Australia took full control of their second Test against South Africa on day two, racing away to a commanding lead behind David Warner's double century.

After bowling out the South Africans for 189 on Boxing Day, Australia started Tuesday's play at 45-1 and piled on another 341 runs.

They were led by Warner in his 100th Test, as he survived some adversity and went on to post 200 before retiring hurt as his persistent cramps worsened in the blisteringly hot MCG conditions.

He reached his 200 in 254 deliveries, joining Joe Root as the only other player to score a double ton in their 100th Test.

Marnus Labuschagne was run-out for 14 following a mix-up during an overthrow, bringing Steve Smith to the middle, and he made his way to 85 off 161 deliveries before edging to the slips as Australia looked to up the run-rate.

Travis Head continued the high-action style with 48 not out from 48 deliveries, capping a 155-run third session to reach stumps at 386-3, leading by 197 runs.

Anrich Nortje was the visitors' most efficient bowler, with the right-arm quick in taking 1-50 from his 16 overs.

Australia could face some headaches with their bowling stocks in the second innings, with Cameron Green being forced to retire hurt after copping a bouncer on the finger, which immediately swelled up and ended his day on six runs.

Green's status for the second inning is in doubt, while Mitchell Starc's finger injury has already ruled him out of the third Test, implying he will not be able to continue bowling.

Labuschagne gives Warner a lifeline in milestone Test

Warner's day could have looked very different had Labuschagne not opted to fall on his sword.

With Warner on 47, he took an easy single, before calling for a risky second on an overthrow. Labuschagne had run through the crease on the first run, and by taking off for a second, it meant whoever was heading to the bowler's end had no hope.

Luckily for Warner, it was Labuschagne who made the turn and charged back unsuccessfully, departing after only 14 runs.

It was Labuschagne's fifth Test run-out, and since his debut no player has more in the format. Root, Babar Azam and Tim Southee all have four.

Aussies handle the heat

With temperatures in Melbourne hovering around 37 degrees Celsius, it was the Australians who handled the conditions in the draining second session.

In a completely one-sided period of play, the duo of Warner and Smith piled on 97 runs without a wicket from the 27-over session, racing to the lead and building a winning platform.

England Test captain Ben Stokes believes the quality of international cricket has been damaged by the sport's packed schedule.

Stokes, who led his country to a historic 3-0 series win over Pakistan last week, retired from one-day internationals earlier this year, stating it was "unsustainable" for him to play in all three formats of the game.

And the 31-year-old thinks the intense schedule needs to be addressed to give players the best chance of performing at their highest level. 

"It really has an impact on the multi-format players and people who want to play all three forms," he told the Today programme on BBC Radio Four.

"Obviously you want international cricket to be at the highest standard whenever you possibly can but over the last few years I think you've seen a lot of different squads being picked, a lot of different players coming in, coming out, being rested.

"And I don't think that's the way for international cricket to go. The scheduling and everything like that I think just doesn't get as much attention given to it as it should."

Stokes took a six-month break from the sport last year to prioritise his mental health – a decision he looks back on with pride.

"I felt I needed to obviously take a break, and I felt I needed some help to get me back to where I am today, and to get me back on the field from after I took the break," he added.

"I didn't ever really have an issue with coming out and expressing my feelings and opening up about it, because obviously I went into detail a lot in my documentary that I did about my break and how I was feeling, and the steps I took to get me back to a certain place.

"Out of all of that I can't tell you how much pride that I felt in myself in doing that, and some of the messages I received from people I don't know who have never met me.

"But that's why I took huge pride out of it, putting myself in the public eye, and that it's actually really helped a lot of people.

"I feel as if men in particular, because that's where the stigma is, the more men that can do it, great, because I feel if you do, you're going to help a lot more people around the world who are in a similar situation to you."

Cameron Green has credited his Australia team-mates with keeping him grounded after a maiden Test five-wicket haul followed his record-breaking IPL payday.

The all-rounder became the most expensive Australian player in competition history when he was sold for 17.5 crore (£1.75million) to Mumbai Indians, trailing only England's Sam Curran (18.5 crore, £1.85m) overall.

Green followed up his giant fee with a blockbuster red-ball performance to reinforce his credentials on Monday as well, with a five-for on the first day of the second Test against South Africa at the MCG.

But Green acknowledged he was yet to feel as if he had lived up to his price-tag, while thanking his team-mates for ensuring his feet stay earthbound.

"To be fair, I think I didn't do much to kind of earn that," he said. "I just put my name into the auction, and it just happened.

"It doesn't change who I am or how I think and all the confidence I have in my cricket. Hopefully, I didn't change too much.

"The players [here] can bring you back down pretty quickly. It's a good group that we've got at the moment. Everyone gets around you when they need to and can bring you back pretty quickly when they want to.

"I think everyone was focused on Boxing Day. It's a fixture that you point out at the start of the year, and you look forward to, so now that takes your focus 100 per cent."

Green's effort with the ball could be essential for Australia going forward, after Mitchell Starc suffered a finger injury while fielding on day one.

The fast bowler faces a wait to discover if he will be able to take part in the rest of the Test match against the Proteas.

Mitchell Starc's finger injury "doesn't look the greatest" but Nathan Lyon is hopeful he will be fit to feature in the rest of Australia's second Test against South Africa.

The fast bowler suffered a knock to his hand attempting to take a catch on day one, casting a shadow over an otherwise spectacular performance from the hosts at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

With Cameron Green paying a fitting tribute to Shane Warne in the Boxing Day clash with a first five-wicket haul in Test cricket, South Africa were skittled for 189 in Victoria.

However, Starc was forced off during the final session and Lyon acknowledged they face a nervous wait to discover if he will be able to continue.

"[It is] not ideal, I don't think," he told cricket.com.au. "He's popped off for a scan now. Fingers crossed we can get the best possible result with his scan.

"I don't know what he's technically done, but it doesn't look the greatest. He went out the back and tried to bowl, but I think it [felt] a bit different.

"Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game. All we can hope for is he gets the best possible result with the scan."

Starc has already suffered one hand injury this year, having sliced the top of his left index finger on his bowling shoe during Australia's tour of Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Australia have revealed their Test Player of the Year award will be renamed after Warne, who passed away suddenly in March aged 52.

Cameron Green claimed his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket as Australia bowled out South Africa for 189 to take charge of the second Test on Boxing Day at the MCG.

The Australians, who lead the three-game series 1-0, are 45-1 in reply with David Warner, playing his 100th Test, surviving through to stumps on 32 not out alongside Marnus Labuschagne (5no).

Australia captain Pat Cummins raised a few eyebrows by opting to bowl after winning the toss but will feel justified given the state of play, while South Africa have now gone seven Test innings without reaching 200.

The Proteas slumped to 67-5 with local hero Scott Boland claiming the opening wicket of Sarel Erwee (18) before some brilliance from Labuschagne in the field, running out skipper Dean Elgar for 26 with a direct hit before pulling off a flying catch to dismiss Khaya Zondo (5).

But Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen led the rearguard, which had the hosts worried before Green took centre stage with his ability to swing the old ball.

He dismissed both Verreynne (52) and Jansen (59) with edges to first slip Steve Smith and wicketkeeper Alex Carey respectively.

Verreynne and Jansen had combined for a 108-run stand which was only South Africa's third 100-run partnership of the calendar year.

From there, Western Australian all-rounder Green made light work of the tail to finish with 5-27 as the Proteas' final five wickets fell for just 10 runs.

In 12 overs late in the day, Australia lost Usman Khawaja (1) who was caught behind by Verreynne off Kagiso Rabada, while under-fire Warner appeared focused in his milestone game and navigated his way through to stumps.

Starc injury concern for Aussies

Green's five-wicket haul came at a good time for Australia with Verreynne and Jansen appearing settled, but also with left-arm quick Mitchell Starc nursing a finger injury.

Starc spent time off the field for treatment on the middle finger of his bowling hand after diving to catch Jansen's lofted shot to long-on, returning with heavy taping on the issue.

Local hero delights again

Boland only finished with 1-34 from his 14 overs but the Victorian right-arm fast bowler was cheered by his parochial crowd throughout, dating back to his heroics at the same venue 12 months ago in the Ashes when he took 6-7.

Boland got the opening wicket with perfect line and length, drawing an edge from opener Erwee to third slip Khawaja.

Scott Boland has kept his place in Australia's team for the Boxing Day Test, with Josh Hazlewood withdrawing from contention.

Boland has been in fine form since coming into Australia's Test team, taking 25 wickets in five appearances in the format at an average of 10.36.

The 33-year-old fast-medium pacer took 4-42 in Australia's six-wicket defeat of South Africa in Brisbane in the opening match of the series, but might well have lost his place to Hazlewood in Melbourne.

But Hazlewood, who has been recovering from a side strain, elected to withdraw from contention as he felt "underdone", earning the praise of captain Pat Cummins.

"We gave Joshy every chance,, it just got to a stage where he more than anyone else felt like he was a little bit underdone," Cummins said.

"It's a mark of the man really, he himself said 'don't feel quite right' so he kind of pulled himself out of selection.

"We talk a lot about how as a team we need a squad mentality and I think it's another great example."

Hazlewood trained well before the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but Cummins explained a decision between the veteran campaigner and Boland did not have to be made in the end.

"We didn't really get to the decision point, we gave it enough time and it played out," Cummins said.

"There would have been a part of everyone that would've felt a little bit aggrieved if Scott missed out."

Australia opener David Warner, meanwhile, is set to hit the landmark of 100 Tests after keeping his place at the top of the order.

South Africa captain Dean Elgar did not reveal his starting XI, as he urged his batters to step up as the Proteas aim to keep their chances in the series alive.

But he conceded their batters must improve with the series on the line.

"We've always been in a good space since we've been in Australia," Elgar told reporters.

"We've just been through a bit of a hurdle in the last week – but I think both batting units have been through that.

"We've started afresh and we know runs on the board is key.

"We've had a few good conversations but at the moment talk is cheap. Your best reference point is putting performances on the board."

Australia XI to face South Africa: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

India overcame a shaky start to their second innings as Ravichandran Ashwin and Shreyas Iyer guided them to a three-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

The triumph at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, which secured a 2-0 win in the Test series, came the hard way, with Ashwin (42 not out) and Iyer (29 not out) getting the tourists over the line.

Chasing a measly 145, India had been reduced to 45-3 at the end of day three and were facing down the barrel of a defeat when Jaydev Unadkat, Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel fell within the space of 18 runs.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz claimed two of those dismissals to seal his five-for, leaving India on 74-7 and giving Bangladesh real hope of levelling the series.

Bangladesh's star bowler could have had a sixth wicket when Ashwin was dropped on one by Mominul Haque, and India made their hosts pay.

Indeed, it was Ashwin who got the job done, letting rip with 16 runs in the 47th over to seal victory.

Bangladesh's dismal India record rolls on

India have won each of their last five Tests against Bangladesh, their longest winning streak against the Tigers in the format. Indeed, they are unbeaten in their last 10 such matches played in Bangladesh (W8 D2). Only Sri Lanka (12) and New Zealand (11) have played more games in the format in a single country without losing (both in Zimbabwe).

Bangladesh have lost eight of their last nine Tests (D1), including each of the last five on the bounce – the last time they lost more games in the format in succession was a run of six from February 2019 to February 2020.

Mehidy's efforts prove fruitless

It was a great performance from Mehidy, who finished with figures of 5-63 and should have had his sixth wicket when Ashwin was put down.

Ultimately, Ashwin got the better of Mehidy in that 47th-over flurry, striking a six and two fours to end Bangladesh's hopes.

Andre Fletcher and Carlos Brathwaite were both selected in the team of the tournament for the recently concluded Lanka Premier League.

They both represented the Kandy Falcons who lost to the eventual champions, Jaffna Kings, in Qualifier 2.

Fletcher scored 266 runs, fourth most in the tournament, in nine games at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 131.68. The Grenadian also scored the only hundred of the tournament, 102 not out against the Colombo Stars in their first game.

Brathwaite took an excellent 18 wickets from eight matches to finish as the season’s leading wicket-taker. For the most part the 34-year-old Brathwaite kept things simple, relying on solid lines and lengths, daring batsmen to take him on, and banking on them erring. His wickets came at an average of 9.88 while having an economy of just 6.84.

David Warner is set to make his 100th Test appearance for Australia, and is determined to put his run of poor form behind him.

Warner has gone 10 Test innings without a half century, and is averaging just 26.07 in his last 27 trips to the crease in the longest format.

He was out for a first ball duck in the first innings of the first Test against South Africa at The Gabba before managing just three in the second, albeit on a green pitch where the majority struggled with the bat as Australia won by six wickets inside two days.

Should he score 78 or more in the second Test at the MCG, Warner will become just the eighth player to score 8,000 Test runs for Australia, and he promised to take on the Proteas bowling attack in the Boxing Day Test.

"I know when I'm at my best, I'm taking the bowlers on," he said. "It goes well and it flows with the team and the guy at the other end. Now I've probably gone a bit more responsible and trying to put the team into a good position without playing a bit rash.

"If anything I can probably be a bit more aggressive and go back to the older me, take them on a little bit more. But I think that also is dictated from what wickets you are getting.

"You don't want to have a dig at the curators, but the last two years our wickets have been green. If I go out there play a cover drive and nick one, you guys [the media] will have a feeding frenzy.

"But now I'm in good positions and I'm nicking off, that's the nature of the beast. This might be a wicket where I can go out and play like the old me. So you have to adapt to those conditions that's what I've been doing the last 18 months."

In what will be the 100th men's Test between Australia and South Africa, the hosts' selectors have a tough decision to make on whether to recall Josh Hazlewood, who has recovered from a side strain, or retain Scott Boland, who took a combined 4-42 in the first Test.

Australia must keep their Head in Melbourne

The pitch in the first Test in Brisbane was labelled "below average" by the ICC, though Travis Head was still able to muster 92 from 96 balls in the first innings, a crucial contribution that made a key difference.

Although he was out for a first ball duck in the second innings, it was immaterial as Australia eased to victory shortly after, and the man of the match will be keen to show his worth again in Melbourne.

Landmark looms for Elgar

South Africa captain Dean Elgar was not happy with The Gabba surface, but will be hopeful of scoring more than the combined five runs he managed in the first Test.

Elgar is just 24 away from becoming the eighth player to score 5,000 runs for the Proteas in men's Tests, though his Test batting average in Australia of 18.4 is his lowest in any country.

Joe Root believes his decision to step down as England Test captain has been justified following a remarkable end to 2022 for Ben Stokes' red-ball side.

England became the first visiting team to win three matches in a Test series in Pakistan this week, taking them to nine victories from 10 Tests since Stokes replaced Root as skipper in April.

Prior to Root's decision to step down, England suffered a demoralising 1-0 series loss to West Indies and were thrashed 4-0 by Australia in the Ashes. 

With England now earning plaudits for their fearless style under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Stokes, Root has no regrets concerning the end of his time at the helm.

"We weren't performing," Root recalled in an interview with Sky Sports. "We weren't delivering what I thought we were capable of, and it had a massive impact on me away from cricket as well.

"If you can't even be yourself, then you aren't able to give what that role requires, lead in the right way or lead a group of players.

"For a number of reasons, it was the right thing to do, to step back. It needs someone to throw absolutely everything at it.

"As soon as I made that decision, it was quite clear that it was the right one, and I've not looked back. I gave everything to that role and threw everything at it. I am really proud of the way I went about that."

England's aggressive approach was on display as they posted their fifth-highest innings total in history (657) in their Pakistan opener, and Root feels the team's enjoyment of their new style has paid dividends.

"Brendon's got a very aggressive approach to how to play the game, I think Ben is even more aggressive! It is exciting," Root said.

"When you are 10, 12, or even younger, you're playing in the back garden – that's the feeling that you get – that raw enjoyment of smacking the ball, bowling fast, or spinning it miles. That's something you should never really lose as a player.

"It's easy to forget, in the hype of the pressurised environments and demands of constantly putting in performances and winning. But it is so important that you enjoy what you do, and you're more likely to get the best out of yourselves and it's something that we've paid quite a lot of attention to."

England will attempt to reclaim the Ashes on home soil in 2023, with the series set to begin at Edgbaston on June 16, and Root is enthusiastic about their prospects.

"Everything ramps up. The interest around Test cricket in this country goes up a notch," Root said of playing in a home Ashes series.

"It's a great opportunity for us, and with how we played our cricket under Ben last summer, it's a very exciting place to be with a big series like that coming around.

"We've proven to ourselves we can do it against two of the best teams in the world in our own conditions, so it will be great to take Australia on and take that one step further again."

India need another 100 runs with six wickets remaining after a shaky start to their chase in the second Test against Bangladesh.

The hosts were dismissed for 231 in their second innings on day three at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, setting India a target of 145.

A devastating spell from Mehidy Hasan (3-12) gave Bangladesh hope of levelling the series, reducing India to 45-4 at the close.

Bangladesh began the day on 7-0 but struggled early as Najmul Hossain Shanto (5) and Mominul Haque (5) fell to Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Siraj respectively.

When captain Shakib Al Hasan was out to Jaydev Unadkat, Bangladesh were in trouble at 51-3, though Zakir Hasan followed up his debut Test hundred in Chattogram with another half-century, before getting out for 51.

After Zakir and Mehidy (0) had gone, Bangladesh were struggling on 113-6, though Litton Das (73) produced much-needed partnerships with Nurul Hasan (31) and Taskin Ahmed (31 not out) to make India's eventual chase more challenging.

There was an early wobble for the tourists as stand-in skipper KL Rahul (2) edged Shakib to Nurul at the start of the third over, before the wicketkeeper also stumped Cheteshwar Pujara (6) off the bowling of Mehidy.

The same duo combined to dismiss Shubman Gill (7) before Virat Kohli was Mehidy's next victim, out for just one from 22 balls after his inside edge was caught by Mominul at short leg, leaving Axar Patel (26no) and Unadkat (3no) to return on what promises to be a gripping day four.

Mehidy puts India in a spin

Having only taken 1-61 in the first innings, Mehidy came into his own in the second as he dragged his team back into the contest.

The 25-year-old claimed three big wickets to give the Tigers a fighting chance of pulling off a victory.

Axar also finds his rhythm

It was a good day for spin, with Axar also taking three wickets for India, having not managed any in the first innings.

Axar trapped both Mushfiqur Rahim and Mehidy lbw, before claiming a stumping when he outfoxed Nurul to end with figures of 3-68.

Sam Curran was "absolutely overwhelmed and incredibly humbled" to become the most expensive player in IPL history.

The England all-rounder, fresh from a standout white-ball performance at the T20 World Cup that saw him named Player of the Tournament, is returning to Punjab Kings for 2023.

Curran was the subject of a record bid from Punjab, eventually selling for an all-time high 18.5 crore (£1.85million) in Friday's auction.

"I'm absolutely overwhelmed and incredibly humbled to receive that bid," he told Star Sports. "Punjab is where I did my debut season a few years ago.

"I feel confident going into this tournament. We had a fantastic World Cup. I'm incredibly excited to come to India for this big opportunity.

"There's so many things running through my mind. I knew this morning about the auction, but I was struggling to find a stream. It wasn't on TV.

"I saw the bids coming from Mumbai, then Chennai. Having played for Chennai earlier, it was cool to see them, [and then] I got a call about joining Punjab."

The Jaffna Kings are champions of the Lanka Premier League after securing a hard-fought two- wicket win over the Colombo Stars in the final at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.

The Stars made 163-5 from their 20 overs after the Kings won the toss and elected to field first. Dinesh Chandimal (49), Ravi Bopara (47 not out) and Charith Asalanka (31) all continued their good form from yesterday’s second qualifier to propel the Stars to their score.

Needing 164 to win, Avishka Fernando (50), Sadeera Samarawickrama (44) and Rahmanulla Gurbaz (36) led the way as the Kings reached 164-8 off 19.2 overs to win their third straight LPL title.

Suranga Lakmal (3-23) and Benny Howell (2-17) tried their best for the stars while Dominic Drakes went for 14 runs from his two overs.

The Indian Premier League auction for the 2023 season is done and dusted, with some of the world's biggest players front and centre on Friday.

England's Sam Curran, the Player of the Tournament at the T20 World Cup, fetched a new record price when he was bought by Punjab Kings for 18.5 crore (£1.85million).

International team-mate Ben Stokes also brought in an impressive fee of 16.25 crore (£1.65m) from Chennai Super Kings, while Mumbai Indians landed Australia's Cameron Green for 17.5 crore (£1.75m).

Stats Perform runs through the standout deals of the day...

Sam Curran (Punjab Kings)

Having started his IPL career with Punjab in 2019, Curran is headed back after a stint with Chennai Super Kings and returns on the back of the best year of his career.

With 13 wickets at the T20 World Cup and huge batting potential, Curran is one of the most exciting purchases ahead of next year's tournament – as the price suggests.

Ben Stokes (Chennai Super Kings)

England's Test captain once again dug into his bag of tricks with a superb batting performance at the T20 World Cup to help his team beat Pakistan in the final.

Stokes heads to Chennai for a fee that matches the previous record set by Australia's Chris Morris last year, while his career IPL strike rate of 134.50 is indicative of a batsman who always goes big.

Cameron Green (Mumbai Indians)

The second-most expensive buy in the auction, it is little surprise Green commanded such an impressive figure given his huge 173.75 strike rate across eight T20I matches.

The Australia all-rounder was expected to figure near the top of the bidding, and he will hope to live up to his billing with Mumbai next year.

Kane Williamson (Gujarat Titans)

Williamson was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, allowing him to enter the auction and be picked up at his base price of 2 crore.

Despite playing a role in Sunrisers' title success in 2016, that fee illustrates Williamson's diminishing returns since then, although Gujarat will hope this is a bargain deal.

Harry Brook (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

This has been a breakout year for Brook, who followed T20 World Cup glory with an impressive impact on the Test stage, dominating for England against Pakistan.

Back in the white-ball arena, Brook was briefly the most expensive specialist batsman in IPL history when signed for 13.25 crore (£1.325m).

Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants)

Brook's record was short-lived as Pooran went under the hammer and sparked a bidding war.

Lucknow came out on top, paying out 16 crore (£1.6m) for his services and acquiring one of the most fearsome white-ball players around.

Josh Little (Gujarat Titans)

Ireland bowler Little saw his stock rise following a T20 World Cup where he took a hat-trick against New Zealand and helped inspire a shock triumph over England.

Little will become the first Irishman to play in the IPL after fetching 4.4 crore (£440,000).

Joe Root (Rajasthan Royals)

At last, one of the defining batsmen of his generation is headed to the IPL, with the former England Test captain finally selected to play in the world's premier T20 domestic competition after going unsold back in 2018.

Root, who did not play at the T20 World Cup, looked set for the same fate again, but a late one crore (£100,000) base price bid in an accelerated auction will take him to India next year.