpful conditions. That view overlooks the facts. This is Boland’s 20th Test, with just three of those featuring four fast bowlers. Only three of the 20 have seen him fail to take wickets (Nagpur, Edgbaston, Leeds). He has operated across varied surfaces, often stepping in for one of the leading trio rather than alongside them, and has delivered far more often than most in the game’s history.

You can send messages at any point – an OBO custom. Ideas, hopes, warnings or spells are all welcome.

Another point of note is how Josh Hazlewood recovers today after leaving the field unwell yesterday. He and umpire Chris Gaffaney may have shared an evening meal at an unapproved seafood spot.

Preamble

Geoff Lemon

You heard correctly. Cricket, like romance, seldom arrives on schedule. Or at least it frequently arrives late. Today, however, it begins early. We gain that early start (by 15 minutes? What will that yield, two overs?) and if the skies remain clear we can extend play as we did yesterday. It may not fully recover overs lost to the 450 scheduled, given modern bowling rates, but it will restore some of the time lost to rain over the past two days. Every over regained brings a result nearer.

On the likely outcome, Australia hold the edge, yet much depends on the present partnership and on Temba Bavuma in particular. Durban showed how lower-order batting can decide a contest, and South Africa still have scope to shape this one. Bavuma boasts a strong captaincy record, though he often plays a supporting role – today he must lead from the front and receive support from Mulder, Jansen and Harmer above all.

Can he survive the initial Australian spell and grow into the session? Everything hinges on that.

After two days of rain breaks that limited play to 43 overs, the skies have cleared and the sun shines in Gqeberha, with temperatures forecast to reach 20C. Play resumes 15 minutes ahead of schedule, first ball at 9.45am local/6.45pm AEDT/8.45am BST, with South Africa resuming their innings.

Geoff Lemon will join shortly with a full introduction, but for now review his day-two report.

Stop me if this sounds familiar. Scott Boland waited patiently. Scott Boland claimed a wicket the moment he received an opportunity. The pattern repeated on day two of the second Test at Gqeberha as it had on day one, with rain holding up proceedings until late afternoon. Once the damp outfield dried enough for play to restart under African sunshine, South Africa lost three further wickets to close at 97 for 5.