Tea South Africa 488 and 58 for 1 (Elgar 16*, Amla 4*) lead Australia 221 (Paine 62, Khawaja 53, Cummins 50, Philander 3-30, Rabada 3-53, Maharaj 3-92) by 325 runs
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Dean Elgar produced a contender for catch of the series to dismiss new Australia captain Tim Paine
South Africa extended their lead to 325 by tea on the third day in Johannesburg, after Australia captain Tim Paine earlier led a fightback of sorts from the lower order. Likely short a bowler due to Morne Morkel’s side strain, South Africa captain Faf du Plessis declined to enforce the follow-on, and at tea, his team’s lead had grown from a 267, with Dean Elgar on 16 and Hashim Amla on 4.
It meant Australia would very probably face a record chase in order to level the series 2-2. Australia had made only one breakthrough, with South Africa on 58 for 1 at the break. Aiden Markram, who had only just become the second-fastest South African to 1000 Test runs, edged Pat Cummins to Peter Handscomb at second slip to be caught for 37.
Earlier, Australia were dismissed for 221 less than half an hour into the second session, after Paine and Cummins fought hard with Australia’s biggest partnership of the series. Their 99-run seventh-wicket stand 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 eventually fell for 62 to end the innings, and it was a spectacular finish as Dean Elgar completed a catch of the highest quality. 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