Lunch South Africa 242 and 7 for 508 (Philander 63*, Maharaj 19*) lead Australia 244 by 506 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Quinton de Kock scored his fourth consecutive Test half-century © Getty Images
Australia will need to rewrite Test history by chasing down 500-plus in the fourth innings at the WACA, after South Africa batted through the first session on day four and extended their lead by a further 118. Quinton de Kock and Vernon Philander both scored half-centuries as captain Faf du Plessis opted not to declare before lunch, perhaps wary of the fact that he will be without injured strike bowler Dale Steyn in Australia’s chase.
Even so, everything would need to fall perfectly for Australia in order to pull off such a heist. Only once in Test history has any team scored more than 500 in the fourth innings, and even that did not result in a win, for England’s 654 for 5 in the infamous timeless Test of 1939 came in pursuit of 696. The highest successful chase in Test history was the 418 scored by West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003, and Austraia’s highest was 404 back in 1948.
If there is one thing that might give Australia some encouragement, apart from Steyn’s absence, it is that the second-highest successful chase in Test history came at this very ground eight years ago, when South Africa reached 414 with only four wickets down. And the surface, as shown by South Africa’s batsmen over the past couple of days, remains reasonable for batting, despite the presence of a few cracks and the odd ball staying low or rearing up.
At lunch, South Africa had moved on to 7 for 508, with Philander on 63 and Keshav Maharaj on 19. The only wicket to fall during the session was that of de Kock, who for the fourth consecutive innings in Test cricket passed fifty. He was eventually out for 64 off 100 balls when he drove a catch to short cover off Mitchell Marsh, ending a 116-run partnership with Philander for the seventh wicket.
It had been a frustrating session for the Australians, who twice had de Kock given out only to have those decisions rightly overturned on review, while Philander was put down on 29. Philander top-edged a hook off Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, running around at fine leg, seemed uncertain of where the boundary rope was, and this distraction left him in an awkward position to take a catch that should have been more comfortable. The ball parried over the boundary for six.
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo