South Africa vs Australia 2nd Test live: Rain stops play

Game stopped due to : Rain Stoppage. 10.27 am GMT - The rain has picked up, and the players are heading off. Marques Ackerman will breathe a sigh of relief that he managed to get off the mark just before the break, or else the wait for his first Test run would have had him on the edge all through the break. A nice little moment, too, as Ackerman waves to his son in the stands. The forecast for tomorrow is not great either, especially in the morning, before it starts to clear up in the afternoon..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 11/0 (5.3 overs) 5.3: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, First run for Marques Ackerman in Test cricket! It took a while to get off the mark, but that will certainly relieve him a lot. A bit short and outside off, Marques hangs back and steers it between gully and backward point for a single..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 10/0 (5.2 overs) 5.2: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, From around the stump, too full on the stumps, angling in, Ackerman looks to flick but his head falls over and he closes the bat face early too. Gets a bit of a leading edge and the ball rolls to cover.. More sawdust has been asked for..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 10/0 (5.1 overs) 5.1: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, Full ball on the off stump, Ackerman prods forward and defends it straight.. The umpires got together between overs and were signalling something to the ground staff..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 10/0 (4.6 overs) 4.6: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, At around 141 clicks, this is bashed hard into the pitch, outside off, Markram shoulders arms..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 10/0 (4.5 overs) 4.5: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, FOUR! Textbook! Starc comes from over the stumps now and lands it full, outside off, Markram leans on and crisply drives it through the cover and mid off gap for a boundary. Didn't try to hit it too hard, just pure timing..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 6/0 (4.4 overs) 4.4: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Far outside off, perhaps looking to swing it in, but it goes straight on. Markram lets it go. Once again, Starc is a bit frustrated with the landing area..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 6/0 (4.3 overs) 4.3: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Slightly back of a length, on off, Markram solidly punches it to covers..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 6/0 (4.2 overs) 4.2: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Brings the angle into the batter, full in length, Markram pushes at it, gets an inside edge and the ball rolls to the left of deep fine leg. Josh Hazlewood covers a lot of ground in the deep and mops it up as the ball slows down. Two runs taken..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 4/0 (4.1 overs) 4.1: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Steams in from around the stumps. Bowls a length ball with a scrambled seam, outside off, Aiden offers no shot.. It has started to drizzle, but it is that misty kind, so nothing to worry about as of now, though it has gotten darker..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 4/0 (3.6 overs) 3.6: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, Full at 137.5 kph, outside off. Left alone..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 4/0 (3.5 overs) 3.5: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, A little hint of an inward shape on this one, touch full on the stumps, Marques lets the ball curve and then defends it with a straight bat..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 4/0 (3.4 overs) 3.4: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, On that bail-trimming length, on the off stump, Marques rocks back and dabs it to gully..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 4/0 (3.3 overs) 3.3: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, Bashes the length hard, does Hazlewood, angling it away from the batter. Marques shoulders arms..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 4/0 (3.2 overs) 3.2: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, On the stumps, on a length, Ackerman punches it to the cover region..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 4/0 (3.1 overs) 3.1: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, Nipping in from a length, around off, Marques Ackerman hops off to block but gets an inside edge onto the thigh pad..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 4/0 (2.6 overs) 2.6: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Short of a length, outside off, Aiden lets it pass through.. The floodlights are starting to come on..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 4/0 (2.5 overs) 2.5: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, FOUR! A glorious shot to get off the mark! Starc pushes it outside off, on a fullish length, Aiden Markram gets on the front foot, keeps his shape intact and his head stable. Creams the drive through covers for a boundary..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (2.4 overs) 2.4: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, In-between length, on middle, Aiden Markram hangs back and knocks it to cover-point..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (2.3 overs) 2.3: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, A bit too full, outside off, Aiden goes for a cover drive, but hits it off the inner half of the bat to Cummins at mid off..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (2.2 overs) 2.2: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Full and slanting across the right-hander, outside off, Markram isn't interested to play at it.. Halt! The covers placed beyond the straight boundary seem to be fluttering, and that has put Aiden Markram off. Nathan Lyon, on the sidelines, helps to flatten them down..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (2.1 overs) 2.1: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, On middle on a good length, Aiden gets a bit squared up while looking to block off the back foot. Gets a thickish outside edge as the ball rolls to gully. Marnus Labuschagne there, dives to his right and makes a sharp stop..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (1.6 overs) 1.6: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, Attacks the stumps, slightly full and nipping in, Marques blocks it back to the bowler..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (1.5 overs) 1.5: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, Angling away once again, full in length, wide outside off. Marques lets it through..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (1.4 overs) 1.4: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, A bit fuller now, around off, Marques Ackerman offers no shot..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (1.3 overs) 1.3: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, Good-length delivery, jagging in with bounce, Marques Ackerman makes a close leave..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (1.2 overs) 1.2: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, Tight on the stumps, on a good length, nipping back in. Marques Ackerman gets up on his toes and looks to block but gets beaten on the inside edge and wears it on the thigh pad. The ball goes on the bounce to third slip..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (1.1 overs) 1.1: Josh Hazlewood to Marques Ackerman, Starts with a bit of a wayward delivery. Bangs it short but down the leg stump. Marques gets across, tries to glance but misses. And straightaway, Hazlewood too, looks at the landing area.. Mitchell Starc was not happy with the landing area in that over, and a member of the ground staff sprints out with sawdust. Josh Hazlewood will operate from the other end. He is also starting with three slips, a gully and a short leg. Opening for the first time in his red-ball career, and doing it on debut, Marques Ackerman has a big challenge on his hands..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (0.6 overs) 0.6: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Full and wide outside off, Markram is happy to let it go.. Chris Gaffaney was scheduled to umpire in this game but has fallen ill. He has been replaced by Arno Jacobs. We wish him a speedy recovery..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (0.5 overs) 0.5: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Back of a length, angling away, Markram rides the bounce and punches it to short cover..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (0.4 overs) 0.4: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Fuller and straighter, on off, Markram presses forward and blocks..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (0.3 overs) 0.3: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Far outside off, very full and going straight on, Aiden leaves it alone..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (0.2 overs) 0.2: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Hits the length hard, on middle and leg, Markram hangs back and defends it down the pitch..South Africa vs Australia Live Score : 0/0 (0.1 overs) 0.1: Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Starts with a full delivery from over the stumps. A little bit of an away shape, outside off, Markram watches it closely and leaves.. It is a lively atmosphere at St George's Park, and we are ready to get underway. Pat Cummins has his men in a huddle for one final word before they take the field. Former Proteas legend Makhaya Ntini rings the bell to signify the start of play. It is a new opening combination for South Africa as Aiden Markram walks out to open the innings alongside the debutant Marques Ackerman. Mitchell Starc has the red cherry in hand and is ready at the top of his mark. The left-arm quick is 2 wickets away from 450 scalps in Tests. Markram to face the first ball. Three slips, a gully and a short leg in place. Let's go.... We are moments away from the first ball, but before that, Temba Bavuma and Pat Cummins lead their respective sides out for the national anthems. It will be Australia's national anthem first, followed by that of South Africa.. 9.19 am GMT - Right, we have a start time. Play will commence at 10 am GMT. It will be a 90-minute first session, with the second session commencing at 12.10 pm GMT and running until 2.10 pm GMT. The third session will be another 90-minute session, running from 2.30 pm to 4 pm GMT. 75 overs are to be bowled in the day, but all of that is, of course, weather and light permitting. Not starting immediately suggests that there are still some concerns about the dampness of the outfield, but at least we have a start time, and let’s hope the rain stays away.. 9.07 am GMT - The strip has been uncovered, and the light has improved considerably, possibly the best it has been all day. The ground staff are running a rope around the outfield to mop up any excess moisture. These are all promising signs as we build up towards the inspection, which is less than 10 minutes away.. 8.48 am GMT - Good news! The rain has relented, and it has gotten slightly brighter as well. Only the square was covered, so the outfield will need time to get ready, and the water that has collected on the covers must be cleared before they can be removed. The match officials came out for a quick look, but they have decided to hold another inspection at 9.15 am GMT.