World Test Championship Final. Australia vs South Africa. Day 2.

The thing about Test cricket is... you just don't know what conditions are going to be thrown at you. Not only from day to day, but session to session. And while South Africa deserved to be back in the contest after their toil through the entirety of day two, and while they would suggest not everything went their way on the day, the conditions certainly played into their hands.

Australia arrived on day two having dominated the top half of the South African batting order, leaving them 4/43 overnight and a mountain to climb to stay in the match. What they found was that all of the seam and swing that had been prominent on day one had disappeared, and what was left was a benign pitch that while not perfectly suited to batting was a far easier prospect that it had been. In these conditions Bavuma and Bedington were able to see through the Aussies pace attack, and slowly built themselves into the contest. Starc going around the wicket in the third over of the day spoke volumes as to what the Australians felt about what they faced, with blue skies and no movement with the Dukes ball. At lunch South Africa had reached 5/121, only a hundred behind on the scoreboard and an increasing chance of cutting the deficit to zero.

After lunch Australia through Cummins cut a swathe through the tail, taking the final five wickets for the addition of only 17 runs, and giving themselves a lead of 74, a sizeable advantage heading into the second innings. Pat Cummins, as he often does, charged at his opponents to finish with 6/28 off 18.1 overs, reaching his 300th Test wicket in the process. 14 years ago we all watched in wonder as Cummins made his Test debut against the same team in Johannesberg, a match where in the second innings he took a match winning 6/79 with the ball and then scored the winning runs with his 13 not out. Here, we all thought, was a man destined to take 300 Test wickets. Six years later, and we wondered if we would ever see him play his second Test match, so wracked with injuries was he that he still sat on that single appearance. Now he has his 300th wicket, and certainly not his last. 400, even 500, is not beyond him at this stage of his career. At just 32 years of age he has as long left as the desire in him to succeed exists, and that fire doesn't appear to be dying out any time soon.

One hoped that Australia could now manage to bat out the day, extending the lead out to perhaps 250 with five wickets in hand at stumps. Khawaja and Labuschagne began brightly, and as Rabada began his sixth over, one suspected it would be the last in his spell, and that the batters had seen off their biggest threat. And then Uzzy edged behind, and Green edged to slip, and two wickets in three balls turned the tide and lifted the sagging South African spirits. Both had fallen to identical dismissals in the first innings. A case of lesson not learned? Or of persistent bowling to a plan? You could only applaud Rabada for finding a way through.

At 2/32 at tea, Australia now had the chance to grind out the lead, but the conditions weren't having a bar of it. The clouds flooded over the ground, and the lights took over, creating an atmosphere that very often results in a suspension of play. Not here though, and South Africa struck while the conditions suited. Marnus nicked behind again after another start, Smith was trapped on the crease, Webster followed suit, Head was bowled off the inside edge on concrete feet, and Cummins died by the sword. Australia lost 5/29. The crowd, very much on the side of the South Africans, roared their approval with each fallen wicket, and with Australia's lead at a precarious 147 the Test Final had turned dramatically. To counter punch, enter Alex Carey, somewhat maligned in regards to his batting and seemingly always under pressure from another gloveman in the squad. But over the last 18 months Carey has been the dependable number seven that Australia expects of its wicket-keepers, averaging 43 with the bat and dropping very few chances, the first innings here notwithstanding. And again, he played his role, punching through cover and point, while Starc stood firm at the other end, playing his own role perfectly. The pair added 61 before Carey fell in the penultimate over of the day, and we won't know until tonight if Starc's dropped chance in the final over will be costly for the South Africans.

At stumps on Day Two, Australia lead by 218 with two wickets in hand. Any further runs will be handy, and South Africa will need the highest total of the match, and the fourth biggest successful chase in Lord's Test match history in order to snatch victory. What conditions will meet both teams tonight? Rain is forecast, but with South Africa getting the rub of the green on day two, will day three provide the same? No matter what, the match should be completed on day three, and a winner will be crowned.