Player of the Match
Player of the Match
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    22.5 Dear, me. Marnus fires in a direct throw and Elgar is run out eight minutes before lunch! That is such poor cricket. Was it the previous ball that did him in? You'd have to think so. Was a fuller-length delivery outside off, he pushes to the right of mid-off and sets off. But Labuschagne swoops onto the ball, turns and throws down the stumps at the non-striker's end. Elgar is short and Australia are pumped. 58/3
    10.4 edged, taken at slip! It's that man Boland again. Full outside off, draws Erwee into the drive, reaching away from the body and it's neatly taken low down at third slip by Khawaja 29/1
    19.6 Green strikes, oh, this is a big wicket for Australia! Wasn't that short, but de Bruyn is sucked into going for a pull. He gets a massive top-edge and Carey gets the slips out of the way to complete a simple catch. Poor, poor shot from de Bruyn after playing so well. 56/2
    22.6 Two in two! This is Australia's session, alright. Length ball that tails away at the last moment. Bavuma pokes at it, no feet and can only edge it to Carey, who dives it to his right to complete a comfortable catch. The batter was stuck in his crease, and no feet movement meant he found himself playing away from his body, reaching for the ball. 58/4
    28.3 what a catch! Marnus with a stunner at mid-off. What a day he's having in the field. Full and wide outside off, Zondo goes for another drive, can't keep it down playing away from the body...but Labuschagne is horizontal when he holds this. Magnificent 67/5
    64.5 edged, taken at slip! Green makes the breakthrough. In the channel outside off, brings him forward, regulation outside edge and reaches Smith at waist height 179/6
    66.1 edged, caught behind! It's Green again. Big spell from the big man. Pitched up outside off, Jansen drives and gets a thin nick. And all of sudden South Africa's good work comes apart 182/7
    67.3 Tosses it up, inviting Maharaj to go for a big one. He takes the bait and departs! That's as soft a dismissal as you'll see. Loopy length ball, outside off. Maharaj looks to clear mid-off but is nowhere near the pitch of it. Hits it straight up and Cummins at mid-off completes a simple catch. South Africa going down rather quickly. 186/9
    66.6 played on! It's four for Green. Best figures in Test cricket. Back of a length from round the wicket, deflects down off a half-hearted defensive poke 186/8
    not out
    1
    1
    10
    0
    0
    100.00
    2
    6
    5
    0
    0
    33.33
    68.4 Gets a five-for in a Boxing Day Test! The stuff of dreams. An absolute quality display of bowling from Green. Holds the ball aloft and gets a massive applause from the MCG crowd. Keeps it on a length, wicket-to-wicket line, Ngidi misses and the ball hits off pole. Terrific spell. 189/10
    Extras
    7 (b 3, lb 3, nb 1)
    TOTAL
    189 all out (68.4 Overs, RR: 2.75, 322 minutes)
    Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Sarel Erwee, 10.4 ov), 2-56 (Theunis de Bruyn, 19.6 ov), 3-58 (Dean Elgar, 22.5 ov), 4-58 (Temba Bavuma, 22.6 ov), 5-67 (Khaya Zondo, 28.3 ov), 6-179 (Kyle Verreynne, 64.5 ov), 7-182 (Marco Jansen, 66.1 ov), 8-186 (Kagiso Rabada, 66.6 ov), 9-186 (Keshav Maharaj, 67.3 ov), 10-189 (Lungi Ngidi, 68.4 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    MA Starc1323923.0000
    PJ Cummins1443002.1400
    SM Boland1423412.4201
    NM Lyon1735313.1100
    C Green10.432752.5300
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    200
    255
    366
    16
    2
    78.43
    93.4 and he's gone! Nortje is on a hat-trick. Warner won't be adding anything. It's 147kph, speared in full at leg stump, Warner aiming to work off his pads, takes the back pad on the full and into the stumps. 395/5
    6.4 Rabada knocks over Khawaja for the fifth time in Test cricket! He had his line all wrong against Warner, gets it spot on for Khawaja and has his man. Length ball tailing away from the batter, who just hangs his bat outside off, without a lot of feet movement. The ball catches the edge and the keeper moves to his left to complete a simple catch. 21/1
    18.3 back of a length outside off, push and run into the covers...on no, what's happened here?! Looks like Labuschange has been run out as they got into a mess going for an overthrow. The throw comes back to Nortje who then throws down the stumps. What a bonus for South Africa. Will need to see the replay to find out what happened with the calling. Warner called Labuschange back, but Marnus had to make a large turn after a long followthrough from the first run for the second and then there was awful confusion. Labuschagne committed to trying to make the second in the end, but never had a chance 75/2
    74.1 taken at gully! Out of nowhere. No century for Smith. Short outside off, looking to upper cut down to deep third and ends up guiding it to de Bruyn 314/3
    51
    55
    106
    7
    1
    92.72
    93.3 through him! Nortje gets reward. Pushed up much fuller, Head looking to play to the on side and it bursts through to take off stump 395/4
    not out
    51
    177
    228
    5
    0
    28.81
    111
    149
    243
    13
    0
    74.49
    140.5 What a weird way to get out! Banged in short by Jansen, around shoulder-high. Carey shapes up for the pull, before deciding to sway outside the line of it at the last moment. However, his bat was up and he can only balloon it straight up with Jansen completing a simple catch. End of a monumental innings from Carey. Walks back to a resounding applause from the MCG crowd. 557/8
    94.2 has he touched it?! Big appeal for caught behind and they review. Back of a length at off stump, skims past the edge and there is a little noise. Did he clip his pad? Third umpire sees a small spike and the decision is overturned. Did match ball next to bat and there as a small sound. Not the biggest spike you'll see, though. You can actually see the ball deviate slightly, too, in fact 400/6
    100.6 pulled in the air, taken at square leg...Lyon's cameo comes to end. Goes after the short ball and splices the stroke 440/7
    not out
    10
    12
    25
    0
    1
    83.33
    Extras
    23 (b 5, lb 12, nb 5, w 1)
    TOTAL
    575/8d (145 Overs, RR: 3.96, 680 minutes)
    Did not bat: SM Boland
    Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Usman Khawaja, 6.4 ov), 2-75 (Marnus Labuschagne, 18.3 ov), 3-314 (Steven Smith, 74.1 ov), 3-329* (David Warner, retired not out ), 3-363* (Cameron Green, retired not out ), 4-395 (Travis Head, 93.3 ov), 5-395 (David Warner, 93.4 ov), 6-400 (Pat Cummins, 94.2 ov), 7-440 (Nathan Lyon, 100.6 ov), 8-557 (Alex Carey, 140.5 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    K Rabada28114425.1403
    L Ngidi22.129814.4200
    M Jansen2818913.1711
    A Nortje2519233.6801
    KA Maharaj41.5313503.2200
  • BATSMEN
    R
    B
    M
    4s
    6s
    SR
    21
    41
    85
    1
    0
    51.21
    16.6 huge appeal for lbw! Was it pad first? Gets the yorker in at middle. Will Cummins review? Yes, he does. This looked very straight of it was pad first. Toe first? Might actually be sliding down. Third umpire trying to confirm if it's toe first. He rules that it is...and it's smashing leg stump. He's gone. Fantastic delivery 47/2
    1.3 is that a touch down the leg side?! Australia reckon it's gone. The umpires are checking if it's carried. Soft signal is out, although I'm very confused if that means anything anymore. It's off the glove, no doubt, confirmed by Snicko. It's dying in Carey, but he gets his fingers under it. Well taken and Australia have an early one. Second time in the series Elgar goes this way, pushing away from his hip. Some may say unlucky, but it's certainly an area to attack Elgar 0/1
    19.5 edged, taken at second slip! Sharp grab and Boland is on the card. Back of a length outside off, climbs at de Bruyn, comes form high on the bat, and Smith does brilliantly here as Labuschagne dived right across him 57/3
    61.3 Straight up and Bavuma now departs attempting a slog sweep! Dear, me, that is just poor cricket. Was the run out weighing in his mind? Looped up outside off, he fetches for it looking to slam it over deep midwicket, gets a massive top-edge as Marcus Harris running to his right from midwicket pouches a relatively simple catch, reverse-cup 176/8
    26.6 A terrible call and Zondo is run out! The birthday boy Travis Head with a direct throw. On a good length outside off, Bavuma pushes to mid-off a bit harder than what he thought and sets off. Zondo responds but Head is quickly on the ball, under-arms the throw and nails the stumps at the striker's end. Zondo was nowhere in the frame. 65/4
    43.5 looks good and given lbw! Good length, nips back, takes him on the knee roll. Verreynne reviews. Only height can save him but not sure it will. And it's smashing the top of middle. Boland does it again 128/5
    5
    29
    47
    0
    0
    17.24
    52.6 Loud, loud appeal for lbw as Jansen is struck on the back leg. The umpire says no but Cummins reviews! Looked mighty close on first viewing, maybe the height might saves him. Nope, DRS confirms that would have crashed the top of leg stump. It was on a length just on off, Jansen is rooted to the crease as he plays tentatively. Misses and is trapped right in front of the stumps. Great review! 144/6
    60.1 Another mix-up involving Bavuma and Maharaj seems to be struggling! Oh, he is a goner! Absolute disaster for South Africa. That should have been an easy three but Bavuma did not go for the third. On a good length on off, Maharaj punches it through covers and sets off. Maharaj is committed to the third and seems like Bavuma is too. He, however, takes a few steps down, but goes back with Maharaj already halfway down. The throw comes back to Starc who fires a direct throw at the striker's end to find Maharaj short 174/7
    63.2 Another one bites the dust and Australia are just one wicket away from a series win! Tossed up on off, he goes for an almighty slog, is nowhere near it as the ball goes straight up. Cummins at mid-on backtracks and takes it cleanly. 177/9
    not out
    8
    18
    30
    1
    0
    44.44
    19
    21
    22
    2
    1
    90.47
    68.5 All over! Australia win by an innings and 182 runs! How fitting that a legspinner it is to end the game in a match dedicated to Shane Warne. Loops it up gently on middle and leg, above Ngidi's eyeline. He plays all around it and sees his stumps in a mess. 204/10
    Extras
    8 (b 1, lb 5, nb 2)
    TOTAL
    204 all out (68.5 Overs, RR: 2.96, 318 minutes)
    Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Dean Elgar, 1.3 ov), 2-47 (Sarel Erwee, 16.6 ov), 3-57 (Theunis de Bruyn, 19.5 ov), 4-65 (Khaya Zondo, 26.6 ov), 5-128 (Kyle Verreynne, 43.5 ov), 6-144 (Marco Jansen, 52.6 ov), 7-174 (Keshav Maharaj, 60.1 ov), 8-176 (Temba Bavuma, 61.3 ov), 9-177 (Kagiso Rabada, 63.2 ov), 10-204 (Lungi Ngidi, 68.5 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    MA Starc1846213.4400
    PJ Cummins1682011.2502
    SM Boland1524923.2600
    NM Lyon1715833.4100
    SPD Smith2.50913.1700

Match Details

Toss

Australia , elected to field first

Player Of The Match

Series result

Australia led the 3-match series 2-0

Match number

Season

Hours of play (local time)

10.30 start, Lunch 12.30-13.10, Tea 15.10-17.10, Close 17.10

Match days

26,27,28,29 December 2022 (5-day match)

TV Umpires

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Points

Australia 12, South Africa 0

Close of Play

  • Mon, 26 Dec - day 1 - Australia 1st innings 45/1 (DA Warner 32*, M Labuschagne 5*, 12 ov)
  • Tue, 27 Dec - day 2 - Australia 1st innings 386/3 (TM Head 48*, AT Carey 9*, 91 ov)
  • Wed, 28 Dec - day 3 - South Africa 2nd innings 15/1 (SJ Erwee 7*, TB de Bruyn 6*, 7 ov)
  • Thu, 29 Dec - day 4 - South Africa 2nd innings 204 (68.5 ov) - end of match

Match Notes

South Africa 3rd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st0D ElgarSJ Erwee
2nd47SJ ErweeTB de Bruyn
3rd10T BavumaTB de Bruyn
4th8K ZondoT Bavuma
5th63T BavumaK Verreynne
6th16T BavumaM Jansen
7th30KA MaharajT Bavuma
8th2T BavumaK Rabada
9th1A NortjeK Rabada
10th27A NortjeL Ngidi