Melbourne: David Warner's double hundred in his 100th Test helped Australia to take control of the second Test match against South Africa at MCG here on Tuesday.
At the close of Day 2, Australia were leading by 197 runs, ending the day at 386/3 in their first innings after the hosts dismissed South Africa for 189 runs. Travis Head and Alex Carey were batting on 48 and 9 respectively.
Warner hogged the day's limelight as he came out trumps after he was the much-talked about cricketer who was short of runs coming into the match and his removal from the captaincy in the previous IPL.
But his 100th Test redeemed him from all these attacks. Warner found his spirits that made him conquer the physical and mental battle. He hardly gave any chance and the only time he was troubled was when Anrich Nortje bowled with a lot of steam in the second session.
Warne's first hundred came in 144 balls and got his second in just 110 balls, as he pressed the accelerator when started to get the cramps. He became the first Australian to score a double in his 100th Test, but soon retired after reaching the landmark due to dehydration.
For South Africa it was a difficult day. They could manage three wickets, out of which one was a runout dismissal. Marnus Labuchagne returned to the hut due to poor communication between him and Warner.
Steven Smith came in, and proved a perfect partner for Warner. They put on a scintillating 239-run stand for the third wicket, before Smith (85) threw it away to Nortje.
Cameron Green got hit on the fingers and became the second Australian to retire hurt. Carey and Head saw the day off and ensured Australia remained in a dominant position.
Brief Scores: Australia 386/3 (David Warner 200 retd. Steve Smith 85; Anrich Nortje 1-50) lead South Africa 189 (Marco Jansen 59, Kyle Verreynne 52; Cameron Green 5-27, Mitchell Starc 2-13) by 197 runs. (UNI)
