Dinner Australia 3 for 209 (Khawaja 108 *, Handscomb 14*) trail South Africa 9 for 259 dec by 50 runs
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‘Khawaja has learnt his lesson’
In his first innings as a Test opener, Usman Khawaja scored Australia’s first hundred of the series and their first in day-night Test cricket as they built a solid batting base on the second day in Adelaide. Kyle Abbott struck twice in the day’s opening session but the only wicket to fall between tea and dinner was the run-out of Steven Smith, and at the dinner break Australia were 3 for 209, with Khawaja on 108 and Peter Handscomb on 14.
Khawaja had compiled a 137-run partnership with Smith that frustrated the South African bowlers and ended only when Smith, on 59, pushed Tabraiz Shamsi to point and took off for a single. Khawaja initially set out to run but then called no; Smith seemingly did not hear and kept running, and by the time he stopped to turn around it was too late.
But if Khawaja sold his captain down the river he at least bought himself some credits by going on to reach triple figures. He brought up his century from his 197th delivery with a cut through point for four off Shamsi, and it capped off an outstanding and patient innings that had initially brought only 18 runs from his first 80 balls as he settled in against the pink ball.
Once he was set, Khawaja found plenty of runs through the leg side, pulling well when the bowlers dropped short. He took some time to find the confidence to use his feet against the left-arm wrist-spin of Shamsi but once he did, he produced a lovely drive through cover for four and sent another one over the bowler’s head for another boundary.
Australia added exactly 100 runs during the middle session for the loss only of Smith’s wicket, although South Africa could have had Smith earlier when he edged JP Duminy on 46 and at first slip Hashim Amla juggled and dropped the chance. After Smith’s run-out, the debutant Handscomb was beaten first ball by a pearler from Vernon Philander that moved away, but he found his groove by dinner.
Earlier in the day Abbott had struck twice and as was the case in South Africa’s innings, the early wickets came from edges snapped up behind the wicket. Debutant Matt Renshaw added only two runs to his overnight score before he edged Abbott and was caught low to the ground by Dean Elgar at third slip; the third umpire was called on and declared the catch was clean.
That wicket brought David Warner to the crease in the unfamiliar position of first drop; it was just the third time in his 105 Test innings that Warner had not opened the batting. In Chennai in 2013, gastro prevented him from opening in the second innings and in Manchester later that year, he batted at No.6 in his first game back from a disciplinary lay-off. Here, he could not open due to spending time off the field on day one.
Warner managed only 11 before he too edged Abbott and was also caught by Elgar at third slip, a catch that was far more straightforward and taken at a comfortable height. That left Australia in some bother at 2 for 37, but Smith and Khawaja worked patiently to rebuild the innings.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo