Magnificent fast bowling from Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood reduced South Africa to 149 for six in their first innings on the fourth day of the third and final test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Between them, the Aussie pair took 5-58 in 26 overs of world-class fast bowling as Australia began their attempt to secure a clean sweep in the series.
Going into the final day, the Proteas trail by 326 runs with four first-innings wickets in hand after Australia declared on their overnight total of 475 for four. The tourists will be hell-bent on survival on Sunday, but their task is complicated by the fact that the SCG pitch is already showing real signs of deteriorating with increasingly uneven bounce and with offspinner Nathan Lyon getting some prodigious turn, particularly out of the rough.
Earlier, and after losing the entire third day to rain, play only began at 1.45pm (Australia time) after a wet outfield delayed the start. This meant that Cummins felt forced to declare on his team’s overnight total leaving opening batsman Usman Khawaja high and dry on 195, just short of what would have been his maiden double-century. It was tough on the left-hander, but probably necessary given the team’s first priority of securing victory.
When South Africa went in to bat with 59 overs to be bowled, Cummins and Hazlewood immediately threatened against openers Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee.
Elgar was fortunate to survive an edge at catchable height through the slips off Hazlewood in the first over before edging the same bowler in his third over to Steve Smith in the slips. Smith did brilliantly to scoop the ball up with his right hand, but third umpire Richard Kettleborough adjudged that the ball had brushed the turf during the catching process.
It was a similar not-out decision of his that had saved Marnus Labuschagne in the Australian innings and Elgar and Labuschagne exchanged wry smiles and a few words on the field after the decision was announced.
Elgar continued to look out of sorts, however, and in the ninth over he gloved a sharp, rising delivery from Hazlewood down the leg side to wicketkeeper Alex Carey. It was the third time in the series that he had fallen to short balls down leg.
Erwee (18) was the next to go, the ball after square-cutting Lyon for four, leaving a delivery that just kissed his off-stump. It was a serious misjudgment just when he looked to be settling in.
Heinrich Klaasen, in the team as a stop-gap No 3, didn’t last long, falling in a similar way to Elgar as he gloved a quick, rising delivery from Cummins down the leg side to wicketkeeper Carey.
Temba Bavuma and Khaya Zondo showed defiance, measured aggression and good technique to add 48 for the fourth wicket either side of tea with both men pulling a brace of sixes off Lyon to relieve the suffocating pressure the super-disciplined Australian attack was imposing.
Bavuma’s defiance was then ended by Hazlewood, who got one to tail into Bavuma on a perfect length for the little South African to edge through to Carey. He had struck a four and two sixes in his 74-ball 35 and once again looked good until he got out. Zondo and Kyle Verreynne added 45 with some positive strokeplay but both fell victim to Cummins who delivered a remarkably accurate, hostile spell of 2-14 in six overs.
Zondo (39 in 83 balls) was softened up by a short lifter before being trapped leg before by a searing yorker delivered from around the wicket. Australia’s captain then got one to leave Verreynne who edged to Steve Smith in the slips.
Marcus Jansen and Simon Harmer defended stoutly to see South Africa through to the close, but the visitors – with the weather apparently now set fair – have much hard work ahead of them on the final day in which 98 overs have to be delivered.
Report Day 1
Report Day 2
Report Day 3
AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw Alex Carey (wk), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
SOUTH AFRICA: Dean Elgar (capt) Sarel Erwee, Heinrich Klaasen, Temba Bavuma, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje