Marnus's mood darkens after last-ball dismissal

As ominous clouds encircled the SCG from the north-west, and the ground's blazing light towers effectively turned the opening day of the third NRMA Insurance Test into a day-nighter, Usman Khawaja admitted he was regularly "chirping" to the on-field umpires about the fading visibility.

There was a moment shortly before lunch, as light rain began to fall and South Africa introduced spin bowling from both ends to try and ensure players stayed on the field, that Khawaja engaged in some banter with square leg official Paul Reiffel about the gathering gloom.

But Khawaja didn't go to such elaborate lengths to draw attention to the enveloping darkness as his batting partner Marnus Labuschagne who, at one point in the first hour of play, sent urgent signals to Australia's dressing room for a cigarette lighter.

As events soon revealed, Labuschagne wasn't suggesting he needed artificial illumination in order to see the dark red ball hurtling towards him but rather to make some running repairs to the dislodged 'frills' under the peak of his batting helmet that further restricted his view.

"I carry one (lighter) in my bag now because I only wear one helmet for short leg (fielding) and when I bat, and there's not as much care taken with the boys throwing my helmet at short leg.

"So the top of my helmet, the frills come down, and it gets in my eyeline.

"I should have done it before I went out to bat, but as soon as I got out there and I looked and saw it straight away, especially when the lights were on.

"It was very annoying, so I just try and make sure I burn it off."

While Labuschagne's request for a lighter was not related to the darkness issue, Khawaja used an in-play interview with Fox Cricket during a drinks break to jokingly ask if they had a "glow-in-the-dark ball" they could make available for use.

The hijinks, however, partially obscured a more serious matter as umpires Reiffel and Chris Gaffaney engaged in a running day-long battle to balance the desire of 31,264 paying spectators and many-times more television viewers to see some cricket, and the reality that the lack of lustre made it tough to see anything.

"The reality is it's got to be safe, and when you've got two fast-bowling teams you can't be out there when it's too dark," Labuschagne said at the end of a day where he was dismissed from what proved to be the ultimate delivery before umpires again deemed it too gloomy to continue.

"Of course we want to entertain a stacked crowd, but it doesn't always work like that."

Labuschagne had more reason than most to be aggrieved with the stop-start nature of a day in which sub-standard light proved more problematic than persistent rain.

Having survived a contentious catch at slip – South Africa's Simon Harmer claimed to have cleanly plucked the low chance before a lengthy review process deemed otherwise – he and Khawaja then spent almost two and half hours waiting for conditions to clear sufficiently for a resumption.

Then, when he did re-scratch his guard and face up to pace pair Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje, he stoutly defended 21 of the 24 deliveries sent down (Khawaja faced just two balls after the resumption) before the final cessation of action and then nicked off.

At that point, the umpires agreed it was genuinely dark and called a halt to the day before new batter Steve Smith faced a ball.

"Definitely very frustrated," Labuschagne said at day's end when asked for his feeling on how his otherwise noteworthy innings of 79 had ended.

"It always makes you very angry as a batter when you get out and then everyone walks with you off the field.

"It really makes you think about that specific ball, it was probably under the light meter (reading) and getting out.

"But at the end of the day, he (Nortje) bowled a really good set there and backed it up, bowled four or five balls in the same spot and that one just kicked.

"It certainly was dark.

"There were passages out there, especially before lunch, where it was really dark and they couldn't get the lights on because it takes 10 minutes (for floodlights to warm up).

"The red ball under lights, it just doesn't stand out.

"So it's quite tough and I think it's probably more dangerous for the fielders because you just can't see it square of the wicket and in the slips, whereas the batters you've got a sightscreen and a white back drop to get the best chance."

At times the combination of umpiring protocols and meteorological vicissitudes bordered on the farcical, as the grandstands slowly emptied of people tired of looking at a vacant playing field.

When rains showers cleared and the outlook seemed marginally clearer, the umpires designated 3.45pm as the time the game would get going.

But as both teams gathered boundary-side waiting for the clock to tick over to appointed starting time, the officials consulted their light meters and ruled conditions had once again deteriorated which meant a return to the respective dressing rooms.

By the time South Africa's playing group had looked up from their tight team huddle to work out what was happening, the not out batting pair had already beat a retreat inside.

But in contrast to the aggression he showed with dark red ball in hand, Nortje expressed some sympathy for those most obviously impacted by having to negotiate fast bowling in the dark.

Although he added that was not always rival batters.

"It's tough because it was really dark at stages," Nortje said at day's end, with Australia 2-147 and the SCG pitch already showing a propensity to take serious spin.

"And it's not just the batting team because fielders also can't pick up the ball in certain areas of the field.

"To come off when it's dark is probably just the right decision.

"What it should be and how it should be, that's not up to us, but at a stage it can get a bit unsafe if the ball's maybe a bit harder and you're coming in with two guys who are bowling quickly.

"It's just a point of safety and playing fair."

Men's NRMA Insurance Test Series v South Africa

First Test: Australia won by six wickets

Second Test: Australia won by an innings and 182 runs

Jan 4-8: Third Test, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, David Warner

South Africa squad: Dean Elgar (c), Temba Bavuma, Gerald Coetzee, Theunis de Bruyn, Sarel Eree, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo

Buy #AUSvSA Test tickets here