South Africa vs Australia 2018: 2nd Test, day 2 - 5 things we learnt from the day

A resplendent AB de Villiers lifted South Africa from the abyss they were in after Mitchell Marsh wrecked the backbone of their middle-order and took them to a 20 run lead in a fabulous display of batsmanship at Port Elizabeth.

A Dean Elgar-Hashim Amla stand of 88 runs nearly lifted South Africa to a lead but one wicket led to another, and then another.

Just when it seemed like Mitchell Marsh's twin strikes - accounting for Faf du Plessis and Theunis de Bruyn - seemed like the final nail in the coffin, AB de Villiers sprung to life and put on a spirited, unbeaten 36 run stand to wither out some aggressive Australian bowling. A bigger lead awaits if Australia cannot find ways to counter the Superman.

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#5 Rabada frustrates Australia

Rabada weathered the storm as a nightwatchman and frustrated the Aussies

Kagiso Rabada has a unique record. He has never been dismissed on a particular day when he has walked in to bat as a nightwatchman.

This virtually means that every time he is called upon to bat out a day, Rabada has been successful. He not only extended the record at Port Elizabeth but also made some useful runs on day 2.

Batting alongside Dean Elgar, Rabada unfurled some exquisite cover drives to irritate the Aussies who were looking to bring Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers to the crease early on day 2. Rabada, though, was in the mood to make some runs and made 29 of them before he chopped Cummins onto the stumps.

#4 Elgar-Amla make merry

Elgar grits it out for a fine half-century

An ugly looking Dean Elgar and a Hashim Amla looking to overcome their rough patch of form lifted South Africa against some incisive bowling from the Aussies.

Lyon was immaculate and tight while Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins kept probing. Amla and Elgar were rock solid and except for two LBW decisions that the former overturned with a review, were fairly untroubled.

The duo smashed half-centuries and tormented the Aussies under the afternoon sun before the old reversing ball once again started posing questions.

Yet another passage of play where Australia kept things tight followed but wickets failed to come by. The post-tea session, however, saw Amla and Elgar dismissed in the space of three overs, both falling to reverse swing.

#3 Cummins bowls his heart out

Cummins was too hot to handle at times

There is something about Pat Cummins that makes you feel that he is the best Australian pace bowler amongst the three in the squad.

While Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are the more celebrated of the three, Cummins is a complete fast bowler, with pace, swing, seam movement, yorkers, a perfect bouncer, cutters and everything else that completes a fast bowler.

He had made a mark in his first tour of the country seven years ago, and although couldn't do as much, was pretty hot to handle at Port Elizabeth. He had gotten rid of Aiden Markram on day 1 and proceeded to remove Kagiso Rabada on day 2.

For most of day 2, he was the only Aussie bowler in the wicket column as Elgar and Amla taunted them under the hot sun.

#2 Starc isn't the only Mitchell who can reverse it

Marsh picked up two vital wickets post tea

Mitchell Marsh is the most unobtrusive of Australia's pace bowlers. But when the old ball gets reversing, the younger Marsh brother has quite a few handy skills.

He was tailing the ball back into the right-handers and Steven Smith stuck with Marsh against the intimidating pair of AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis.

It seemed like a bizarre move until Marsh forced one to tail back into the South African skipper and caught him in no man's land. The LBW appeal was upheld and remained three reds even after a review.

Theunis de Bruyn, who had created ripples with his temperament at Durban, fell to another of Marsh's reverse swinging balls to leave South Africa at 183/6.

#1 AB de Villiers springs to life

AB de Villiers stuck through a tough period to take South Africa to a lead

The Port Elizabeth crowd bore witness to an AB de Villiers master class as he stood up for his teammates and composed an extraordinarily brilliant knock while Australia's seamers ran havoc on the others.

The stunning middle-order batsman stepped up and batted like a dream as he punished one bowler after another.

Pat Cummins was on fire while Mitchell Marsh and Mitchell Starc were reversing the old ball. None of that mattered for de Villiers who went about his composition with utmost ease and took South Africa to a lead in the company of a resolute Vernon Philander.