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Key events
6th over: South Africa 23-0 (Markram 9, Ackerman 12) Markram punches to point again, but Lyon is stationed right on the white line there and gets in the way. Eventually a leg bye, then a single, from Hazlewood.
“Given that Cam Green can’t bowl and you have Head, Renshaw and Connolly, this is the test you go in with four seamers,” writes Kevin Wilson. Maybe. There have been some pretty good performances by spinners though on this ground.
5th over: South Africa 21-0 (Markram 9, Ackerman 12) Flushed him! Yowch. Starc belts Markram, straight out. Around the wicket, bowls a body-length ball clocked at 149 kph, and that did look quick as well, unlike some of the high readings in the second Test. In at the body and Markram doesn’t have time to do anything but flinch and hope it doesn’t hurt him too badly. It smashes the little wrist guard, but will still have done some damage. Deflects for a leg bye. Ackerman, though, middles his next shot, full on his pads and taken through square.
4th over: South Africa 15-0 (Markram 8, Ackerman 7) Hazlewood full again, inside edge again, this one a danger of being played back onto Ackerman’s stumps. He gets going with a leg glance though, four, then drives a single/.
“Thanks for the coverage again!” writes George van Zijl. “Based on form the Aussies could probably pick Lyon as spinner and include Boland as a batsman. He batted in the top order in both innings last test and did better than most. How many times has a batting pair started two days in a row after a full day’s play? I guess the best bet is when no wickets fall, which only has occurred once in my cricket following days (SA vs Aus at the Wanderers in I think 1996). The Head-Boland partnership should be less unique as bowling a team out and having them follow-on happens more readily than a pair carrying their bats for a full day. Cant wait for this Test.”
The full-day batting partnership has quite a lot of precedents. Top of my head, Laxman and Dravid in 2001, Taylor and Marsh in 1989, Sangakkara and Jayawardene in the record partnership against your lot, Lara and Jimmy Adams in Kingston. You’re thinking of Steve Waugh and Greg Blewett in 1997. I reckon there would be fewer examples with a team following on, hard to track those without doing it manually though, and I’m a bit busy right now. Anyone free?
3rd over: South Africa 10-0 (Markram 8, Ackerman 2) Starc gets Markram hopping and playing from the first ball of the over, but Markram picks off the second, a lovely clip off a leg stump line from a ball that is about hip height, not glanced fine but struck more sweetly square of the wicket. Four.
Goes again! The sort of shot that has had him in trouble this series, and other players, punching square off the back foot, riding the bounce of a shorter ball to flash it through point, but this time it works perfectly. On a nice sunny morning, is this a batting paradise?
2nd over: South Africa 2-0 (Markram 0, Ackerman 2) Hazlewood, by contrast, is on the money immediately. Ackerman has to play at almost everything, and doesn’t look comfortable with the bounce. Wears one on the gloves, squeezes a couple of balls away off the inside edge without control. Survives, though, and picks up two in advertent runs from one of those defensive shots.
1st over: South Africa 0-0 (Markram 0, Ackerman 0) Thus begins the day via Mitchell Starc. He was Australia’s champion during the recent Ashes series, then hasn’t had a big influence in the two Tests here so far. Three wickets each during the Durban and Gqeberha matches, produced some good deliveries but had some radar issues.
His first over here doesn’t correct that, with Markram able to leave the first five balls of the Test.
So that’s a lot of changes in between preamble speculation and the start of play. Email me your thoughts. Let’s get into it.
The two teams are on the field at Newlands for the national anthems with first ball only a few minutes away.
If you missed it, last week Barney Ronay gave his view of Temba Bavuma’s masterwork.
Bavuma has been a transformative Test captain, with 12 wins in 14 matches, four hundreds, a world championship mace, all stretched over three broken years. But he is still always, always chasing legitimacy and affirmation, in a way that is unique to cricket, but also unique to this man in this role in this sporting nation. First black middle order batsman. First black captain. How is this going to fall? How strong is that ice underfoot?
Among the Australia’s four changes for this Test, there’s still no proven replacement opener for Usman Khawaja, who has been on media street lately with his book coming out to coincide with an Australian Story episode.
South Africa XI
Aiden Markram, Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (capt), Matthew Breetzke, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada.
The Proteas are forced to make one change and have no reason to swing any more after their thumping victory by an innings and 31 runs in the second Test. Gerald Coetzee replaces the injured Anrich Nortje.
Australia XI
Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Matt Renshaw moves to the top of the order to partner Travis Head with Cameron Green slated to come in at No 4. Cooper Connolly expected to bat after Alex Carey.
Pat Cummins explains the four selection changes and how close Steve Smith was to playing on Australia’s first Test at Newlands since 2018.
We’re going to have a bowl, feel like there’s little of moisture in the wicket today.
[Steve Smith] had another little practice this morning but wasn’t happy with how his neck was feeling. We’ve got some other guys really placed. They’ve been working hard the last couple of weeks, a couple have had injuries, they’re coming back now
Very hard [to leave out Boland]. He’s such a class player. As it was hard to leave out Nathan Lyon last week, so a good problem to have.
Australia win the toss and elect to bowl
Pat Cummins wins the toss and Australia will bowl first against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town.
Steve Smith to miss third Test
Steve Smith has failed a fitness test and with miss the series decider against South Africa in Newlands, as Australia have been forced into a huge change and made a couple more selection calls based on form and fitness. Josh Inglis comes in for the former Australia captain.
Cooper Connolly will play his second Test in place of Beau Webster, while Australia also turn to Nathan Lyon with Scott Boland the unlucky pace bowler to miss out. Cameron Green returns after recovering from an abdominal strain as the Nic Maddinson experiment comes to an end.
Australia are expected to make at least a couple of changes. Martin Pegan looked closer at who might be on their way in – and out – of the team.
The Australian selectors have shown in South Africa they are prepared to change a winning formula with the ball, while they have long been reluctant to cut ties with proven performers with the bat. But the first innings capitulation as Australia were all out for 99 in Gqeberha could force their hand to make a tough call or two – or perhaps more – as a selection storm brews before the series decider in Cape Town.
This was the Australian camp’s attitude yesterday as to whether Smith would be passed fit.
The weather! Always worth checking in this game. Thankfully the forecast suggests that we’ll have less annoyance with rain and light than in the first two Tests, that both got dragged out to five days when better conditions might have had them wrapped up in three or four.
For Cape Town, the weather is set fair, with sunny days and just some scattered cloud expected. Cool temperatures given the season, low 20s will be the max. Ideal for the players.
Preamble
Geoff Lemon
One, two, three. That’s as many Tests as we’re going to get in this series, and today begins the third and final. It’s the one that we’ve all been waiting for: the return to Cape Town, the scene of all that went wrong for Australia in 2018, and thus the location with so much riding on it should they put on a performance that would create some fresher and better memories.
That, though, would require a serious turnaround in form and fortune, given the way South Africa slowly stomped them last week in Gqeberha. Australia’s batting is the weak point, given their win in Durban was largely carried on the capacious shell of The Turtle, Matthew Renshaw, while their loss the following week was down to their insipid 99 all out in their first attempt with the bat.
We probably already know what the teams will be, pending any late injuries or changes of heart, with minimal changes likely. One batting change for Australia will create a shuffle: Cameron Green back into the side from injury means Nic Maddinson out on lack of runs, with Matt Renshaw moving up to open. Marnus Labuschagne and Beau Webster likely stay put. The other change will be Nathan Lyon in for Scott Boland. Cue debate. There’s some chance Steve Smith will miss with his neck injury, in which case Josh Inglis would likely come in rather than Maddinson shifting down.
As for South Africa, the injured Anrich Nortje being replaced by fellow fast man Gerald Coetzee is likely the only change, with Temba Bavuma hoping to continue his excellent record as leader, both in terms of wins and of runs.
Lots going on. Let’s start our walk.
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