Australia vs South Africa cricket LIVE: Steve Smith, Aussie cricketers count down to Durban Test

Speedster Andreas Nortje has hit Marnus Labuschagne in the chest with a steep bouncing delivery.

The Aussie batter let out a loud shout as the ball pounded into his chest - it was tough to tell if it hit his chest guard or not.

Steve Smith had a little chat with him to settle him down - Nortje has a mean look on his face, I don’t think he liked missing out on opening the bowling.

Australia are 2-28 after the first hour with Labuschagne on six and Smith on one.

Maddinson has clipped the ball into his own stumps and is out for a duck from 33 balls.

Jansen has his first wicket and Maddinson has trudged off the park.

Another big moment, heartbreaking for the recalled opener.

Steve Smith has come out to bat.

Australia are 2-24 from 10.2 overs.

Temba Bavuma has lost his first review after referring a ball that his Labuschagne’s pad for an lbw decision from the bowling of Jansen.

The ball was called as missing and umpire’s call, so he lost that review.

Marnus has been a little shaky so far, he’s got five runs while Maddinson is still scoreless from 29 balls.

In a humorous moment, commentator Simon Katich was playfully debating the pronunciation of Labuschagne with his SuperSport colleagues, who wanted to use the South African pronunciation instead of the incorect Australian version.

The ultra edge has shown that Head hit the ball, so he’s out.

Just when Head was looking ready for a big score, he’s out caught behind off Mulder.

Maddinson has hit five leg byes but has no runs from 29 balls.

Australia are 1-17 from 7.5 overs.

Head may have edged the ball behind but he’s standing his ground.

The umpire said not out but South Africa have asked for the review.

Nic Maddinson has had the great escape as Mulder hit him on the pads, but the umpires gave it not out.

Then Bavuma opted against sending it up for a review and we’ve just seen replays that showed the ball was hitting leg stump.

The umpire heard two noises and thought the ball hit bat then pad, it appears that the bat hit his pads.

That feels like a big moment.

Australia 0-10 from five overs.

Travis Head had no issues with seamer Wiaan Mulder’s second over hitting one stray ball for four off his legs and driving another shot strongly, only for it to hit the edge of a dropped-in wicket and having it bounce up to a fielder.

Mulder is threatening to move the ball a bit but Head looked very content against him.

Australia 0-8 from two overs.

As first ball go, Maddinson will be very happy to see towering quick Marco Jansen drift the ball down legside, where it hit his thigh guard and went for four.

Sadly for the recalled Aussie, the umpire correctly called those runs as leg byes.

Jansen found his mark for the remainder of the over. Maddinson kept out some full balls and avoided the wider ones.

Australia 0-4 from one over.

Durban: Nic Maddinson has capped off an extraordinary return to cricket after cancer by winning selection as an opening batsman in Australia’s team to face South Africa at Kingsmead.

Selectors George Bailey and Andrew McDonald settled on 34-year-old Maddinson to partner Travis Head, while moving Matt Renshaw down to the middle order slot he has occupied for Australia in white ball cricket and (briefly) on the 2023 Test tour of India.

The choice of Maddinson to join the squad in place of Josh Inglis raised plenty of eyebrows in Australian cricket circles, particularly given he was not in the Australia A squad currently in India and that he has not played a first-class game since his cancer diagnosis last year.

Maddinson’s inclusion also meant there was no room for the young spinning all-rounder Cooper Connolly, who recovered sufficiently from a head cold to leave quarantine on match morning, but cut a laconic figure bouncing a footy on match morning as Maddinson warmed up and conversed with Head.

Australia’s ageing Test side face a defining year with tours of South Africa, India and England, and pace spearhead Mitchell Starc said winning all three series and retaining the one-day World Cup would be the equivalent of Rory McIlroy winning golf’s four majors in a single season.

Australia begin the daunting 12-month stretch with a three-test series against South Africa in Durban on Friday, before tours of India and England next year and the defence of their 2023 ODI World Cup title.

Having not won a test series in England since 2001, India since 2004 and South Africa since 2014, the Australians face one of their toughest assignments in recent years.

“It’s somewhat unusual that you play the three marquee series away from home in the space of 12 months,” Starc told ESPNcricinfo.