Boxing Day Take a look at; Australia vs South Africa: Reside scores, information, evaluation from the MCG

 11.18AM POLLOCK DOUBTS OVER CALL TO BOWL FIRST

Former South African skipper Shaun Pollock says South Africa can create doubt in Australia’s minds if it reaches 15 overs with out dropping a wicket.

Pat Cummins gained the toss on the MCG and elected to bowl, presumably to try to expose a South African line-up nonetheless reeling from the Brisbane massacre.

Regardless of a pointy caught-and-bowled probability happening and the Australians contemplating a assessment or two, South Africa hasn’t regarded wherever close to as troubled as on the Gabba on its approach to 0-23 after 9 overs.

The MCG pitch hasn’t provided wherever close to as a lot help as Brisbane up to now.

“There’s been sufficient to possibly justify it,” Pollock stated on Fox Cricket.

“However everyone knows having performed, you begin to get that slip corden discuss ‘hmmm, I’m wondering if we must always have batted first’.

“The longer the South Africans final right here, you get the 15-20 overs with none harm being achieved, individuals begin to query. Then you must get your mindset across the truth (that), ‘OK, we didn’t get the beginning we’re after, possibly (it’s) not doing as a lot as we thought it might, however we nonetheless need to now go and bowl them out.”

11.12AM BOLAND INTO THE ATTACK

Scott Boland is on. This isn’t a drill. The MCG is rocking.

Pat Cummins grasses a pointy return catch off Dean Elgar. South Africa 0-9. Within the subsequent over, Mitch Starc has two appeals in opposition to Erwee turned down and Cummins opts to not ship both determination for assessment.

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10.45AM BOY THE FANS LOVE SCOTT BOLAND

Are you able to think about the scenes if they’d dropped Scott Boland for the Boxing Day Take a look at?

Up to now he has bene cheered when his title was introduced, cheered for operating to high quality leg after which there was an enormous roar when he fielded a ball within the first over.

There’s little question Victorians are a parochial bunch!

They’ll have to attend some time to see their hometown hero although because it’s Pat Cummins sharing the brand new ball with Starc.

South Africa has made a sturdy begin, reaching 0-6 after two overs.

10.32AM PLAY UNDERWAY

Mitch Starc has the brand new ball in hand with South African captain Dean Elgar and fellow opener Sarel Erwee on the crease. Ricky Ponting says on Channel 7 he wonders if Pat Cummins has given South Africa an opportunity to dictate the Take a look at by bowling however understands the choice to bowl first when circumstances are most probably to favour the Aussie quicks.

10.20AM SHANE WARNE TRIBUTES UNDERWAY

Each groups have floppy hats on and there and tons of of hundreds within the stands because the MCG prepares to have fun the lifetime of Shane Warne. David Warner’s three daughters are with him to mark his a centesimal Take a look at. In the event you missed Warner’s tell-all interview with Ben Horne, catch up right here.

A tribute video of a few of Warnie’s finest moments is taking part in on the MCG scoreboards with Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’. It is a fairly wonderful second as gamers from each groups pause and switch to observe a few of the finest moments from Shane Warne’s legendary profession. The gang, gamers and officers stand as one and applaud.

10.12AM TEAM NEWS

As we discovered yesterday, Australia is unchanged with native hero Scott Boland retaining his spot with Josh Hazlewood nonetheless not 100 per cent. Theunis De Bruyne is in to bat at No.3 for South Africa. Because the vacationers hinted at on Christmas Day, they are going to once more go in with Marco Jansen listed at No.7. There was police applause all through the workforce bulletins till Scott Boland’s title was learn out and the MCG went wild.

AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Inexperienced, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

SOUTH AFRICA: Dean Elgar (c), Sarel Erwee, Theunis de Bruyn, Temba Bavuma, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

10:02AM AUSSIES WILL BOWL AFTER WINNING TOSS

Pat Cummins has gained the toss and despatched South Africa in to bat on the MCG. The pitch isn’t anticipated to be something like Brisbane’s inexperienced monster however there’s grass masking which can supply help for the Australian bowlers early. It is going to be a giant check of South Africa’s mettle after rolled cheaply twice in Brisbane.

9:50AM CONCERN FOR CRICKET FAN IN LEAD UP TO PLAY

A bit of the MCC members has been cordoned off with workers showing to take care of a patron simply earlier than 10am. Medical workers and police are in attendance on the extent 2 balcony.

LYON BRACING FOR ‘EMOTIONAL’ TRIBUTE TO THE REAL GOAT

Star spinner Nathan Lyon is bracing for an emotional Boxing Day Take a look at as cricket farewells the true GOAT – his childhood hero, Shane Warne.

The Australian workforce will likely be identical to most followers sitting within the stands on the MCG on Monday once they honour a sporting icon who impressed them to like the sport.

Fox Cricket has ready a stirring tribute video that will likely be performed on the large screens when the gamers, all sporting white floppy hats, are lined up on the sphere earlier than play to pay tribute to one of the crucial bigger than life characters Australia has recognized.

Warne’s son Jackson will be a part of Fox Cricket’s protection through the day for what the community is looking ‘The Shane Warne Boxing Day Take a look at’, in reminiscence of their beloved commentator.

Lyon, an all-time Take a look at nice in his personal proper with greater than 450 Take a look at wickets, has paid tribute to the cricketer he regarded as much as forward of a big day on the MCG.

“I’ve obtained the nickname of the GOAT, which is a bit ridiculous,” Lyon stated.

“That’s Shane. He’s the best.

“It’s going to be a really emotional Take a look at for everybody. It’s going to be very particular that that is going to be the primary Take a look at since his passing at his dwelling floor.

“For us to be out within the center with everybody else who’s honouring Shane Warne, it’s going to be particular.”

Warne’s cap quantity 350 will likely be emblazoned on the MCG outfield during the Take a look at and at 3.50pm on Boxing Day Warne’s picture will seem on the large display screen.

In the course of the Take a look at, the Warne spotlight reels will roll.

Lyon admits he by no means fairly obtained used to the fun of turning as much as a Take a look at match and bumping into Warne out within the center earlier than play.

After play completed on day 4 of the primary Take a look at of the 2019 Ashes tour in England, Warne requested to fulfill Lyon exterior the dressing rooms.

With Australia needing to take 10 wickets on the final day to take a 1-0 victory, Warne spoke to Lyon about how he should realise he had the facility because the spinner within the aspect to “management the tempo” of the sport and make England play on his phrases.

The subsequent day Lyon took six wickets in a convincing victory which set the platform for Australia to reclaim the Ashes for the primary time in twenty years.

“Once you suppose again at it now, it’s completely unimaginable,” Lyon stated.

“Thoughts blowing stuff.”

For Lyon, Warne made spin bowling cool, and the Australian star is dedicated to persevering with his hero’s legacy of inspiring a brand new technology of younger Aussie children to offer it a tweak.

“It’s all about making an attempt to maintain the legacy alive I assume,” Lyon stated.

“I believe it’s an enormous function and big alternative for myself to maintain the spin tradition alive and effectively inside Australian cricket.

“Warnie was clearly the largest (affect) you might ever think about. Particularly as a younger child rising up in Australia, all I wished to do was be like Shane Warne.

“If I can hold that dream going for lots of youngsters, girls and boys on the market in Australian cricket, then I’m doing my function.”

Warne’s son Jackson, who spoke so brilliantly on the public funeral on the MCG earlier this 12 months, will seem alongside his father’s previous commentary sparring companions through the tea break on Fox Cricket.

Initially revealed as Boxing Day cricket: 2nd Take a look at Australia vs South Africa from the MCG, all of the scores and evaluation