Nathan Lyon has seldom celebrated a wicket more vibrantly.
asserted
Lyon → celebrate → wicket
In his 14th and last over of the day, Lyon succeeded in teasing South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma into coming down the wicket and aiming a flick over the leg side.
asserted
Lyon → succeed → side
The ball turned viciously out of the footmarks that had made Lyon (1-31) fiendishly difficult to face all afternoon, and the clatter of stumps was accompanied by a collective roar from Lyon and his teammates.
asserted
clatter → turn → Lyon
As a moment, it was the kind that Shane Warne used to conjure for Australia, and in keeping with the quality of a tantalising, undulating Test match where the tourists overcame an awful first session of the match to keep themselves in front more or less ever since.
asserted
tourists → use → front
“Yeah it was satisfying,” centurion Josh Inglis said.
asserted
Inglis → say → ?
“I think we controlled the tempo really well in that last session.
asserted
we → think → session
Although they put on a pretty good partnership, they weren’t really getting away from us.
asserted
they → put → us
Gaz bowled brilliantly and looked threatening the whole time.
asserted
Gaz → bowl → ?
“And when you work for a couple of hours there, and then get the rewards right at the end, it’s really satisfying.”
asserted
it → work → end
At 4-140 and leading by just 40 with six wickets left, the Proteas are up against it in terms of setting a big target, but the Australians will not want to chase any more than about 200 on a surface that is now tinder dry.
asserted
that → lead → surface
They were grateful, too, for further heroics from Mitchell Starc (2-29), who gave another demonstration of his incredible durability.
asserted
who → give → durability
Shortly after coaxing Aiden Markram to punch a drive to mid-off for his seventh consecutive South African wicket to start the innings, Starc had looked briefly uncomfortable on the boundary.
Consorting with a sub-fielder at fine leg, he looked to be flexing something, and when the strike turned over from left-hander to right his jog into position had the look of exploration about it.
asserted
jog → coax → it
Not too long later and Starc jogged up the steps to the dressing room for some time in the physio room and a patch-up to whatever fast bowler's niggle he had picked up this time.
asserted
he → jog → niggle
Having returned to the field and swung around to the Kelvin Grove End, Starc promptly produced one of the balls of the series, a searing bouncer that did for Marques Ackerman via edge and helmet to slip.
asserted
Ackerman → return → edge
The exchanges that followed, as Ackerman tried to review a fraction after his 30 seconds were up, prompting the umpires and then Travis Head to send him on his way, underlined the high pitch of competitiveness at which this series has been fought.
asserted
series → follow → which
Starc's physical and cricketing exploits at the age of 36, meanwhile, have been just one of many high points in a tremendous Test match, now winding towards the likelihood of a classic finish over the final two days.
asserted
exploits → wind → days
Australia played some marvellous and sensible cricket on day three, once again watched by a healthy crowd.
asserted
Australia → play → crowd
But so too did South Africa, cutting back the dimensions of the tourists' first innings then fighting heartily with the bat as Nathan Lyon spun the ball treacherously at times and Pat Cummins used his bowlers in short bursts.
asserted
Cummins → do → bursts
The day had begun with Inglis’ advance to a second Test hundred, getting there wonderfully by lacing a reverse sweep to the backward point boundary.
asserted
day → begin → boundary
Inglis celebrated heartily, making the most of an opportunity that arrived through the last-moment withdrawal of Steve Smith.
asserted
that → celebrate → Smith
Inglis (102) has undoubtedly made the strongest case to stay in the team for the first Test against New Zealand in Perth in December, and should Smith be fit the most logical man to make way will be Marnus Labuschagne.
asserted
man → make → way
Two hundreds in six Tests for Inglis should certainly trump Labuschagne’s three years without one.
asserted
hundreds → trump → one
“It’s tough playing all three forms, or at least being away for all three forms,” Inglis said.
asserted
Inglis → ’ → forms
“I guess those conversations, they’re always had between those three format players and [selection chair Bailey] and the selection committee.
asserted
they → guess → players
So those conversations will probably be had over the next couple of weeks in terms of what I need to prepare for the white ball series coming up, but then obviously the Test summer as well.
asserted
I → have → series
It was a surprise to all at the ground when the very next ball, Inglis leaned forward and got a thin edge behind off Simon Harmer, who remained threatening throughout.
asserted
who → lean → Harmer
Inglis marched off frustrated, and the next few overs only added to his sense of irritation.
asserted
overs → march → irritation
Alex Carey (80) snicked Harmer to slip, Cummins was lbw for a duck, and only Cooper Connolly's composed 29 ensured a three figure lead.
asserted
29 → snick → lead
Still, the benefits of two nights' rest was evident in how the Australian attack set about the Proteas, even if Cummins' run of bowling without a wicket has now stretched beyond 200 runs.
Markram and David Bedingham were each drawn into intemperate shots by fresh bowlers, before Ackerman was bounced out and Bavuma cornered so effectively that he felt the claustrophobic urge to get away from the crouched fielders.
asserted
he → set → fielders
“There’s many ways to skin a cat,” Harmer said.
asserted
Harmer → ’ → cat
“As an off-spinner, you want to bowl a right-hander through the gate.
asserted
you → want → gate
That’s the dream delivery.
asserted
That → ’ → ?
But there are a lot of nuances in how you can set batters up, get them to play on the back foot or front foot by using fielders.
asserted
them → be → fielders
“That’s the art of spin bowling.
asserted
That → ’ → bowling
Understanding what’s easy and what’s difficult, how a batter is trying to play you, and you’re going to have moments where you can take a risk.
asserted
you → understand → risk
But yeah, it’s about trying to play with the batter’s mind by using your field.”
asserted
it → ’ → field
In 2001 at Trent Bridge, Warne had brought about a similar rash-looking shot by Mark Ramprakash in a tight contest, paving the way for Australia to secure the Ashes.
asserted
Australia → bring → Ashes
Having been in and out of the team recently, Lyon would cherish nothing more than to do likewise.
asserted
Lyon → cherish → nothing
Starc, too, has a South African Test series victory firmly in his sights.
asserted
Starc → have → sights
The Aporia
