Tea South Africa 55 for 3 (De Villiers 16*) trail Australia 351 (M Marsh 96, Smith 56, Warner 51, Maharaj 5-123, Philander 3-59) by 296 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Nathan Lyon struck twice in his opening over of the series and Pat Cummins broke through on the stroke of tea as South Africa wobbled to 55 for 3 on the second day in Durban. Earlier, Mitchell Marsh had fallen four short of what would have been his second Test hundred in consecutive innings, but his 96 was enough to ensure a total of 351 for Australia, which looked more and more competitive with every South African wicket that subsequently fell.
At tea, AB de Villiers was at the crease on 16, about to be joined by Faf du Plessis after Aidan Markram fell from what became the final ball of the session. Markram had made an enterprising 32, including six boundaries, but the pace and bounce of Cummins was enough to make him uncomfortable, fending to Cameron Bancroft at short leg.
Keshav Maharaj had finished with a five-wicket haul in Australia’s innings and it didn’t take long for spin to play a key role in South Africa’s innings as well, when Lyon’s second delivery flew off Dean Elgar’s leading edge and was brilliantly snapped up by the bowler diving to his right. Three balls later, Lyon added the prize wicket of Hashim Amla, whose inside edge bobbed up to Bancroft in close, and South Africa were in early trouble at 27 for 2.
South Africa must have been ruing their inability to run through Australia’s lower order, with Marsh having compiled a series of frustrating partnerships with Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc and Lyon. Marsh struck 13 fours and one six, but also showed impressive patience during his 173-ball stay, and he looked set to become the first centurion of the series.
However, eyeing a boundary to complete the hundred, he tried to clear mid-on off the bowling of Vernon Philander but picked out the tallest man in South Africa’s side, Morne Morkel, who thrust his long arms above his head to pluck the catch. Had Temba Bavuma been fit and fielding there, Marsh might have had his century.
Still, his efforts were vital to Australia’s chances in the match after they went to stumps at 225 for 5 on the first evening, following Steven Smith’s decision to bat first. Starc provided an entertaining cameo of 35 from 25 deliveries, clubbing two sixes over deep midwicket off Maharaj and striking four fours, including three in one Morkel over, before he was bowled by Maharaj from what became the final ball before lunch.
Cummins had fallen in similar fashion, bowled through the gate by Maharaj, though after an innings very different from that of Starc – Cummins occupied the crease for 38 balls for his 3 runs. The day started with Marsh and Paine at the crease, but the second new ball soon accounted for Paine, who was lured into an edge behind on 25 by Kagiso Rabada. Rabada finished with 2 for 74, an analysis that didn’t quite capture how well he bowled at times, fast and always threatening.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo