Cape Town: Dean Elgar and AB de Villiers put on an unbroken stand of 93 to take South Africa to 185-2 at tea against a struggling Australia bowling attack on Day 1 of the third Test at Newlands on Thursday.
Opener Elgar was 91 not out and de Villiers raced to 46 not out, although Elgar had been dropped twice by the Australians.
Their stand followed an 86-run partnership between Elgar and Hashim Amla (33) as South Africa took advantage of winning the toss on a Cape Town pitch offering good batting conditions early in the test.
Australia’s bowlers had little to work with on what appeared to be a pretty flat strip.
But when they did create chances against Elgar, Nathan Lyon and then captain Steve Smith missed the catches. Lyon put down a straightforward chance at point when Elgar was on 53. Smith’s miss with Elgar on 87 was much tougher as he dived to his left at slip.
Australia also couldn’t follow up on an early breakthrough, when quick bowler Josh Hazlewood removed Aiden Markram in the fourth over of the test to leave South Africa 6-1. Hazlewood snared Markram for an 11-ball duck with a delivery that drifted away and took an outside edge to Smith at second slip.
South Africa settled with Elgar and Amla and reached 75-1 at lunch, then added another 110 runs in the second session.
Australia’s only other success was removing Amla after lunch, with Hazlewood collecting that wicket as well for his 2-23.
It was a grind for the rest of Australia’s attack, with Elgar hitting 14 fours and a six. De Villiers struck seven fours in his 46 off 69 balls.
As expected, South Africa selected Kagiso Rabada in its team for the crucial third test after the fast bowler had a two-match ban overturned on appeal this week, clearing him to play at Newlands.
Australia won the opening test convincingly in Durban and South Africa replied with victory in Port Elizabeth, leaving what’s been a fiercely-contested and often contentious series 1-1 with two tests to play.
While Rabada’s successful appeal against an International Cricket Council ruling meant he was retained in the team, South Africa made two other changes. Batsman Temba Bavuma was recalled after recovering from injury and fast bowler Morne Morkel also returned to the line-up.
Australia, which hasn’t lost a test series in South Africa since the end of apartheid, kept the same team that played the first two tests.
Scorecard
South Africa 1st Innings
D Elgar not out 91
A Markram c Smith b Hazlewood 0
H Amla c Cummins b Hazlewood 31
AB de Villiers not out 46
Extras: (b4, lb9, nb3, w2) 18
Total (for 2 wickets) 185
Yet to bat: F du Plessis, T Bavuma, Q de Kock †, VD Philander, KA Maharaj, K Rabada, M Morkel
Fall of wickets: 1-6 (AK Markram, 3.5 ov), 2-92 (HM Amla, 32.4 ov)
Bowling: M Starc 16.1-3-58-0, J Hazlewood 15-4-27-2, N Lyon 10-2-31-0, P Cummins 13-1-52-0, M Marsh 4-1-21-0, S Smith 1-1-0-0
