Third Test, Stumps on Day 4
Australia: 475/4
South Africa: 149/6 (Zondo 39, Bavuma 35, Cummins 3/29)
South Africa trail by 326 runs
Cape Town - When the Sydney thunderstorms eventually subsided, South Africa were left with five sessions to avoid a 3-0 whitewash in Australia.
On the evidence provided after the first two, their fate may prove inevitable. The Proteas were 149/6 at stumps on Day 4 and faced an uphill challenge to avoid the follow-on after Australia declared their innings at 475/4.
The home side were hoping to give Usman Khawaja the opportunity to register his maiden Test double-century, but further rain on the fourth morning after the entire third day forced captain Pat Cummins to declare at lunch leaving the opener stranded on a superb 195 not out.
South Africa’s captain Dean Elgar’s miserable tour of Australia continued with Josh Hazlewood, in particular, working over the Proteas skipper from around the wicket.
Elgar was eventually put out of his misery when Hazlewood, who missed the first two Tests, produced a brutal delivery that kept on rising which found Elgar in a complete tangle as he neither ducked or swayed out of the way. Instead, he left his hands hanging out in the air with the ball flicking it along the way through to wicket-keeper Alex Carey.
Travis Head remembers how Dean Elgar got out in Melbourne... #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/yAzjaOjvOP
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2023
Australia’s dominance over the Proteas during the series has been illustrated by the way they have been able to creep into the minds of the visiting team’s batters, and thereby influencing their shot selection.
This was particularly evident when Sarel Erwee, who had dutifully played defensively up until then, opted to leave a straight delivery from Nathan Lyon on off stump a few moments later. Erwee was livid with his ill-judgement, but could only contemplate his actions on the way back to the dressingroom.
Equally, Heinrich Klassen, who was playing his second Test match since his debut in 2019, was tentative at the crease throughout his 22-ball stay and was eventually strangled down the leg side by Cummins for two.
Arguably South Africa’s best passage of play ensued when captain Temba Bavuma and Khaya Zondo were at the crease as the pair looked to be positive, especially against Lyon’s off-spin.
They targeted the short leg-side boundary and were quick to pounce on anything short with Bavuma dropping back and pulling two sixes into the stands before Zondo followed suit.
Zondo lays into Lyon, and sends him into the crowd! #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/UtEQ9LWAVI
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 7, 2023
But unfortunately as Bavuma admitted prior to this final Test, it's not pretty 30’s that win Test matches as both batters fell when well set.
Bavuma (35) followed a good length delivery from Hazlewood that he may have left, while Zondo (39 was trapped LBW by the irrepressible Cummins within a few overs of each other.
This left South Africa’s tail exposed once more and even more so when Kyle Verreynne when he became Cummins’ third victim in the midst of a superb spell by the Aussie skipper.
@ZaahierAdams