Sun returns to Gqeberha with South Africa 97 for five against Australia

After two days of rain and early damage, South Africa will resume on 97 for five against Australia at Gqeberha with the sun finally out.

That scoreline means 97 runs scored for the loss of five wickets. Only 43 overs have been possible across the first two days of this second men's Test, and South Africa are already deep in trouble The Guardian.

Captain Temba Bavuma is the anchor. He finished day two unbeaten on 41 and will start day three as the key wicket for Australia to take. No other South African batter has yet made a stand stick on a stop-start pitch.

The stoppages tell their own story. Only 12.2 overs were possible on day one on Sunday, about an hour of cricket, with South Africa slipping to 20 for two at St George's Park Reuters. Rain then delayed the start of day two before Australia struck in an extended evening session, taking three wickets to tighten their grip.

Scott Boland has done most of the damage. The seamer, a fast bowler who hits the pitch hard rather than swinging the ball big, took four wickets on day two to rip through the top order. His spell turned a fragile position into a dangerous one for the hosts.

The stakes are clear. Australia won the first Test of this tour by 214 runs and arrived in Gqeberha ahead. They won the toss here and chose to field first, backing their bowlers to use the cloud cover Cricket Australia. They also left out spinner Nathan Lyon for an all-seam attack of four fast bowlers including Boland.

Day three, on Tuesday 20 October, offers the first proper chance for a full day's play. Play is scheduled to start 15 minutes early at 9.45am local time to make up lost time. That is 6.45pm AEDT and 8.45am BST for viewers following from abroad. The forecast is sunshine with a high of 20C.

The venue is Dafabet St George's Park in Gqeberha. The match is scheduled from Sunday 18 to Thursday 22 October, so time remains even after the washouts, but both sides now need long batting passages to shape a result in a Test, the five-day format where sides bat in turn and time can run out.

For fans, this means a simple equation. If Bavuma finds support, South Africa can climb toward respectability. If Australia's seamers strike early again, they will be eyeing a first-innings lead without having batted. Either way, clear skies mean cricket finally leads the story.