Australia closed the second day of the third and deciding Test against South Africa on 330-4 at YesPlay Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday, holding a lead of just one run with six wickets in hand. Half-centuries from Matt Renshaw, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Alex Carey drove the total forward.
Inglis finished the day unbeaten on 85, while Carey was still at the crease on 51*. Australia will look to press their advantage on day three.
Renshaw and Green Set the Pace
South Africa’s bowlers had a difficult time finding breakthroughs. Marco Jansen (14-4-37-2) removed Renshaw (74) and Green (65) with a fiery spell of 2-3 in five overs, but the damage was limited after that.
Proteas bowling coach Piet Botha was frank about his side’s performance. “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,” Botha said. “We just didn’t create enough pressure through maidens and good lengths.”
Australia began the day in a strong position 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 twice in his first over, dismissing Head and Marnus Labuschagne (0), and the visitors went to lunch on 90-2.
Renshaw and Green continued after the interval, adding 126 runs from 191 deliveries before Jansen was brought back into the attack.
Carey and Inglis Take Control
Australia reached 185-4 before tea, and Carey and Inglis then took over. Their unbeaten stand of 145 from 232 deliveries left the hosts needing something special to avoid conceding a large first-innings lead.
Renshaw praised his partner’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,” Renshaw said of Inglis.
Renshaw also reflected on his own innings and his work 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,” he said.
Renshaw summed up the team’s mindset at the close. “It was just sticking to our processes. We knew they would come hard at us but it was just about building partnerships,” he said.
Botha was less upbeat about the conditions. “We got blown away when the clouds came over yesterday and I was hoping for some clouds today,” he said. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada (18-1-81-0) started well with the new ball, but a failed lbw review was among his few highlights. Botha also said Rabada had come off the field with stomach cramps.
South Africa’s Strong Start Fades
South Africa had won the toss on Tuesday, but captain Pat Cummins surprisingly asked the Proteas to bat first. That decision initially looked poor for Australia. Aiden Markram (78) and Marques Ackerman (95) enjoyed the sunny conditions and put on 140 without loss in the morning session.
Botha admitted his side had missed chances. “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,” he said.
Australia fought back after lunch, claiming four wickets and restricting the hosts to just 81 runs. The breakthrough came through spin. Nathan Lyon (23-1-71-2) had Ackerman stumped just five runs short of a maiden Test century, ending a opening stand of 158, a new record for South Africa at Newlands against Australia.
Markram, who had been dropped on 39 by Head off the bowling of Mitchell Starc (16.3-2-72-6) shortly before lunch, was the next to go. He tried to pull Josh Hazlewood (15-3-59-1) but skied the ball to Starc at long-on. Temba Bavuma (0) lasted just three balls before Lyon bowled him. Left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly (9-0-41-1) then trapped Matthew Breetzke (2) in front.
Ryan Rickelton (42) and David Bedingham (50) took South Africa to tea on 221-4.
Starc Shines in the Evening
The evening session belonged to Australia, and Starc was the standout. Shortly after the tea break, he removed Bedingham, who was caught by Hazlewood at fine leg, and then had Wiaan Mulder edging behind to Carey for two.
Rickelton and Jansen (52) then steadied the innings with a 95-run stand for the seventh wicket. The new ball changed everything. Starc, bowling with excellent left-arm pace, took 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 the first delivery and trapped Rabada (0) lbw with the third.
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.