Australia finished 139 runs ahead with all their second innings wickets in hand after the visitors had enjoyed a largely dominant third day of the first test against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban on Sunday.
Australia carved out a first innings lead of 106 after they bowled South Africa out for 284 in 78 overs in the final session. When bad light stopped play at 4.30pm, Aussie openers Travis Head and Nick Maddinson had extended that lead by a further 33 runs in 5.4 overs.
Maddinson, who was under pressure after his 33-ball duck in the first innings, quickly put the possibility of a pair to bed when he hooked Marco Jansen’s first ball over square leg for four before launching into an uninhibited off-drive for a further boundary backward of point.
Such were the left-hander’s aggressive intentions that – in the final over of the day – he clipped Wiaan Mulder for six over square leg, the ball landing just behind the boundary rope that was patrolled by Ryan Rickelton who didn’t see the ball until very late. As a result the umpires chose to leave the field immediately afterwards because of the gloom.
Earlier, resuming on their overnight total of 27 for the loss of Rickelton, Australia took a tight grip on the match when they dismissed three top-order South Africa batters in the morning session.
And it was so nearly a fourth as Wiaan Mulder, on seven, was reprieved by the TV umpire when slip fielder Marnus Labuschagne claimed a catch at slip off Nathan Lyon in the last over before the break. Mulder had walked halfway back to the pavilion before Richard Illingworth’s decision went in his favour.
Even so, Australia enjoyed a good morning in the Durban heat, again in front of a disappointingly scanty crowd, reducing the Proteas to 115 for four chasing Australia’s first innings total of 390.
The Proteas began the day with promise as Aiden Markram and David Bedingham played some fine strokes as they took their second wicket partnership to 84 off 115 balls on a seemingly flat pitch with the sympathetic north-easterly wind blowing again.
But the home team’s top batters imploded with a series of soft dismissals. First Markram, who had struck 37 in 67 balls, played a loose shot off the back foot to a delivery best left alone, edging to Matt Renshaw in the slips. The Australians then bowled particularly well to Proteas’ skipper Temba Bavuma who was tied down, scrambling three singles in 27 balls. Attempting to break out, Bavuma reverse-swept offspinner Nathan Lyon only to be well held at slip by Steve Smith who had anticipated the shot, moving smartly to his right to claim the catch.
Bedingham had played with pleasing freedom, striking some fine drives and beautifully timed shots off his legs, but he played one shot too many at a Pat Cummins delivery he should have left alone outside his off-stump. The result was another edge with Smith diving to his left to take a fine catch in front of second slip. Bedingham had struck nine fours in his attractive 49 in 73 balls, the team’s top score.
Matters did not improve in the afternoon after the Proteas had gone into lunch on 115 for four. With both openers going out to loose shots as well as skipper Bavuma and Bedingham, the need to take a lesson from Matt Renshaw and bat conservatively in the afternoon would have been paramount.
Again, the Proteas’ batters began a session well with Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs adding 56 in 98 balls for the fifth wicket, but then holes in the blueprint began to appear. First Mulder (30) was beset by indecision as he hesitated whether or not to hook a Cummins bouncer. A final decision was not made but his bat remained in position for the shot with the ball lobbing gently to midwicket where substitute Cooper Connolly took the easiest of catches.
Seven runs and a couple of overs later it was the turn of Tristan Stubbs (32) who tamely hooked another Cummins bouncer to fine leg where Josh Hazlewood took a good catch running forward.
Kyle Verreynne was the next to go in almost exactly the same manner as Bavuma in the morning, reverse-sweeping Lyon to Smith at slip who, anticipating again, took a superb right-handed catch to a shot that was hit considerably harder than Bavuma’s. Smith, who later picked up a further catch at slip to end the South African innings, has now taken the most outfield catches (223) by a fielder in tests.
Marco Jansen played fluently and aggressively from the off, driving and pulling six fours in his 20-ball 26 before choosing the wrong ball to pull from Hazlewood, squeezing the ball instead to Travis Head at mid-off.
For the last hour of the session, sensible cricket broke out at last. The fact that Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj could add an unbroken 41 for the ninth wicket without any serious alarms simply reinforced the fact that the pitch was blameless and that the Proteas’ specialist batters had underperformed. The pair took their partnership to 52 in 92 balls after the break before Maharaj drove Mitchell Starc tamely to mid-off, another soft dismissal.
Harmer and Anrich Nortje then further frustrated the Aussie attack to add a further 35 runs without undue alarms, showing that the pitch is still playing well.
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje.
AUSTRALIA: Travis Head, Nicolas Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Renshaw, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
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