Live: Both openers sent packing as Aussies hunt quick runs on day four

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Anrich Nortje fires in a picture perfect yorker and Nic Maddinson can't get his bat down quickly enough.

Middle stump is out of the ground and Maddinson has to go after a promising little cameo.

Maddinson out for 48.

Australia 2-72.

It's Anrich Nortje — easily the quickest of the South African bowlers — charging in for his first set of the day.

Labuschagne is shouldering arms outside off.

And again.

Play and a miss! Marnus is flirting at another one on a fifth stump line.

Shorter from Nortje and Marnus is patting it down into the leg side. Labuschagne calls through Maddinson for a quick single.

It's Simon Harmer bowling to Nic Maddinson, who is on the back foot, giving himself some room, and pummelling his cut shot out to the sweeper. Just a single.

Labuschagne works a single behind square.

Six! What a sweet hit by Maddinson! Full and flighted from Harmer and the Australian pummels it back over the bowler's head.

Maddinson is now 44 from 34 deliveries!

And now he's up to 46 from 36 courtesy after flicking a couple through midwicket.

Another two, this time straight, to end the over.

Marco Jansen is about to get his first look at Marnus Labuschagne.

The big left-armer is coming from over the wicket, angling across the right-handed batter, with two slips and a gully in place.

Labuschagne is shouldering arms to begin.

And Jansen changes the angle straightaway; he's now angling in from over the wicket.

Labuschagne squeezes one out behind point and no less than three South African fielders chase after it from the in-field. The batters run three.

Four more for Maddinson! That's a very, very ordinary delivery from Jansen, short and wide, and Maddinson throws his hands at it, benefiting with a boundary behind point.

Maddinson is working a single to end the over.

Crunched! Maddinson gets a bit of width and he jumps on it, creaming his cut shot to the rope.

That's Maddinson's third boundary of the day.

He works a single and Marnus Labuschagne proceeds to take guard for his first ball of the innings.

And Labuschagne is off the mark immediately, nudging a single into the on-side.

Another nice shot from Maddinson, this time a clip through midwicket. The batters are back for a couple.

A dot to end the over.

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That's a beauty from Jansen, angling in and moving away off the pitch, and Travis Head mistimes his flick to the leg-side.

He chips a dolly out towards Temba Bavuma, who takes a simple catch.

Head departs for 11.

It's big Marco Jansen bowling to Travis Head.

The South African is bowling over the wicket, and Head is away for the day, courtesy of a flick off his stumps for a single.

Edge! Nic Maddinson with a huge slice of luck! It's a perfect length ball from Jansen and the Australian is edging into the cordon —but it drops short of the fielder and is past him. Four runs.

Maddinson nurdles a single behind point.

Wiaan Mulder has two balls to finish off his over from last night.

Nic Maddinson is on strike.

Four! Mulder hangs it out there and he opens the face and glides it through the cordon.

And Maddinson is back and defending.

South Africa need a massive morning session if they are to still be at all in the frame at lunch.

You'd imagine the hosts would need to have the Australians at least four down with their second innings score not too far past 100 if the Proteas are to be in any kind of position to push for victory.

But even then, it would be a very tall task for the South Africans.

With the gloomy skies and early finishes set to continue in Durban, we won't see more than 150 overs bowled over the next two days.

As for Australia, it will be fascinating to see how Head and Maddinson take on the first hour of play. How hard will they go? How effectively can they attack?

The tourists are set to begin day four at 0-33 in their second-innings, 139 runs ahead.

Play is a matter of moments away.

Another milestone ticked off for Australia's remarkable quartet, who passed 600 wickets as a group on day two.

As we looks set to lose a huge chunk of this Test match to bad light, South Africa legend Shaun Pollock has given is two cents on a common sense solution.

Steve Smith was the game-changer in the field as he broke a world record, while Marnus Labuschagne was incensed as the third umpire stopped him from joining the party.

Here are the quick hits from an engrossing third day at Kingsmead.

As we mentioned, clouds and time are the twin enemies for Australia in this game now.

It would be a shame if the tourists were to lose or draw this one after another incredibly professional display on day three, but they have control of the Test, so it's on them to force the issue.

Russell Jackson breaks it all down.

Key Event

We're getting down to crunch time as we head into day four of the first Test of Australia's tour of South Africa.

The Aussies are 0-33 with a healthy 139-run lead, but time is suddenly of the essence with the final session of the first three days consistently cut in half by bad light, which we have no reason to expect will change today.

So Australia needs to score and score quickly to give its bowlers something to defend and make a push for victory in the final innings.