Brilliantly batted, David Warner

On paper the odds seemed stacked against him: scorching heat; a formidable bowling attack; too long since he’d racked up a big score; and question marks over his future. But Test cricket is a game for stayers with heart, guts, talent and grit. And late on Tuesday, opener David Warner, 36, showed he was one of the best on all counts. Batting since the first ball of the morning, after taking the crease late on Boxing Day, Warner reached 200 runs from 254 balls in the last session. The mercury was on 37C.

His customary leap was too much, however, and the cramps that had been threatening for much of the day made it impossible for him to bat on. “He looked cooked before he got 100,” Mike Hussey said in the commentary box. At 200, as Warner retired hurt and hobbled from the field supported by two assistants, the standing ovation around the MCG, in his 100th Test, was replicated across the nation.

After the Australians’ cakewalk against the West Indies, this series was mooted as a battle royal between the South African fast bowlers and the best batting line-up in the world. It has had its moments. At times on Tuesday, Anrich Nortje seemed to have Warner and Steve Smith pinned down, and he had Smith caught on 85. But that score and Warner’s double ton put the home team in the box seat. Injuries to the fingers of Cameron Green (who cleaned up South Africa, taking 5-27 on Monday) and Mitchell Starc are a concern. But with Travis Head powering along on 48 at stumps and Warner OK to bat again on Wednesday, Australia will be set to extend its 197-run lead over the visitors’ paltry first innings of 189. Boxing Day Tests rarely come much better.