Australia opener David Warner praised South African pacer Anrich Nortje as he acknowledged the fast bowler’s spirited effort on day 2 of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He said that Nortje’s spell after lunch was the best and fastest he has ever faced in Test cricket.

On a hot day, Nortje touched speeds of 150 kph and more on a consistent basis and bowled 16 overs on day 2, battling extreme temperatures and picking up the wicket of Steve Smith towards the end of the day's play. Two of his deliveries in the 10^th over of the innings read 155kph on the speed gun.

He was breathing fire as he bowled a fiery spell of four overs post lunch on day 2 to David Warner, who was in his nineties, and Steve Smith. He even rattled Warner’s helmet with a 155kph thunderbolt in the first session.

"That's the fastest spell I have ever faced in my Test career. That was extraordinary. To do that in 37-degree heat, to come back and bowl, I think I faced 18 deliveries straight from him. It's not that I didn't know what to do, but it was how was I going to pull it, how was I going to duck it and how was I going to eradicate it - you couldn't. The speed was sheer up there. It was the fastest I've ever faced,” Warner told Fox Cricket.

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"To try and negate that and try and pull it into areas that I could, it was almost impossible. When he 'lidded' me, I was like 'that's obviously very fast'. Credit to him, he kept coming back in this heat," he added.

Nortje was rewarded for his efforts on Wednesday as he removed Travis Head and Warner in a space of two deliveries in the first session.

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Warner, who is playing his 100^th Test for Australia, became only the second batter to score a double century in his milestone Test. He was bowled by Nortje’s speedy yorker on day 3 on 200 after he had retired hurt due to cramps on day 2, shortly after reaching his double ton.

Nortje himself said it was one of his best Test spells.

"Yeah, it was probably up there. In general, it felt really good. It‘s been something that I’ve been working on a little bit here and there with the jump. But I think all in all, probably one of the better ones, yes, if not the best," he added.

Australia posted 575 for 8 and declared and had South Africa at 15 for 1 before rains brought an early end to day 3’s play in MCG.

(Fox Cricket inputs)