South Africa vs Australia 1st Test Live: Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith steady Australia after early setb

Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 72/2 (20.6 overs) 20.6: Keshav Maharaj to Marnus Labuschagne, Flatter and shorter, in line with the off stump. Labuschagne stabs it down the deck..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 72/2 (20.5 overs) 20.5: Keshav Maharaj to Marnus Labuschagne, Flighted up again, on off. Marnus leans into the drive this time and knocks it to cover..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 72/2 (20.4 overs) 20.4: Keshav Maharaj to Marnus Labuschagne, EDGED, FOUR! A fortuitous boundary for Labuschagne. Maharaj tosses it up, inviting the drive, outside off. Labuschagne throws his hands at the ball. It spins away a touch to catch the outside edge. Aiden Markram at slip stands no chance as the ball flies past his right. The backward point fielder gives chase and dives but his effort goes in vain..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 68/2 (20.3 overs) 20.3: Keshav Maharaj to Marnus Labuschagne, Lovely bowling. Slower through the air, outside off. Labuschagne is drawn forward and has a loose poke at the ball away from his body. He is lucky not to nick it behind as the ball spins past the bat..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 68/2 (20.2 overs) 20.2: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, Hangs it up there, does Maharaj. Smith has a swing at it and ends up shanking it down to long off for a single..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 67/2 (20.1 overs) 20.1: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, Fractionally short, on off, Smith goes back to defend..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 67/2 (19.6 overs) 19.6: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, FOUR! Picked up with ease. A bit too full and too straight as well, darted in at the pads. Labuschagne leans inside the line and clips it off the pads behind square leg, beating the man in the deep to his left..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 63/2 (19.5 overs) 19.5: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, On the fuller side and keeps the stumps in play. Labuschagne is solid in defence..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 63/2 (19.4 overs) 19.4: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, Seaming back in, on the shorter side, in line with the off stump. Labuschagne trusts the bounce of the surface and makes the leave on length. He sees the ball sail over the off pole..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 63/2 (19.3 overs) 19.3: Anrich Nortje to Steve Smith, A little too straight, at the hips. Smith nurdles it past the man at short leg. They think about the second run but eventually decide against it as the short leg fielder hunts it down..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 62/2 (19.2 overs) 19.2: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, Good cricket all around! On a back of a length, angled in on middle. Labuschagne presses up on his toes and tucks it wide of mid-wicket. Temba Bavuma charges across and slides to pick the ball up. He scores a direct hit at the bowling end but Marnus is in by then..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 61/2 (19.1 overs) 19.1: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, FOUR! Not convincing but they all count the same. Nipping back in sharply, too straight, on the pads, on a good length. Labuschagne hops and plays the line with a straight bat. Gets an inside edge and it races down to the deep fine leg fence..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 57/2 (18.6 overs) 18.6: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, SIX! High and handsome! Smith does not want Maharaj to settle. Floated up, full and wide on off. Smith presses forward and just extends his hands into the lofted hit. He goes through with the shot and clears the long off fence with ease..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 51/2 (18.5 overs) 18.5: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, Full and darted in at the sticks. Smith brings his bat out in front and defends it out..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 51/2 (18.4 overs) 18.4: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, Speared in very full, on middle. Smith hangs back in the crease and digs it out..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 51/2 (18.3 overs) 18.3: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, SIX! Excellent use of the feet. Flighted delivery, drifting in on off. Smith dances down the track and reaches the pitch of the ball. He swings through the line and launches it over mid on for a biggie. The 50 is up for Australia..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 45/2 (18.2 overs) 18.2: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, Shorter and wider, slow turn off the deck. Smith waits on it before playing the cut but he picks out the man at backward point..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 45/2 (18.1 overs) 18.1: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, Looped up, on middle. Smith firms the drive back to the bowler with a straight bat..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 45/2 (17.6 overs) 17.6: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, A tad fuller and closer to the off stump line, but still fairly wide. Labuschagne makes another comfortable leave..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 45/2 (17.5 overs) 17.5: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, A length ball, pushed wide of the off stump, and Labuschagne shoulders arms at it..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 45/2 (17.4 overs) 17.4: Anrich Nortje to Steve Smith, Pitched up around middle, Smith shovels it away between mid on and mid-wicket for a single..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 44/2 (17.3 overs) 17.3: Anrich Nortje to Steve Smith, Top stop by Tristan Stubbs. Fullish length wide outside off, Steve Smith extends his arms and plays a wristy drive, lacing it to the left of backward point, where Stubbs dives across and saves a certain boundary..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 44/2 (17.2 overs) 17.2: Anrich Nortje to Steve Smith, Full ball outside off, trying to draw out a drive from the batter, but Smith stays disciplined and makes a leave..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 44/2 (17.1 overs) 17.1: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, A rib-tickler from Nortje, and Labuschagne tucks it down neatly to fine leg for a single..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 43/2 (16.6 overs) 16.6: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, A loopy ball, bowled very full and on leg. Steve Smith clips it away to mid on..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 43/2 (16.5 overs) 16.5: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, The length is pulled back now, and Maharaj extracts some slow turn off the deck as well. Smith stays back in his crease and blocks it off..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 43/2 (16.4 overs) 16.4: Keshav Maharaj to Marnus Labuschagne, Tossed up fuller and on off, Labuschagne gets forward and eases it down to long off for a single..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 42/2 (16.3 overs) 16.3: Keshav Maharaj to Marnus Labuschagne, Flighted ball just outside off, there's a bit of turn and bounce on offer. Labuschagne watchfully leaves it alone..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 42/2 (16.2 overs) 16.2: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, Bowled flatter and angled into the pads, Smith tucks it 'round the corner on the leg side, picking up a single..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 41/2 (16.1 overs) 16.1: Keshav Maharaj to Steve Smith, Good teamwork in the field, and Steve Smith gets only two runs. Lobbed up wide of the off stump, and it immediately grips a bit. Smith extends his arms, scything it wide of gully. Ryan Rickelton chases it down and flicks it back in, and Tristan Stubbs from point backs him up well, keeping the batters down to a brace.. Right, Marco Jansen is done with his spell, and we are going to have a first look at spin. Here's Keshav Maharaj. He is starting with a slip and a short leg..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (15.6 overs) 15.6: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, My, my! Anrich Nortje is in fantastic rhythm. The length is immaculate, just full of a good length, making the batter doubt whether to get forward or stay back. Labuschagne does neither and is taken aback by the away movement and the extra bounce, and the ball just nips away from the shoulder of his bat. Another maiden for Nortje..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (15.5 overs) 15.5: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, Good length, in that corridor of uncertainty, nibbling back in ever so slightly. Labuschagne makes a watchful leave..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (15.4 overs) 15.4: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, Now a switch-up from Nortje. Bashing a hard length and pushing it wide of the off stump. Labuschagne is enticed by the width on offer and has a swoosh at it, but is well beaten..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (15.3 overs) 15.3: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, That's zipped through! Full again, around the fifth-stump line and nibbling away. Labuschagne leaves it alone and Kyle Verreynne ends up pouching it around head height..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (15.2 overs) 15.2: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, Nortje keeps the length fuller and the line close to the off stump, making Marnus play at it. Labuschagne gets forward and jams it back towards the bowler..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (15.1 overs) 15.1: Anrich Nortje to Marnus Labuschagne, Pitched fuller in the channel outside off, at 142.9 clicks, and this one goes straight on. Labuschagne shoulders arms..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (14.6 overs) 14.6: Marco Jansen to Steve Smith, Dug in a bit shorter and outside off, getting the ball to wobble away a bit. Smith makes a leave. After 15 overs, Australia are teetering along at 39/2..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (14.5 overs) 14.5: Marco Jansen to Steve Smith, That's a much better length from Marco. Full of a good length, landing it around off and angling back into the right-hander. Steve Smith gets across a bit and plays it with a straight bat to mid on..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (14.4 overs) 14.4: Marco Jansen to Steve Smith, Slightly back of a length, sliding into the batter's body. Smith flicks it off the hips to the fielder in front of square leg..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (14.3 overs) 14.3: Marco Jansen to Steve Smith, Smith is up to his antics, dancing around in his crease. Good length, angled well down leg. Smith moves across to the off side, lifting the left leg a bit and leaves it alone..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 39/2 (14.2 overs) 14.2: Marco Jansen to Marnus Labuschagne, Nagging length, in and around off stump. Labuschagne looks to get forward and push at it, but gets an inside edge down to fine leg for a single..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 38/2 (14.1 overs) 14.1: Marco Jansen to Marnus Labuschagne, Pitched up around leg, pushing it further down the leg side. Labuschagne moves inside the line and misses the tickle.. Is it time for spin? Not yet. Marco Jansen will bowl his 8th over in a row..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 38/2 (13.6 overs) 13.6: Anrich Nortje to Steve Smith, A bit fuller and straighter, attacking the stumps. Smith moves past the off stump and defends it down past the non-striker. A probing maiden from Nortje..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 38/2 (13.5 overs) 13.5: Anrich Nortje to Steve Smith, Length again, outside off, and this time the ball does jag back in a bit. Smith gets across a bit and leaves it alone..Australia vs South Africa Live Score : 38/2 (13.4 overs) 13.4: Anrich Nortje to Steve Smith, That's a pearler from Nortje. Good length, darted back in at a brisk pace from outside off, but then it straightens and holds its line. Steve Smith tries to defend with a straight bat, but the ball whizzes past the outside edge.