Have the Aussies copped the raw prawn? Proteas punish ailing attack as cause for Hazlewood’s illness is revealed

If Australia is to squander this Test from a dominant position and, Heaven forbid, lose this series to South Africa, the chief villain can already be identified as the dodgy prawn Josh Hazlewood consumed at some stage this week.

For it is difficult to believe that as masterfully as South African captain Temba Bavuma batted on Tuesday in Gqeberha, a fit and firing Josh Hazlewood would not have made a massive difference in a Test that has slipped from Australia’s grasp.

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But with the ‘Bullet from Bendemeer’ confined to a sick bay on Monday, prevented from bowling until lunchtime on Tuesday and then firing blanks after that when looking green to the gills, Bavuma steered South Africa from peril to dominance.

Aided magnificently by Marco Jansen and historically by Simon Harmer in a recored 183 eighth wicket partnership for South Africa, the Proteas made the most of Australia effectively being a man down and have a chance to square an intriguing series.

As Bavuma got the better of his Australian counterpart Pat Cummins on route to a superb 179, the whispers mounted. Had the Aussies got it wrong by leaving Nathan Lyon out?

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and his replacement Scott Boland finished with five wickets when by far Australia’s most effective bowler.

As Mitchell Starc noted later, it is difficult to plan for losing a quick bowler and Beau Webster was serviceable without beging menacing when holding down an end.

“Coming to the game, you don’t know you’re going to be a man down, do you?” Starc said.

“I mean, if you know you are going to be a man down from the start, you are probably playing a different make-up, aren’t you? But unfortunately Josh had a dodgy prawn or something. But he will bring fresh legs for the second innings.”

But the champion off-spinner would have offered a different look on a day where the Aussies were blunted by a browned out deck and Bavuma’s brilliant concentration as St George’s Park’s famous brass band got into the swing of things.

Decked out in an orange vest at lunch, Lyon examined the pitch closely before heading to a wicket a few decks down to give Australia’s reserve to its reserve wicketkeeper in Simon Harper a chance to practice his keeping.

But at least he did not partake in any “sideline reporting today” after the headlines he created when “filthy” at being last left out at the Gabba and was visible in trying to keep the energy up on a day the series arguably came alive.

“Everyone wants to play every game. You’re naturally going to be disappointed when you don’t get put in the XI,” Starc said.

“He’s been around long enough to put his shoes back on and be the team man that he is. He’s been on the boundary most of the day today, whether it’s down at fine leg runner drinks or just giving a little tap on the back.

“I’ve been left out plenty of times and naturally you are disappointed that you don’t get to play, but he’ll get another opportunity and we know his experience around the group.”

South Africa batted with brilliance to turn around a position of peril at 6-110 when Wiaan Mulder gave Starc his 450th Test wicket - he is the fourth Australia and 10th bowler overall to reach the milestone - to declare at 9-425.

In scoring his first century against Australia, Bavuma faced 334 deliveries and batted for 546 minutes in arguably the best knock of his career, though he stated the history-making century he made a decade ago against England when the first black South African to make a Test hundred is his favourite.

There was just enough light left late in the day for the returning Kagiso Rabada to make Nic Maddinson look like a novice when opening, with the New South Welshman falling for his second duck in three innings since his shock recall.

Trailing by 422 runs with two days remaining, Australia’s hopes of winning are effectively gone, with the challenge now to bat for two days with 19 wickets in hand in order to stay one up heading to the series finale in Cape Town.

Asked how the pitch would hold up given how docile it appeared on Tuesday, with Cummins avoiding an unwanted century of his own when removing himself from the attack late in the day, Starc pointed out that because of the rain in the first two days, only 131 overs had been bowled on it.

“Well, it clearly hasn’t had much foot traffic, right? So, yes, it’s a day three wicket, but it only had 120 (odd) overs of traffic on it. So, (it’s) hard to tell,” he said.