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An outside edge past second slip against the bowling of Josh Hazlewood gave the South Africa captain his eighth Test century
Tea South Africa 488 and 344 for 6 (Bavuma 35*, Philander 33*) lead Australia 221 by 611 runs
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South Africa batted on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, on the fourth day in Johannesburg, where Faf du Plessis scored his first Test hundred since October 2017, and then stubbornly refused to declare until tea, by which time his team’s lead had passed 600. With an attack depleted by injury – Morne Morkel had a side strain, Kagiso Rabada had a stiff back and Vernon Philander had strapping on his leg – du Plessis seemed less interested in winning the Test than in giving his bowlers as much rest as possible.
Only defeat in this Test could prevent South Africa from beating Australia in a home Test series for the first time since 1970, and by tea, they had surely eliminated even the remotest possibility of that happening. When du Plessis declared at the break, Temba Bavuma was on 35 and Philander had 33, and having moved to 344 for 6, South Africa’s lead was a gargantuan 611.
For context, only once in Test history has a team scored more than 500 in the fourth innings, when England made 654 for 5 in the famous timeless Durban Test of 1939. That Test ended in a draw after 10 days only because England, who were just 42 runs from victory, had to make a two-day train journey to Cape Town to catch up with their ship home, which had already left Durban without them.
South Africa’s lack of intent on day four in Johannesburg was best summed up by the fact that Dean Elgar did not score a single run until the 65th ball of the day’s play. By the time he lifted Chadd Sayers over the infield for two, Elgar had also seen 91 deliveries bowled in the match since his last run. Incongruously, he later brought up his fifty with a six clubbed over long-on off the bowling of Mitchell Marsh, his half-century having come in 199 deliveries and 305 minutes.
Just as incongruously, Elgar later fell to a slog, when he miscued one off Nathan Lyon and was well-caught by Shaun Marsh running back from extra cover. Elgar’s 81 had taken 250 deliveries and 337 minutes. Soon afterwards, Australia claimed another wicket when Quinton de Kock was lbw for 4 to Pat Cummins, who took his tally for the match to nine wickets, to add to the half-century he scored in Australia’s first innings.
But the most notable performance of the day was that of du Plessis, who had struggled throughout this series with scores of 15, 4, 9, 2*, 5, 20 and 0. He showed a greater willingness to play his shots than Elgar, and scored all around the ground, often adventurously, as when he lifted Cummins over cover-point for six. Du Plessis had earlier been struck on the finger by a rising ball from Cummins, but he batted through the pain to raise his eighth Test hundred.
His century came from his 163rd delivery with an outside edge for four off Josh Hazlewood. Du Plessis eventually fell for 120 to an outside edge off Cummins to slip, but even after his dismissal, South Africa batted on, and on, and on, and on, and on. Finally, he called a halt at tea, setting Australia 612 for victory.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo