End of innings Australia 221 (Paine 62, Khawaja 53, Cummins 50, Philander 3-30, Rabada 3-53, Maharaj 3-92) trail South Africa 488 by 267 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Captain Tim Paine led a fighting lower-order effort from Australia on the third day in Johannesburg, where South Africa declined to enforce the follow-on but remained firmly in control of the Test. Australia were dismissed for 221 less than half an hour into the second session, still trailing by 267 runs, but Faf du Plessis’ decision to bat again was likely influenced in part by a side strain suffered by Morne Morkel.
Paine and Pat Cummins produced Australia’s biggest partnership of the series, a 99-run seventh-wicket stand that proved a sizeable frustration for South Africa, who had started the day with Australia on 110 for 6. Cummins made his maiden Test half-century, which he added to a five-wicket haul from South Africa’s first innings, but fell for 50 when he missed an attempted sweep off Keshav Maharaj and was adjudged lbw on review.
Nathan Lyon fell shortly after the resumption when he chipped a simple catch to mid-off from the bowling of Kagiso Rabada for 8, and debutant Chadd Sayers was caught for a duck when he swiped a catch off Maharaj straight to backward point. At that stage, Paine was still searching for his half-century, which he found by clubbing Maharaj over midwicket for six.
Paine’s efforts in his first Test captaining Australia were all the more impressive, given that he was batting with a hairline fracture in his thumb after copping a painful blow on the second day of the Test.
He finally fell for 62 to end the innings, and it was a spectacular finish as Dean Elgar completed one of the all-time great catches. Paine had lifted Rabada over mid-off and Elgar sprinted with the flight of the ball, then timed his full-stretch leap to perfection to cling on to the ball, promptly celebrating by running off the ground to pad up for South Africa’s second innings.
Maharaj, Rabada and Vernon Philander finished with three wickets each for the innings.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo