South Africa v Australia: second men’s cricket Test, day two – live

This was the risk of Test cricket in October, we’re told by South Africans. More likely to have bad weather. In 2018, of course, this tour was played in March and even strayed into the first days of April. Seven of the last eight Australian visits started in February or March. But that can’t happen anymore, because that would displease the IPL, whose owners want Australian players, and would displease Australian players who want to earn the extra slice from the IPL.

Well, perhaps more importantly it would deny that same chance to South African players, who need that extra payday much more urgently given how little they comparatively earn from their home board, or more realistically it would see a Test series shorn of anyone who got picked up by the IPL.