Australia closed day two on 330-4 against South Africa, holding a lead of just one run with six wickets in hand, in the third and deciding Dafabet Test at YesPlay Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday. Half-centuries from Matt Renshaw, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Alex Carey powered the visitors’ position.
Carey (51*) remains at the crease alongside Inglis, who finished the day unbeaten on 85. Australia will look to press their advantage on day three.
Proteas bowling falters
Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha admitted his side struggled to apply pressure. “The bowling was six out of 10, no lateral movement so it was always going to be about effort and I can’t fault the effort, it was there the whole day,” he said. “We just didn’t create enough pressure through maidens and good lengths,” added Botha.
Marco Jansen (14-4-37-2) provided South Africa’s best spell, claiming the wickets of Renshaw (74) and Green (65) with a fiery spell of 2-3 in five overs. Inglis and Carey came together shortly before tea. With Australia on 185-4, they added an unbeaten 145 to leave the hosts under pressure and in need of something special to avoid conceding a significant first-innings lead.
Renshaw and Green lay the platform
Australia began the day after dismissing South Africa for 329 shortly before the close on day one. Renshaw and Travis Head (41) added 58 for the first wicket. Simon Harmer (27-4-84-2) then struck in his first over, removing Head and Marnus Labuschagne (0).
That proved to be the only success the home side enjoyed before lunch, with the visitors reaching 90-2 at the interval. Renshaw and Green resumed after lunch and added 126 runs from 191 deliveries before Jansen returned to the attack.
“It was just sticking to our processes. We knew they would come hard at us but it was just about building partnerships,” said Renshaw at the end of the second day’s play. He also spoke about his partnership with Green: “I get along with Cam really well off the field and that helps. It was obviously different stages, I was in for about an hour and a half before Cam came in so I was at a different mindset and tempo, he was fresh and buzzing around so it was about me being the calmer head out there.”
Inglis and Carey frustrate the attack
The two wickets before tea gave the hosts hope of levelling the match, but Inglis and Carey batted superbly to neutralise any threat from the Proteas attack. “We got blown away when the clouds came over yesterday and I was hoping for some clouds today,” quipped Botha.
Their unbeaten stand of 145 came from 232 deliveries. It leaves Temba Bavuma facing the prospect of his side ceding the series in Cape Town, after they had earlier bounced back with an innings victory in Gqeberha. Renshaw praised Inglis’s approach: “He has a lot of different options, he can hit down the ground, over mid-wicket, he’s a good player of spin so he doesn’t give them anywhere really to bowl.”
Kagiso Rabada (18-1-81-0) started with the new ball and was aggressive, but despite a failed lbw review, he had little else to offer. Botha revealed that Rabada had come off the field with stomach cramps, adding, “I am not sure whether it is related to last week.”
Day one recap: Ackerman and Markram lead the response
Pat Cummins won the toss on Tuesday and surprisingly asked South Africa to bat first. The decision initially looked poor for Australia, as Aiden Markram (78) and Marques Ackerman (95) enjoyed the sunny conditions, adding 140 without loss in the morning session.
Botha reflected on the innings: “We spoke about it, we felt we could have capitalised on the opening stand but there were a couple of shots that we shouldn’t have played and we should’ve got more runs the way the wicket played today.”
Australia fought back after lunch, claiming four wickets while restricting the hosts to just 81 runs. Spin broke the opening stand of 158, a new record for South Africa at Newlands against Australia. Nathan Lyon (23-1-71-2) stumped Ackerman just five runs short of a maiden Test century.
Markram, who had been dropped on 39 by Head off the bowling of Mitchell Starc (16.3-2-72-6) shortly before lunch, was next to fall. He tried to pull Josh Hazlewood (15-3-59-1) but skied the ball to Starc in the long-on region. Bavuma was bowled by Lyon for 0 after lasting just three balls, and left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly (9-0-41-1) trapped Matthew Breetzke (2) in front.
Ryan Rickelton (42) and David Bedingham (50) took South Africa to tea on 221 for four.
Starc spearheads the evening collapse
The evening session belonged to Australia, and Starc in particular. Shortly after the tea break, he removed Bedingham, who was caught by Hazlewood at fine leg. He then had Wiaan Mulder edging behind to Carey for just two.
Rickelton and Jansen (52) stemmed the flow with a 95-run stand for the seventh wicket before the new ball caused chaos. Starc, bowling with excellent left-arm pace, claimed four wickets in six deliveries to end the innings shortly before the close. Rickelton was trapped plumb in front, and two balls later Jansen was bowled. In the next over, Starc bowled Gerald Coetzee (0) with his first delivery and trapped Rabada (0) in front with the third.
Squads
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (capt), Matthew Breetzke, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada.
Australia: Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.