Australia v South Africa: second one-day international – live!

5th over: South Africa 22-1 (Hendricks 7, Markram 4) In such poor form and defending such a moderate total Australia need everything to go their way and that’s exactly what happened with that de Kock dismissal. It was a boundary ball and a messy catch but none of that matters anymore.

Starc isn’t in full control of his line and length quite yet but the ball is coming out quickly and that pace almost accounts for Aiden Markram early but a nervy push evades second slip and runs away for four.

Freebie for Australia! Leg-stump half-volley from Starc, de Kock whips it off his toes but sends it straight down the throat of fine-leg where Zampa just about holds on to an awkward catch among the shadows.

4th over: South Africa 18-0 (De Kock 9, Hendricks 7) Hazlewood is bowling a characteristic line and length and sending down the odd delivery with a bit of wobble. Both batsmen know they can be watchful though and wait for the bad ball. Hendricks thinks he’s picked one of those bad balls when Hazlewood drops short but it’s a touch quicker than he expects and he’s fortunate his mistimed pull lands safely in the vacant midwicket region.

3rd over: South Africa 15-0 (De Kock 8, Hendricks 5) Ooof! That’s more like it from Mitchell Starc. A 150 kph inswinging yorker has Hendricks hopping on the crease trying to avoid his big toe exploding. The batsman escapes though and a trio of singles keep South Africa on the move.

I was just glancing at the scoreboard and mistook 231 for 321. That then made me think of 3-2-1, with Ted Rogers, and his ludicrous finger twirl.

2nd over: South Africa 12-0 (De Kock 6, Hendricks 4) More runs for South Africa, this time a boundary to Reeza Hendricks, cutting the final delivery of Hazlewood’s opening over for four after the bowler had the upper hand for the previous five dots. Australia still somewhat subdued in the field.

There’s plenty of evening sunshine at Adelaide Oval but about half the ground is now in shadow, the demarcation point being the 22-yard strip of turf upon which these sides are doing battle. It must make batting and fielding awkward.

1st over: South Africa 8-0 (De Kock 6, Hendricks 0) Eurgh! If Australia intended to steam into South Africa following a dinnertime rev-up they have not followed the script. A couple of legside wides get the scoreboard ticking over, then an ugly misfield in the deep from Josh Hazlewood hands the Proteas an early boundary. Starc and his teammates lacked energy and menace throughout a gentle return to action.

Mitchell Starc has the new ball in his hand at the top of his mark, Quinton de Kock is on strike…

Australia enter the field of play with both Isa Guha and Kerry O’Keefe on TV predicting they will defend 231.

Remember, if you want to contribute to the conversation feel free to send me a tweet @JPHowcroft or drop an email to [email protected].

And while Australia’s men are up against it, Lisa Sthalekar has high hopes for the women’s outfit over in the West Indies.

But everything is aligning nicely for the Australians, at the right time too. History is on their side, they are heading to a place where they have enjoyed success before and most importantly, they might have cracked the formula for World Cup success. The trophy cabinet may not stay empty for much longer.

Don’t forget the Women’s World T20 kicks off in a matter of hours. Not up to speed with the state of play? Fear not, Adam Collins has your back.

Or you could ponder the state of Australian sports broadcasting at the start of the first Australian summer where some international cricket will be shown exclusively behind a paywall.

So Cricket Australia has traded more money for fewer viewers; shown itself more interested in short-term profit than growing (or even just maintaining) the popularity of the game.

To keep you occupied during the dinner break you could do worse than check up on England’s push for victory in the first Test against Sri Lanka. It now looks like only a couple of days of rain can prevent Rangana Herath’s farewell Test ending in disappointment.

Chris Lynn was a case in point for Australia. The burly Queenslander second top-scored and looked imposing at the crease before he perished during an adrenaline-fuelled duel with Kagiso Rabada. Lynn had already biffed 18-runs from the first four balls of what would prove to be his final over, but insisted on trying to inflict more damage off the fifth ball, only to glove a routine catch behind the wicket.

Speaking to Fox Sports during the innings break Lynn explained how he was keen to press home his superiority at a crucial moment in the match and take advantage of Australia’s moment to that point. He conceded his side’s total was probably around 50-runs short of par and that Australia must improve as a batting unit, especially with so many players making starts before throwing their wickets away.

Once again, Australia is bowled out in a One-Day International, unable to bat through the full 50 overs. It’s been as poor as any other recent game, on what looks a very good batting pitch. A lot of starts, no big partnerships, no big scores, no chance to make use of the conditions. The last three wickets were able to put on a decent number of runs from 7 for 179, so that’s at least given Australia something to bowl at, with the hope that something might happen for the bowlers under lights. But all things being equal, it’s a very gettable target for South Africa to take the series in straight sets. That’s enough from me, it’s over to Jonathan Howcroft for the break.

The Zampa Show ends with a short ball outside leg that has him falling away as he tries to swat it. He gets some bat on it, but just enough to go straight up and down inside the fielding circle. It’s been fun.

48th over: Australia 230-9 (Zampa 22, Hazlewood 9)

Zampa starts the over with another walking cover slap against Ngidi, and picks up two more to the deep. Digs out the yorker well next ball for a single, then Hazlewood backs away and flicks a near-yorker up over midwicket for a couple more. This pair look the best of the innings, just calmly scoring from every ball now. Hazlewood plays the uppercut toward third man, and Tahir bails out of the attempted catch, but I reckon he could have made that. He bailed out early but the ball carried further than he’d anticipated and nearly carried to him where he stood. If he’d lunged forward he would have caught that. It’s a single instead, and Ngidi is ropeable. Zampa misses out on a high full toss to end the scoring streak, then a very wide ball that could have been called but isn’t.

47th over: Australia 224-9 (Zampa 19, Hazlewood 6)

Zampa is in his groove now, taking a single from Rabada’s first ball. Hazlewood misses most of the rest, any time the length is pulled back. But he’s still out there.

46th over: Australia 223-9 (Zampa 18, Hazlewood 6)

It’s Comedy Hour now, as the last-wicket partnership so often is. Hazlewood whacks a ball out to deep point, Steyn gets down to field, and the spin of the bounce takes it away from him and over the rope for four. That perks up Zampa, so he drops his knees to carve Ngidi over deep cover for four more. And again! Straighter ball, whipped off his pads through deep backward square to find that gap. And nearly another, as he squeezes out a ball to third man where the diving save can only keep it to three. Suddenly there are 16 runs from an over, and that might be the best of the innings behind the few balls where Lynn teed off. That tells you how far the top order fell short.

45th over: Australia 207-9 (Zampa 7, Hazlewood 1)

Josh Hazlewood gets a rare chance to bat in ODI cricket. Not so rare these days for an Australian tailender, perhaps. He gets off the mark with an ungainly uppercut, which I think was the same way he got out to finish the Cape Town Test earlier this year.

That’s the one. Rabada back for a new spell, bowls a cross-seamer short of a length, and Carey makes the classic attempt to run it to third man. There’s always the risk of edging behind, and that’s what happens.

44th over: Australia 203-8 (Carey 47, Zampa 4)

Finally Carey finds a way. Gets down low and powers a slog sweep from Tahir, in the air but finding the gap out at wide long on. Zampa is nearly caught in the deep trying a similar shot, but gets a run. Carey closes out the over when Tahir flights one and draws a big square drive that beats Steyn on the rope for four more. The 200 is up. Nonetheless, despite the big last over, Tahir finishes his 10 with 0 for 38.

43rd over: Australia 193-8 (Carey 38, Zampa 3)

10 overs, 2 for 31 for Steyn as he finishes up. Zampa found a way to pick up a couple of singles from the shorter balls. Carey has been largely marooned for a long time though. Nothing but dots and singles.

42nd over: Australia 189-8 (Carey 36, Zampa 1)

Carey gives Zampa the strike first ball of the Tahir over, and may regret it as Zampa takes five balls to get a run. Thus keeping the strike. Nothing’s going right for the gold and green.

41st over: Australia 187-8 (Carey 35, Zampa 0)

Any time Adam Zampa is walking to the crease with the bat, it’s a bad day for Australia. Does his best but it’s not his go. He survives the last ball.

In a day of soft dismissals, a soft dismissal. Starc slashes four from Steyn through point, then takes the leading edge trying to nudge the ball square and lobs up a return catch.

40th over: Australia 182-7 (Carey 34, Starc 2)

Now Starc should have run himself out taking a panic single first ball against Tahir. Taps and runs. The throw misses at the far end. Carey is pinned down thereafter. Finally a shot in anger from Carey to end the over, but his big sweep goes straight to the man at deep midwicket. Two runs from this over as well. Tahir has gone for 26 from eight.

39th over: Australia 180-7 (Carey 33, Starc 1)

Starc on the back foot to begin with, punches through point for a run. Two left-handers at the crease now. That makes 22 runs from Steyn’s eight overs, on a perfect batting surface.

Straight through. Not with pace, Steyn rolling his fingers down the ball, but Cummins was hanging back and poking forward, leaving a big gap between bat and pad, and the ball darted through to hit off stump. Steyn has the good grace not to launch into a big celebration.

38th over: Australia 176-6 (Carey 32, Cummins 3)

The Australian pay-TV commentators are trying to retain some sense of enthusiasm for their network having purchased the rights to these games at top dollar. It’s been another bargain-basement performance from the national team. Bowlers with the bat in hand once again. Pretorius has been good, just bowled accurately all day and taken his rewards. Finishes his bowling day with 3 for 32.

37th over: Australia 176-6 (Carey 31, Cummins 2)

No one can get much away off Steyn either. A couple of singles, then Carey edges a drive just by the keeper, probably on the bounce, and grabs a couple of runs. But the level of control one would class as relatively low.

36th over: Australia 172-6 (Carey 28, Cummins 1)

Phehlukwayo was the medium pacer who shot out Australia’s middle order in Perth, and now Pretorius has done the same here. One over of his allotment to come, and he has 3 for 30.

Another one for the military meds! Shortish, not much pace, Stoinis crushes the pull shot, and Hendrick at catching midwicket takes a screamer. Didn’t have to dive but had a fraction of a second to react. Got his left hand up and got enough to bobble and bring it down. Australia slides…

35th over: Australia 170-5 (Carey 27, Stoinis 2)

Just two runs from Steyn’s over as Stoinis tries to settle in.

34th over: Australia 168-5 (Carey 26, Stoinis 1)

2 for 28 off eight overs for Pretorius. Gracious. And now South Africa will go for the neck and bring back Dale Steyn.

Pretorius just keeps on giving. Another innocuous ball, a little cutter outside off. Maxwell had to go for it, aiming a big cut. Took a thick top edge towards a vacant slip but the keeper was alive to chance and bounded across to snare it. Again a wicket drags Australia back.

33rd over: Australia 166-4 (Carey 25, Maxwell 15)

Double cream there from Maxwell. Smoothly leans back and cuts Ngidi from close to his body, but with barely a movement of the bat. Up on his toes and eased away behind point to the rope. That after driving two. Add a few singles and a wide and there are 10 from the over.

32nd over: Australia 156-4 (Carey 24, Maxwell 7)

Pretorius is back: South Africa have got value out of him today, with 23 from six overs so far. His seventh only goes for three more singles. He’s a pretty modest medium pacer by the looks, but no one has extracted much from him today.

31st over: Australia 153-4 (Carey 23, Maxwell 5)

Singles are still the chosen mode for this pair, as Ngidi goes for half a dozen from his over.

30th over: Australia 147-4 (Carey 21, Maxwell 2)

Tahir continues. Maxwell reverse-sweeps and gets a bottom edge for one. Carey skips down and launches, deliberately lofting his drive over long-off for a four that nearly carries for six. The run rate still hovering just under five. It looks a bit slow on such a good batting wicket, but going for big shots now could bring more wickets. Australia haven’t quite paced this right so far, mostly due to losing a couple of wickets they shouldn’t have.

29th over: Australia 142-4 (Carey 17, Maxwell 1)

Normal service resumes for Rabada: a single, a brace, and a leg bye.

28th over: Australia 138-4 (Carey 14, Maxwell 1)

Back to milking, with five from Tahir. A shame for Lynn, he suddenly looked so dangerous but perhaps could have decided enough damage had been done from the first few balls of that over. Very easy to say in retrospect though. If he’d smashed that hook for four I’d be praising his relentlessness.

27th over: Australia 133-4 (Carey 10, Maxwell 0)

What an extraordinary over. We’ll have to go through it in full

Kagiso Rabada comes back into the attack, and Chris Lynn comes back to life. Likes the extra pace. The first ball, outside off, is carved over cover for six. Outrageous, really. The next is flat-batted past the bowler and past mid-on along the ground for four. And the third is carved past point for four more. Gorgeous shot, that third one.

The fourth is a short ball, but it’s already been called dead because the fielder at fine leg was still moving to get into position. Should have been a no-ball, no? But Lynn knows what Rabada’s plan is, so he camps back for the next short ball and wallops it through midwicket for four!

Rabada doesn’t know what to do for the fifth, and so he drops the ball as he reaches the bowling crease and bails out. Second dead ball of the over, and second fumble from Rabada today.

Now on the very belated fifth ball of the over, Rabada drops it shorter still, over Lynn’s shoulder, and the pull shot this time only finds glove through to the keeper. Rabada decides this is the way to go, and bounces Glenn Maxwell to close out the over, who ducks. Whew.

26th over: Australia 115-3 (Lynn 26, Carey 10)

The off-side field is up in the circle, so Carey goes inside out and over the top of them for four against Tahir. Misses the sweep outside off stump to follow though.

25th over: Australia 110-3 (Lynn 25, Carey 6)

Lynn launches at Pretorius, but only toe-ends the slower ball. It soars high in the air, skyscraper high, but has enough on it to clear mid-off running back. Two runs result, then Lynn is nearly run out next ball but is hit by the throw at the stumps. The Over of Living Dangerously.