LIVE: WTC Final – Australia vs South Africa
17th over: Hazlewood charging in as shadows lengthen
16th over continued: Four to come for Cummins
Young gun Tristan Stubbs is out in the middle.
He gets a leg by straight away and Bavuma is back on strike.
Just short! It’s a game of millimetres. Bavuma wafts at one outside off and it’s a thick edge to Khawaja at first slip. He collects the ball, but only after it has bounced a couple of blades in front of his cupped hands.
That’s two that have fallen agonisingly short.
CUMMINS GETS IN ON THE ACT!
Mulder’s hard fought innings comes to an end as Cummins finally gets one through his defences.
It’s full, straight, nipping back a touch and snaking its way through the gate.
Muller is castled and Australia’s score of 212 is looking better and better.
16th over: Cummins to continue
Not many runs on offer here for the South Africans.
But Mulder squeezes a couple after squirting one out to the mid-wicket boundary.
15th over: Hazlewood to begin his second spell
And he’s right on the money straight away.
The first ball of the over is just wide of off and the second is defended by Bavuma.
The third is left on length and it’s over the stumps and through to Carey.
17 balls without a run here for Bavuma.
It’s tough going out there for the South African captain and his charges.
The final ball of the over is defended, and Hazlewood is back with a maiden.
14th over: Cummins causing problems
Just short! A wonderful delivery from the Australian captain is met by the edge of Mulder’s bat. However, he plays it with soft hands and it falls just short of Steve Smith in the cordon.
Another edge! This time it’s thicker and along the ground and Mulder picks up two.
Another peach from Cummins. It pitches outside off and jags back fiercely. Mulder leaves it alone.
Just the two from the fourth Cummins over.
13th over: Starc steams in again
A full straight one is met decisively from Mulder. It’s an attractive cover drive, but it doesn’t yield any runs – the ball is collected in the in-field.
Starc throws a few wide ones out there, but Mulder isn’t tempted. The South African all-rounder is playing inside the line of the ball.
And runs! It’s South Africa’s first run of the bat in 35 balls.
Mulder drops one into the off-side and scampers through for a quick single.
He moves to two from 36 deliveries.
12th over: Cummins back after drinks
And we’re into the final hour of the final session of the first day of the World Test Championship final.
Cummins bangs one in on a good length and Mulder works one away behind square for a single – or it looks like he does at least.
The umpire says there’s no bat involved, and a leg bye is added to the total.
Alex Carey does very well to collect a very wide one down the leg side before Cummins re-finds his line and the still scoreless Bavuma is defending.
Just the leg bye from the third Cummins over.
A look at that first Starc wicket
11th over: Starc to bowl his sixth
Mitchell Starc has been excellent so far this afternoon.
He has two wickets and should have one more.
However, he’s looking a little tired out there after giving his all for five hot overs.
Massive appeal! It’s full, straight and swinging into the right-handed Bavuma. It looked very good live but given not-out by the standing umpire. Australia’s brain trust opts against a review, and the replay shows that’s not a decision they will rue.
Two reds and an amber means the on-field call would have stood.
Bavuma fends one into the off-side and that’s drinks.
10th over: Cummins to begin his second
And it’s a peach to begin.
Mulder is squared up, trying to defend one that’s moving away from him.
However, the ball does too much and it’s through to the ‘keeper.
Mulder is defending a full, straight one. It squirts out to the off-side and the jittery number three is doing his best to get off strike. But there’s no run there.
Another outside off play-and-miss followed by a wayward one down the leg-side round out a maiden over.
9th over continued: Starc has two left
South Africa captain Bavuma is out to the middle and isn’t forced to use his bat.
Two wide ones complete a successful over for Starc and Australia.
STARC HAS TWO!
Australia is very much in this game.
Starc hangs one out wide and gets a bit of swing away from the left-handed Rickelton.
South Africa’s most in-form batter plays a pretty lazy, wafting shot, and gets a thickish edge on it.
Khawaja snaffles it, falling to his right at first slip.
Starc has two and Temba Bavuma is out to the middle.
9th over: Starc back for his fourth
And runs! Four of them. Just a tad short and wide from Starc. Rickelton leans forward and transfers his weight through the ball. It races to the boundary just in front of point.
Starc straightens the next delivery up and Rickelton is swinging and missing outside the off stump.
8th over: Captain Pat into the attack
Pat Cummins is steaming in for the first time today.
The first ball is full-ish and straight and squirted away by Rickleton for a single into the off-side.
Cummins bowls four dots to Mulder, who is looking solid.
It’s a good, if slightly wide, delivery to end the over.
Mulder is pushing forward and the ball flies past the outside edge.
7th over: Starc to continue
Presumably still stinging from the Carey drop, Starc is steaming in again.
He’s on the money and Mulder is defending assuredly.
The shadows are starting to lengthen now – Australia needs a second pretty quickly.
Mulder is on the backfoot this time, beating the ball away into the off-side. No run.
Starc tries his trademark miracle ball to end the over. However, he can’t get any in-swing on it and it ends up as a wide yorker that Mulder leaves alone.
6th over – Hazlewood trying to dig Australia out of its funk
It’s always tough after you drop a catch, but the best antidote is taking another wicket right away, and that’s what Josh Hazlewood is trying to do here.
Gee, he is really giving these batters fits. Just nibbling it in and away here and there. Really tough to predict.
Hazlewood swings it down leg and Carey does well to keep it to two leg byes.
Shot. Another punchy drive down the ground by Rickelton for four to end the over.
5th over – Leftie vs leftie
Starc starts with a gorgeous ball to Rickelton, angling in and swinging down the line of off stump.
DROPPED! Starc angles across and gets a healthy edge but Alex Carey has dropped an absolute sitter.
Carey moved right well, but fell down into it and the ball stayed higher than he expected, and he couldn’t adjust.
Brutal for Starc, Carey and Australia.
4th over – Hazlewood once more
He’s playing his first Test since the second game of the India series last summer.
Wiaan Mulder is hanging on with all his might in the face of Hazlewood seaming and away every other ball. It really feels like he’s guessing right now.
