South Africa strike bowler Anrich Nortje claimed the key wickets of David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne on Wednesday to prise Australia's grip on the third Test in Sydney as rain plagued the opening day.
Nortje was the Proteas' star man as he removed Warner cheaply for 10 and late in the day denied Labuschagne (79) his 11th Test hundred.
As bad light and rain conspired to prematurely end the first day, Australia were 147 for two with Usman Khawaja, who averages 98 in Sydney Tests, unbeaten on 54 and Steven Smith yet to score. Nortje got the big breakthrough with a ripper, taking the edge of Labuschagne's bat to get him caught behind and end his 151-ball stay.
"I was trying to hit good areas, not trying to be fancy, just trying to keep it simple and try to hit the wicket as hard as I could," Nortje said of the crucial dismissal.
"Luckily I got something out of it. It wasn't really a big set-up, just more to try and stay consistent and luckily we got some nip and bounce there."
The pacer earlier struck in his second over of the day when he had Melbourne Test double-centurion Warner caught at slip by Marco Jansen for 10.
No sooner had Smith arrived at the wicket after Labuschagne's departure that the players left the field for bad light for the final time. "Definitely very frustrated. Obviously, it always makes you very angry as a batter when you get out and then everyone walks with you off the field," Labuschagne said of his dismissal.
"But at the end of the day he bowled a really good set there and that one obviously just kicked." It is the sixth bedevilled Sydney Test out of the past seven to be affected by rain.
