03/01Result
1st Test, Australia tour of South Africa at Durban, Mar 1-5 2018
Australia won by 118 runs
Player of the Match
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell StarcAustralia
03/01Result
1st Test, Australia tour of South Africa at Durban, Mar 1-5 2018
Australia won by 118 runs
Player of the Match
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell StarcAustralia

10.14am Australia add 14 runs to set SA a mammoth target. Dean Elgar rushes off, he'll open with Aiden Markram. Mitch Starc has a drink. Stay tuned for the final innings.

74.4
W
Maharaj to Cummins, OUT, dragged on, and Maharaj has four. He tossed that up wider outside off, Cummins chooses to drag the slog sweep instead of hitting through the off side. It's a risky option. The ball takes the inside edge and clips the side of leg stump. Australia all out for 227, setting SA 417 to win the first Test

PJ Cummins b Maharaj 26 (95m 57b 1x4 2x6) SR: 45.61

74.3
0
Maharaj to Cummins, no run, slow on middle and leg, Cummins blocks
74.2
6
Maharaj to Cummins, SIX, there's six for Australia. A tossed up delivery is deposited into the grass banks over midwicket with a well-timed slog sweep!
74.1
2
Maharaj to Cummins, 2 runs, heaved away into no-man's land at midwicket. Slow through the air, around middle. Morne at long-on runs around

END OF OVER:
74 | 2 Runs | AUS: 219/9

  • Josh Hazlewood9 (13b)
  • Pat Cummins18 (53b)
  • Morne Morkel15-4-47-3
  • Keshav Maharaj29-4-94-3
73.6
0
Morkel to Hazlewood, no run, full and wide, 137 kph, pushed to cover. Already a frustrating morning for SA

Johan : "This can still get very interesting. If SA can get a decent opening partnership and reach the end of the day at, say, 250 for 3, tomorrow will be fascinating. Having said that, I'm not putting any money on it!"

73.5
1
Morkel to Cummins, 1 run, another short, slower ball. Cummins watches the ball onto his bat and then guides the ball over AB at second slip. Just evades the fielder
73.4
0
Morkel to Cummins, no run, a length delivery around off, Cummins clears his front leg and swats one to mid-on. T20 terminology in commentary, rare!
73.3
1
Morkel to Hazlewood, 1 run, lobs to mid-on, on the bounce! A slower ball, a lovely variation to the No. 11. Hazlewood is through his shot too early, just pitches in front of Faf. A direct hit at the bowler's end asks for the third umpire to check, but all good.
73.2
0
Morkel to Hazlewood, no run, the bouncer around off, 144 kph. Hazlewood sways and looks to dab the ball over the slips, but he's not a good enough batsman to make contact with the pace of Morne

Viplav : "I really don't see SA either winning or drawing this game. The best possible thing to do for them would be to play as long as possible and not throw their wickets away looking for quick runs. They need to tire the australian bowlers and put some miles in their legs and thus give themselves the best chance of winning the remaining games"

73.1
0
Morkel to Hazlewood, no run, back of a length delivery, angling away, punched to mid-off from the crease

END OF OVER:
73 | 1 Run | AUS: 217/9

  • Pat Cummins17 (51b)
  • Josh Hazlewood8 (9b)
  • Keshav Maharaj29-4-94-3
  • Morne Morkel14-4-45-3
72.6
0
Maharaj to Cummins, no run, slow around off, 85 kph, nicely kept out. Good length from Kesh

Big Ronnie: "If Cummins and Hazlewood collide mid pitch and both cannot play any further part in the game then I give South Africa a 1 in 10 chance of victory." 1 in 10, quite generous.

72.5
1
Maharaj to Hazlewood, 1 run, flat on off, Hazlewood works the ball through square leg for one
72.4
0
Maharaj to Hazlewood, no run, 84 kph, flat outside off, another attempted sweep, another appeal as the ball hits pad. But that looked like it struck the pad outside the line. But Faf asks why not review and makes the T sign. No bat. Well outside the line of off says HawkEye, so poor review. Needless.
72.3
0
Maharaj to Hazlewood, no run, 88 kph, quick and full, smothered back

Adam: "SA is full of stars but this team was just beaten by England Home and away. A team that got thrashed by Australia. Not sure why everyone thought it would be so close"

72.2
0
Maharaj to Hazlewood, no run, the wild sweep, tossed up outside off, Hazlewood gets low but misses the heave. Struck on the body
72.1
0
Maharaj to Hazlewood, no run, flight outside off, Hazlewood uses his long reach to defend

Doesn't look like Australia are too interested in playing out time, wearing down SA as much as they can. They're looking for some quick runs, the right way. Maharaj. A slip, short leg and leg gully

Fans in the Indian subcontinent can stream the match here

END OF OVER:
72 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | AUS: 216/9

  • Pat Cummins17 (50b)
  • Josh Hazlewood7 (4b)
  • Morne Morkel14-4-45-3
  • Kagiso Rabada13-5-28-2
71.6
0
Morkel to Cummins, no run, back of a length around off, 135 kph, nudged to midwicket.
71.5
3
Morkel to Hazlewood, 3 runs, a languid drive through cover for three to begin the day. 141 kph, full and angling away. A leaden-footed drive through cover. Elgar chases it down.

Faf du Plessis leads the team huddle. One wicket to get. Dean Elgar takes the field too. Cummins and Hazlewood walk out behind the hosts. Morne Morkel will complete the over. Let's play.

Mohd Irshad: "SA is known to come out strong from such positions and we have seen it many times, be it when Duplesis stood tall in his first game, ABD and Amla blockathon in India, chased almost 457 and when they bowled out aus for 47 after conceding a good lead. The reason they have been at top for so long."

9.50am From an Australian point of view, all they needed yesterday was decent, and they got it, on a pitch that is taking plenty of turn and bounce.

They were led early in the morning by Cameron Bancroft's sparkling fifty. He said after play that he needs more time to find his best. Would you give it to him?

Stan - Greece: "I can't make out if Aus batted poorly or SA bowled well in this innings on Day 3. Any help? " Australia did not bat poorly, which is not good news for SA.

9.40am South Africa were quite good over days 1 and 3, but one bad day leaves them wondering how things went so bad, writes Firdose.

Over in the Sheffield Shield, Australia's premier first-class competition, 20-year old WIll Pucovski has been diagnosed with a concussion after being struck on the head by a bouncer from Sean Abbott.

Brett Taylor: "Hi. Dean Elgar didn't look good yesterday. Any news on possible injury? " He will bat today. He was never not going to.

9.30am Welcome one and all to the fourth day. It promises to be a cracking day, one team well ahead of the other but no one's giving up just yet. Australia are 402 runs ahead, and own this Test after three days. South Africa will need at least the fifth-highest successful chase in Test cricket, as Brydon Coverdale's report indicates. But they also have the ability to bat out large chunks of time and go absolutely nowhere in a Test.

We lost about 20 overs yesterday, and if you extrapolate that trend to days 4 and 5, we may have 160 overs left in the Test. We do have 98 overs scheduled for today (a 15 minute extension to the second and third sessions).

****

4.50pm That's stumps on day 3

The light was never really going to improve so Australia's last pair will come out for a bit tomorrow morning. Australia just needed to have an okay-ish day. And that's what they got, as Australia extended their lead to 402. They are well in command, but South Africa had a good day. They fought hard and kept Australia to just 213 after a fast start. They will need an extraordinary day 4 to stay in the game. But don't put it past South Africa, especially against Australia. So join us tomorrow, bright and early. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.

4.29pm That's it, it seems. The umpires have had enough. Bad light stops play. Not a bad result for South Africa. I don't think the light is going to improve much, which means that could be it. Confirmation as and when we have it.

Jon: "Lest we forget, Australia's total just in this innings has already topped South Africa's first innings."

Marshall Raja: "Nikhil! Should SA Lose this test, do you think SA will drop Morkel for Ngidi. That would be a sad way to finish the career for Morkel even though he got some easy wickets in the 2nd Innings." Undoubtedly, in my mind, Morkel is a better bowler than Ngidi currently. So no.

Mehul: "Is there a reason why play does not start early, given we have had two days out of three where bad light has forced play to stop significantly before the scheduled end of play?" These may be predetermined conditions, decided on prior to the series.

71.4
4
Morkel to Hazlewood, FOUR, nicely played. Morkel is too full and driven through mid-off and that takes Australia's lead over 400

Thunk ump Dharmasena is wearing those light-enhancing glasses. If that's not a sign ...

71.3
0
Morkel to Hazlewood, no run, short and wide outside off, 140 kph, right in the cutting arc but Hazlewood makes no contact.
71.2
0
Morkel to Hazlewood, no run, a full delivery outside off, 140 kph, driven to mid-off.

Expect a few short balls to Hazlewood as a message to the standing umpires. SA will hope Hazlewood doesn't see one, lobs one up to gully and that will be that for day 3.

Paul: "1000/1 chance better than no chance "

71.1
W
Morkel to Lyon, OUT, edged and gone! 139 kph, and Lyon nicks off to first slip. Real danger for South Africa now. A lovely delivery, good length in a channel outside off, the ball pitches and moves away. Lyon drives, gets a thick outside edge which flies low to Amla at first slip, who gets forward and takes a good 'un.

NM Lyon c Amla b Morkel 2 (25m 11b 0x4 0x6) SR: 18.18

Thanks Alan. It's rather dark, not sure how much longer they can stay out there. SA very wisely bowling short, attacking the ribs.

END OF OVER:
71 | 1 Run | AUS: 209/8

  • Pat Cummins17 (49b)
  • Nathan Lyon2 (10b)
  • Kagiso Rabada13-5-28-2
  • Morne Morkel13-4-38-2

On come the drinks at the halfway point of the evening session - although I'm not sure how much longer they'll stay out. Dean Elgar is receiving treatment on his right pinkie, according to Firdose

Anyway, it's time for Nikhil to take the keyboard and navigate a path to the close...

70.6
0
Rabada to Cummins, no run, bumper to finish the over, Cummins is quickly down on his haunches

Match Coverage

All Match News

Markram's mark

2

No. of fourth-innings centuries in Durban since 1992, including Markram's in this match. The only other was Herschelle Gibbs' 104 also v Aus in 2002. SA had chased down 335 in that Test.

Rare dismissal for ABD

6

Instances of AB de Villiers being run out in Tests. This was his first such instance since Oct 2013. It's also his first duck in 39 Test innings v Australia

Tough for SA

370

The highest 4th-innings total in a Durban Test since South Africa's return to Test cricket. SA made that score v Australia in 2009, in a Test they lost by 175 runs

Maharaj's marches ahead

0

No. of SA spinners to take more than six wickets in a Test at Durban since readmission before this Test. Keshav Maharaj has taken nine in this match.

Bancroft gets one

2

No. of 50s for Cameron Bancroft in his 10 Test innings, including the one in the second inns of this Test. He hasn't crossed 30 in rest of the 8 inns.

Warner in SA

90.50

David Warner's average in Tests in South Africa, before this match. In the 2013-14 tour he had scored 543 runs in three Tests with three centuries and two fifties. He's got to another fifty in this match.

Smith's Streak

5

No. of consecutive 50+ scores for Steven Smith in Tests, including his 56 in this inns. He had scored 239, 76, 102* and 83 in last two Ashes Tests before this series.

Home disadvantage

0

No. of Test series wins for South Africa against Australia at home since readmission. They have played 7 series in SA of which Aus won 5 and 2 were drawn.