Key events

And with that I’ll sign off.

We’ll be back tomorrow for the final day of this second Test.

Will South Africa claim the six wickets they need to square the series? Or will Australia bat long enough to save the draw, or even pull of a remarkable comeback win?

We’ll find out together.

Some readers comments:

Simon McMahon:

double quotation markHey Dan. Off topic, if there is such a thing during an OBO, but just found out that Lancs will not offer James Anderson a new contract for next season. I mean, he’s only 44. With a name like that, he’s surely eligible for Scotland...

Will Ellin:

double quotation markA lot has been said and written about the dwindling role spin plays in Test Match cricket, but the Saffas havent lost the faith, and a smart spinner is worth their weight in gold. And any County will tell you Harmer is certainly that. Holding up an end, giving the quicks a break, and taking wickets.

Alex Steel:

double quotation markLoving your coverage but not the current score. What are your thoughts about the Aussie batting order going forward? Should it be flexible like Pat Cummins thinks? Is Nic Maddison gone? What is the point of having Beau Webster as an all rounder when the batters are preferred as bowlers to him? Plus is some of this just good bowling and/or terrible shot selection, i.e. needs some coaching?

Worth catching up on this week’s Spin.

Written by Ali Martin who lets us know what its like writing a book about cricket’s nicest guy:

Stumps: Australia 156-4 (Head 87, Boland 2), trail by 170

For the second evening in a row, Boland survives as nightwatcher, seeing out a Harmer maiden as six cacthers hover around him.

He has Head for company at the close, who will sleep tonight with 87 unbeaten runs to his name. He was streaky at times, and was put down on five, but he remains. With him, so do Australia’s hopes of an unlikely draw.

South Africa picked up nine Australian first innings wickets today with Jansen claiming a five-for before enforcing the follow on.

The early wicket of Maddinson for Rabada vindicated that call but Head and Labuschagne dug in until the latter lost his head to Harmer and was caught in the deep.

That led to a small collapse as Renshaw was bowled shouldering arms to Rabada and Webster was pinned lbw by Harmer.

With Smith nursing a neck injury, this is a daunting challenge for the Australians.

54th over: Australia 165-4 (Head 87, Boland 2)

Australia's Scott Boland (left) and teammate Travis Head leave the field at the end of day's play. Photograph: Themba Hadebe/AP

53rd over: Australia 156-4 (Head 87, Boland 2) Head has no intention of scoring runs now. Even when Markram throws one up and down the leg side, Head pulls out of an expansive sweep. There’s one more over to come I reckon.

52nd over: Australia 156-4 (Head 87, Boland 2) Harmer is in the zone. Lovely flight and guile. Boland presses and gets a thick edge onto his pad but it shoots over Ackerman who is very close at silly mid-off. It’s also gripping and turning. But Boland survives. Just about, he survives.

51st over: Australia 156-4 (Head 87, Boland 2) Head bunts a flat ball from Markram down the ground for one. To Boland it has more loop and the firm forward press catches a thick outside edge, but its low and wide of the slip so he gets a single off the last ball to keep the strike.

50th over: Australia 154-4 (Head 86, Boland 1) Harmer has catchers at slipm silly mid-off, forward short leg and leg slip for Boland. He’s tossing it up and looking for one that grips and takes an edge off the pad. Boland is watchful, though, and sees out a maiden.

49th over: Australia 154-4 (Head 86, Boland 1) Head won’t protect Boland. Boland won’t protect Head. They exchange runs as Bavuma misfields at cover, letting one go right through his legs and gifting Head two runs. Boland plinks a single to get off the mark.

The umpires consider taking the players off, but Bavuma assures them that he’ll only bowl spin.

So on they go.

48th over: Australia 150-4 (Head 83, Boland 0) South Africa are inching closer and in the fading light Scott Boland walks out to steer his team to the close. Head also has a big job to do.

WICKET! Webster lbw Harmer 8 (Australia 150-4)

Harmer bags another one! Big Beau has misread the length and gone back to a ball he should have gone forward to. Beaten in the flight and he gets himself in a tangle. That is plumb in front even though Harmer is coming round the wicket. Webster doesn’t bother reviewing. That is as out as out can be hitting him on the back leg.

South Africa's Simon Harmer celebrates the wicket of Australia's Beau Webster. Photograph: Themba Hadebe/AP

The natural light is fading fast as the flood lights come on. Could be spin from here to the close.

47th over: Australia 149-3 (Head 82, Webster 8) Jansen back into the attack and as you’d expect he’s extracting extra bounce off the surface. One leaps up at Head who has to steer it away from his face. He gets some width and cuts hard but just for one as it’s straight to the sweeper in the deep. But there is some encouragement for the bowler as one keeps low and Head takes a wild swish at it, missing by some distance.

46th over: Australia 147-3 (Head 81, Webster 7) When Harmer – back into the attack – slows his pace down he looks a real threat. He tosses one up and gets it to rip past the prodding poke of Head’s bat. Delicious off-spin bowling. Three runs in this comeback over, all to Webster who first flicks for two before bunting to long-on for one.

45th over: Australia 144-3 (Head 81, Webster 4) Head slashes at width, gets a thick edge that screams about a hand’s width away from the diving Bedingham. If there was a second or third slip that might have been that. Instead it goes away for four runs. Earlier, Mulder strayed onto Head’s pads and was tickled fine for another four. Head is approaching a pretty special ton.

44th over: Australia 136-3 (Head 73, Webster 4) Markram continues. Still flat and at the stumps. Head glances fine and picks up four past the keeper and away to the boundary. Then he takes a single to keep the strike. Goes without saying that Australia’s hopes currently rest on Head’s shoulders, knees and toes.

43rd over: Australia 131-3 (Head 67, Webster 4) Mulder into the attack. He’s straight at the stumps. Just two runs, a single apeice.

And here’s reader, Simmi Areff:

double quotation markMarkram to end the game with a three-for before the close. If he can only get one to float up to the batters.

I love the optimism.

42nd over: Australia 129-3 (Head 67, Webster 3) Markram continues. He’s flat and quick through the air. The Aussies have no trouble milking three singles across the set.

41st over: Australia 127-3 (Head 66, Webster 2) A maiden from Rabada to Webster. Not a lot of bounce or zip, but KG is bowling into the breeze and up the hill. Why South Africa’s spearhead is doing that is another matter entirely.

40th over: Australia 127-3 (Head 66, Webster 2) Markram into the attack, giving Harmer a break. Four singles off that set. The Australians will consider this a small reprieve from the pressure.

39th over: Australia 123-3 (Head 64, Webster 0) KG bags the breakthrough. Renshaw, who was so good at leaving in Durban, falls shouldering arms. The new man Webster has a heck of a job to do in the fading light.

Renshaw b Rabada 11 (Australia 123-3)

Renshaw shoulders arms and is bowled! There are two types of leaves and that is a bad one. Off a good length, angling in from round the wicket into the left-hander, a bit of nip makes it go on to hit the stumps off a small deflection off the bad. Rabada roars and the South Africans are one step closer to their target.

Australia’s Matt Renshaw gets bowled by South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada. Photograph: Themba Hadebe/AP

38th over: Australia 120-2 (Head 62, Renshaw 10) Renshaw plays a lovely clip off his pads and it canters away for four. He barely touched that but the timing is on point. Three milked singles elsewhere means it’s a handy set for the Aussies.

37th over: Australia 113-2 (Head 60, Renshaw 5) Renshaw plays a contender for shot of the Test by leaning into a full ball and driving Rabada through mid-on for four glorious runs. That should count as 14. But Rabada then drags his length back and finds the edge, but Renshaw’s soft hands means it lands well short of the slips.

36th over: Australia 109-2 (Head 60, Renshaw 1) Streaky from Head. He takes his hand off the bat as he tries to cut behind point, but there’s no control. Was uppish, but not close enough to Rabada hovering behind square and the ball skips away for four. Harmer will take that as a moral victory. Earlier Renshaw got off the mark with a push into the covers.

35th over: Australia 103-2 (Head 55, Renshaw 0) Watchful. That’s the word for the Aussie batters. Just one run to Head who flicks off the back foot to backward square. Renshaw is nice and tight as Rabada keeps it in the channel.

34th over: South Africa 102-2 (Head 54, Renshaw 0) Harmer is in his groove. Lovely flight and a slower pace. He knows what he’s doing. Just the one single to Head down the ground.

Correction from the last over. Head actually scampered a single off the last ball.

33rd over: Australia 101-2 (Head 52, Renshaw 0) Renshaw is the new man as Smith has his neck wrapped up. He’s not batting today unless something serious happens out in the middle. Rabada, back on, bowls a tidy set to Head who takes a single off the last ball. Nice and tight from KG who is targeting the top of off.

WICKET! Labuschagne c Jansen b Harmer 39 (Australia 100-2)

WHY DID HE DO THAAAAT?! Oh Marnus, what have you done? Harmer had him pinned on his crease for five balls. Is that what compelled him to try and slog a six over long on? Whatever it was, he couldn’t get all of it and sent it high into the gloomy sky. Jansen had to complete a tough catch over his shoulder, but complete it he did. That’s the breakthrough South Africa were after but that is a self inflicted wound as far as Australia is concerned.

32nd over: Australia 100-2 (Head 52)

South Africa’s Simon Harmer (right) is congratulated by teammate Marco Jansen after taking the catch to dismiss Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne. Photograph: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images

31st over: Australia 100-1 (Head 52, Labuschagne 39) Hundred up for Australia as both batters collect a single apiece. Jansen continues back of a length and finds that lift. Credit to these Aussies. They’ve dug in and shown some proper grit.

30th over: Australia 98-1 (Head 51, Labuschagne 38) Head brings up his 50 with an inside edge onto his pad as he tries to sweep Harmer. A reminder that he was dropped in the gully by Jansen on 5.

Australia’s Travis Head (centre) swats the ball away on his way to his half century. Photograph: Themba Hadebe/AP