22/03Result
3rd Test, Australia tour of South Africa at Cape Town, Mar 22-25 2018
South Africa won by 322 runs
Player of the Match
Morne Morkel
Morne MorkelSouth Africa
22/03Result
3rd Test, Australia tour of South Africa at Cape Town, Mar 22-25 2018
South Africa won by 322 runs
Player of the Match
Morne Morkel
Morne MorkelSouth Africa

So, take a bow, Dean Elgar! He carries his bat for the second time this season, and incredibly the third time this year, after previous efforts against England and India. And though the innings ended with indecent haste, that ninth wicket stand between Elgar and Rabada has given South Africa a total of definite substance, given the quality of their attack and the apparent life in the wicket.

Right, that's an opportune moment for me to hand over. Alan Gardner will see you through the start of the Australia innings

Vaughan: "2 world records equalled on the same ball - Elgar carrying his bat for a 3rd time (level with Haynes) and Smith 5 catches in an innings"

97.5
W
Lyon to Morkel, OUT, edged and gone! A carbon copy of the Rabada dismissal, in the slot for the drive, and tweaking away. Lyon has two in the over, and South Africa's innings is done!

M Morkel c Smith b Lyon 4 (3m 4b 1x4 0x6) SR: 100.00

97.4
0
Lyon to Morkel, no run, width outside off stump, and left alone
97.3
4
Lyon to Morkel, FOUR, dumped over long-off! Well, why not! In the slot and slogged high and handsomely!

How will this change Elgar's approach, I wonder?

97.2
0
Lyon to Morkel, no run, round the wicket, tossed up into the toes, and blocked

Lyon has his first wicket in a Cape Town Test, and a very fine innings from Rabada comes to an end.

97.1
W
Lyon to Rabada, OUT, round the wicket, in the slot, a hard-handed drive, a simple edge to slip! Well, that was uncomplicated

K Rabada c Smith b Lyon 22 (62m 42b 3x4 0x6) SR: 52.38

Time for a change of tempo, and not before time, I reckon. Here's Lyon

END OF OVER:
97 | 6 Runs | SA: 307/8

  • Dean Elgar141 (284b)
  • Kagiso Rabada22 (41b)
  • Josh Hazlewood23-4-59-2
  • Pat Cummins26-6-78-4

Clark Kent: "Question: Why did play go past the alotted time yesterday? Wasn't it supposed to be stopped at 17:30?" I will never understand how the hours of play in a Test match are decided, and I've been watching and trying to learn for a while...

96.6
0
Hazlewood to Elgar, no run, nip off the deck on a middle-and-leg line, flicks the pad and flies out to point
96.5
4
Hazlewood to Elgar, FOUR, bang! That's an awesome bit of biffing! Meeting the fuller length with an utterly out-of-character thump through the line! Holding the pose and dumping the ball right to the brink of the rope
96.4
0
Hazlewood to Elgar, no run, turned inside out this time by a better-directed short ball, aimed right at the ribcage
96.3
1
Hazlewood to Rabada, 1 run, short, pulled, safe! Rabada is making his own luck with his aggressive intent, I reckon. Another shovelled pull, a spiralling top-edge, but lands safe at fine leg
96.2
0
Hazlewood to Rabada, no run, banged in short again, outside off, as Rabada drops his hands

Morris: "I have to say, in all my years as an english teacher, espncricinfo commentators definitely have most impressive vocabulary I've seen! (even going so far as to make up their own words - eg. "'shmurdle' round the corner for two" haha)." I love a good schmurdle. Only the very finest nuggets can pull one off..

96.1
1
Hazlewood to Elgar, 1 run, poked into the on side, calm and composed

END OF OVER:
96 | (maiden) | SA: 301/8

  • Kagiso Rabada21 (39b)
  • Dean Elgar136 (280b)
  • Pat Cummins26-6-78-4
  • Josh Hazlewood22-4-53-2
95.6
0
Cummins to Rabada, no run, short again, outside off. Rabada ducks again
95.5
0
Cummins to Rabada, no run, back of a length once more, and Rabada, with his blood pumping, has another go. Deep backward point in place, and a wide gully
95.4
0
Cummins to Rabada, no run, fuller length, still a fraction short, but it draws a loose poke as Rabada follows the angle outside off. Better from Australia
95.3
0
Cummins to Rabada, no run, short once more, Rabada ducks without a care in the world
95.2
0
Cummins to Rabada, no run, short again, Rabada is pre-empting the bouncer now, and walks inside the line in an attempt to deflect it very fine. Misses out
95.1
0
Cummins to Rabada, no run, another fizzing bouncer, can't connect with a flinched pull

AUS tour of SA 2017-18 News

ABD's double

5

No. of times AB de Villiers has made two fifty-plus scores in the same Tests, including this match. The last he did so was way back in 2011. SA have lost two of the previous 4 times he scored 50+ in both inns.

Morkel's milestone

300+

Wickets for Morne Morkel in Tests. He has become the fifth for South Africa after Donald, Pollock, Ntini and Steyn to complete 300 wickets.

Elgar carries again

3

No. of times Dean Elgar has carried his bat in a Test inns, including this Test. He equals Desmond Haynes who had also done it three times.

Killing spell

4/8

Pat Cummins' spell in the third session on day one in which he picked up 4 wickets for 8 runs in 8 overs. He rattled through the middle-order dismissing De Villiers, Du Plessis Bavuma and De Kock in that spell.

Faf fails

8.75

Faf du Plessis' average in this series, which is his second-lowest in any Test series. He averaged 8.57 in the series against India in 2015-16 which is his lowest.

ABD's hot form

6

No. of 50+ scores for AB de Villiers in 7 Tests since his return. He averages over 55 in these matches.

Hazlewood again

7

No. of times Hashim Amla has got out to Josh Hazlewood in Tests, in 9 innings. Only Broad has dismissed Amla on more occasions, 8 times in 29 inns.