South Africa beat Australia by 176 runs to win series: third Test, day five – live

As for Australia, what a dire performance with the bat two matches in a row. All out 99 in the previous Test, all out 111 here, both times with so much to play for. They’ve had batting problems for a long time, and have had their heads in the sand when it comes to selection. I’ll run through all of this in more detail in a postmortem column to go up in the next 24 hours, so I won’t go into chapter and verse here, but you know what I’m talking about.

Openers who aren’t openers and keep changing roles, a number three who can’t make a run, a number four who behaved erratically through the series and missed the last match, a keeper at six who offered far more at seven, and bit-part players at seven who’ve added nothing with either discipline.

You don’t deserve to win matches when you put together teams like that, and they haven’t done. Pressure to make some significant changes will be high.

What a performance from this home side. Underclubbed, under-resourced, underprepared, no Test matches played for most of this year, none at home for two years. They looked it in the first Test, beaten badly, and they were in all sorts of trouble in the second. Then they got fired up and got their act together, coming back to win in Gqeberha, and laying a series of body blows on Australia here.

They are at the top of the world rankings, and they are a big step closer to the next World Test Championship final to defend their title. They looked a rabble last time they visited Australia a couple of years back, they had a sixth-string side go to New Zealand after that, and they were at risk of becoming a joke. Now this team is saying, to its own board and to the ICC, let us show what we can do. Let us play this game, this format, that suits us so well.

Absolutely no idea! Josh Hazlewood facing that ball looked like a man trying to read an IKEA manual. Squinted at it, prodded at it, but Harmer from around the wicket drifts the ball across the left-hander, from off to leg, has it pitch and then turn back past the bat to hit the off stump. A dreamy piece of off-spin bowling to put the final full stop on this series, and give Harmer 6 for 16.

57th over: Australia 111-9 (Lyon 33, Hazlewood 0) We’re past the schedule time for tea, but extending the session by half an hour given the chance that the match will end with more more wicket. That’s the stretch goal for this last pair: can they last until the break? That’s 25 minutes away. Lyon picks up a boundary from Markram, short and tugged around the corner, then a square drive is well stopped by Harmer at cover point.

56th over: Australia 107-9 (Lyon 29, Hazlewood 0) Remarkable figures of 5 for 16 for Harmer, the spinner who Australia allowed to bowl last on this pitch with their call at the toss. Hazlewood is the last man in, and survives his first two balls.

It was always coming! It was in the wind, whispering between the telephone wires. Harmer comes around the wicket to Cummins, and the change of line disrupts the batter enough. Wonderful bowling, starting very wide, drifting it across far enough that it just pitches in line with the leg stump, and then it turns back enough that it will hit off stump, except the back leg is in the way. Cummins has faced 90 balls; it’s been brave. Now it’s over. And Harmer has five.

55th over: Australia 107-8 (Cummins 11, Lyon 29) Blocking, blocking, and eventually Lyon sees width from Markram and can’t help driving that through cover for two. He’s top scorer in his own right now, having passed Green’s score.

“I imagine that there will be some sympathy around the globe for Australia’s current plight,” writes Andrew Parker, fingers in keyboard and tongue in cheek. This pair are playing in a way that could be admired, it must be said. They’ve brought it down to 34 overs remaining.

54th over: Australia 105-8 (Cummins 11, Lyon 27) Cummins keeps battling. He’s trying to read the turn off the pitch at times, defending that, so even when Harmer rags one, Cummins gets bat to it. But one that turns less takes the outside edge, and that will be a risk throughout. This time Cummins survives it, and profits by two runs. This time.

53rd over: Australia 103-8 (Cummins 9, Lyon 27) So now Lyon is happy to buckle down again, blocking out an over from Markram. Dual spin in Cape Town.

52nd over: Australia 103-8 (Cummins 9, Lyon 27) Here’s Harmer back, brought on at an end where he can bowl to Lyon rather than Cummins. You can swee why, as Lyon immediately is drawn into a sweep. Compulsive on the hook to the quicks and the sweep to the slows, Lyon is a man who just can’t help playing across the line. This time he gets the shoulder of the bat, then it rolls up his arm to the shoulder of the body, and launch-ramps over fine leg for four runs. He ticks a single from the next ball, back foot shot, to turn over the strike and give Harmer back to Cummins. Touché, Bavuma.

In scant consolation, Australia have avoided being bowled out for under 100. In amusing trivia, Nathan Lyon has once again top-scored in a Test innings at Cape Town.

51st over: Australia 98-8 (Cummins 9, Lyon 22) Cummins, the spin absorber, soaks up another over of Markram. A little alarm with an inside edge that squirts past a close catcher on the leg side, but he’s still there.

50th over: Australia 98-8 (Cummins 9, Lyon 22) The wicket is coming, surely, surely. After driving a couple of runs through mid on, Lyon plays an impulsive uppercut against Rabada and lifting him over slip. Totally unnecessary shot for Australia’s purposes, that ball is short enough to just leave alone. Cummins should be telling him off. Don’t let Rabada in, should be the resolve. Pile furniture against the door like in a zombie movie. Lyon goes back to defence for the rest of the over.

49th over: Australia 92-8 (Cummins 9, Lyon 16) South Africa finally give Harmer a break, with Markram the understudy doing the matinee. He bowls some filth first up, short and sitting there guilelessly, and even the Great Stonewalling Cummins can’t help but hit that one, tugging it through leg for four. He’s faced 71 balls.

48th over: Australia 88-8 (Cummins 5, Lyon 16) Rabada to Lyon, who can’t help hooking, but misses the lot. Rabada wonders about an edge, but it wasn’t there. All middle from the third ball, however! Lyon punches him away through point for four. Nice shot, they need exactly 200 with 41 overs to go. Batting like this makes you wonder what might have happened had the actual batters done half of their job…

Lyon follows that up with a pull for two, then a push behind point for two. He’s doubled his score in this over.

“Just caught sight of the score,” writes James Brough. “Blimey. I would’ve narrowly backed SA, but I would’ve predicted something close with Jansen the main wicket taker. With regard to Harmer - when did someone last bowl 16 overs at less than half a run per over? Stunning figures.”

They have no interest in trying to score from Harmer, James, so he’s in a lovely spot where he can just bowl and bowl and bowl. Quite a few such analyses from bowlers in draws over the years.

47th over: Australia 80-8 (Cummins 5, Lyon 8) Cummins with six catchers swarming him now, seagulls waiting for a chip. Harmer keeps wheeling away, but Cummins goes up to 65 balls faced, stunning each ball down into the surface.

46th over: Australia 80-8 (Cummins 5, Lyon 8) Rabada to Lyon, and the Australian No10 teases the bowler all through the over. Lots of flirtation outside the off stump, the ball not exactly seaming but Lyon can’t play the right line. His hands are soft enough to edge one down and through the cordon gap for four, and the rest he makes no contact with at all. 80 for 8 with Lyon on 8. Lots of sideways infinity symbols. Australia have to bat for infinity, because things have gone so far sideways.

45th over: Australia 76-8 (Cummins 5, Lyon 4) A couple more off the bat for Cummins, working Harmer away behind square on the leg side. He’s not exactly looking to score, but sometimes the safest thing is to hit the ball away. Another ball loops off the pad over the leg slip, but no bat in that one.

44th over: Australia 74-8 (Cummins 3, Lyon 4) Rabada is back. Huge cheer! They want him to bowl at Cummins, who he has a suffocatingly good record against, but he gets to bowl at Lyon instead. Probably has a good record against him too. Lyon pulls him for four, though! Great shot, in control, along the ground, gaps abound with bat-pad catchers both sides of the wicket. Rabada started the over with an overstep, as well.

45 overs to go, and an irrelevant 214 runs short.

43rd over: Australia 69-8 (Cummins 3, Lyon 0) Harder work for Cummins now facing Harmer, who gets an inside edge that bounces clear for a couple of runs, then loops one in that turns towards the front pad, but is bouncing too high for an lbw. A look of furious determination on Cummins’ face as he tried to keep that out. He’s fighting. Raises a Half Cowan – he’s faced 53 balls now.

42nd over: Australia 67-8 (Cummins 1, Lyon 0) Big celebration for Extras! Four byes from Coetzee bouncing it over Rickelton, and the big Ex goes to 15, now the second leading run-scorer behind Green. Lyon survives the over.

41st over: Australia 63-8 (Cummins 1, Lyon 0) It’s a doomed endeavour, they’ve got 50 more overs to face, but Cummins has been commendable so far. He’s faced almost 50 balls by the end of this over, and defuses Harmer with apparent ease during these six, that simple big stride out and a block. Why didn’t Green that give that a shot?

That’s drinks.

40th over: Australia 63-8 (Cummins 1, Lyon 0) A run! A precious run. Huge Bronx from the crowd as Cummins drives Coetzee to cover and decides to take it. Then boos as Lyon hits aerially through midwicket and Cummins says no. He wants to face Harmer, is it? He’s done it well so far, to be fair.

39th over: Australia 62-8 (Cummins 0, Lyon 0) I don’t know how that ball got through Green. So many acres of pad and boot there, bat as well, and somehow it burrowed through a gap. Harmer finishes the over to Lyon, who plays the impulsive sweep first up, then gets his head right and defends.

There it is! A masterstroke from Bavuma. I mean, it was a pretty obvious tactical move, but they still had to do it. Green was trying to avoid facing Harmer, didn’t fancy him with all of that rough outside the off stump, so Bavuma uses the Coetzee over to swing Harmer around to the other end. Green is anxious about it, wants to use his feet to get to the pitch of the ball and defend it from there, like he did well in Sri Lanka a couple of years ago. But that doesn’t help him. He gallops down to block, and can’t make contact anyway. The ball shreds out of the rough, flat and sharp turn, and hits his off stump. Sensational bowling. Game over over over, even though it all but was already.

38th over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Ten overs without a run. Coetzee comes on to make Cummins face pace, but Cummins is immaculate, defending everything that he can’t leave.

37th over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Jansen replaces Rabada, a little victory for Green there. You’d expect him to bomb Green from left-arm over the wicket, but he only bowls the once bouncer, and Green drops his gloves and spins away, holding his hands protectively to his chest like a kid holding a cake that he doesn’t want to share.

36th over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Harmer to Cummins, whose whole approach is to get way out on the front foot to defend. Using his full reach.

“Is the average age of this Australian team now a factor in a really brutal grind of a test match like this one? As well as destroying the careers of an entire generation of young players?”

I think that’s on the hyperbolic side, David Hindle, about the young players. Any national team hopes to have players who are good enough that they keep being involved until well into their 30s. There aren’t a lot of really hard done by players, dominating state cricket and not getting a go. To the contrary, a bunch of pretty average players have had various shots in this team.

As for the effect on this day’s play, fatigue might influence bad shots or bad running decisions, but everyone had a night’s sleep and came into today fresh. Youth didn’t help Connolly decide not to boom a drive at a wide ball turning away from him.

35th over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Rabada to Green, who carries on as was foretold. He doesn’t mind some long, slow batting, Green, in a way he’s probably quite enjoying being able to just play and not worry about how to score.

34th over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Some repeated themes here. Cummins being hit outside the line and surviving appeals. Cummins squeezing defensive shots away but not taking singles. They’ve scored two runs from one shot in eight overs since lunch.

33rd over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Rabada to Green, who isn’t just dead-batting, he’s trying to keep his rhythm intact by driving the fuller balls. Finds the straight fielders though, doesn’t score. Seam movement seems to have dissipated now that the ball is older.

32nd over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Good over of defence from Cummins that doesn’t have many alarms for five of the balls, but the one that is alarming jumps at him, Harmer hitting the rough, and that’s explosive bounce as well as turn. That kind of misbehaviour will have an impact at some stage.

31st over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Rabada makes Green play at almost everything in that over, which the batter does comfortably enough except for one that goes past the edge.

30th over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Harmer to Cummins, who copes with him ok through this over. No run taken when available, Green wants to face Rabada.

29th over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Another lbw knocked back, this time Rabada bowling to Green, who is caught on the crease as the ball angles in. Rabada really likes it, he’s roaring, but it struck high, and Green is as tall as they come. Well, except for Jansen.

28th over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) Pat Cummins batted for a long time in a futile resistance in the final Test the last time he toured here, Johannesburg 2018. That was in the first innings after the top order got blown away, but still. Can do that job, sometimes. I don’t anticipate it today, but he might dig into those memories. He defends through Harmer’s over, and SA waste a review on a ball that hits him outside the line without a true shot played.

27th over: Australia 62-7 (Green 27, Cummins 0) We’re back at it. One slip and a gully for Green facing Rabada, which is interesting. Stack the old cordon, Temba. Runs can’t hurt you now. Right on cue, Green nicks one through the cordon for two. Along the ground, but still.

“Hi Geoff, enjoying your coverage (and the Final Word) as always,” writes Tane Aikman – thank you. “Wonderful to see South Africa as a top test team again, after it was looking pretty dark for them not long ago. As a New Zealander, it’s going to be fascinating to see how Australia responds to this. Goodness knows what the Aussie batting order will be for our tour. I feel the faint, treacherous stirrings of hope...”

Don’t do it, Tane. You know what happens when New Zealand see Australia, no matter how bad that Australian team may be. Unless it’s 1985 and Richard Hadlee is about.

But yes, success for South Africa on the field does keep up the pressure on the rich boards to keep supporting Test cricket outside their own five-Test mutual satisfaction sessions.

“South Africa to nominate Marnus as the Aussie player of the series?” asks Peter Roy. I think he’s the South African player of the series…

Luke Judd writes in. “Of all the contentious calls the selectors have made, I don’t understand the Connolly selection at all. His first class record with the bat is modest at best, and with the ball is frankly poor, albeit small sample size for both. Webster was made to score runs for two shield seasons on the trot before he was brought in. Weatherald put together eighteen months where he was far and away the best bat outside the Australian XI. McSweeney had far more FC form to fall back on. Why have the selectors decided, on the basis of so little, that Connolly is one of the best eleven players in the country? It seems like a vibes call not dissimilar to England with Shoaib Bashir, which they also seem keen to prolong because walking it back is admitting it was wrong. Am I missing something here?”

You’re not missing much. He is a very good prospect with the bat, that much is true: made 90 on debut in a Shield final, which is not nothing, and has a slew of fifties in limited appearances. Plus that big ton in an ODI recently. I still don’t think that makes him a Test pick. They’re picking him based on seeing talent and wanting to back it. But the framing of him as an all-rounder is what makes least sense. You can see how much his teammates rate his bowling given that first Smith in Sri Lanka, and now Cummins here, barely used it.

It’ll be a grim old chat over the soup and sandwiches for the Aussies. A disaster of a session. They’re going to be absolutely pelted by everyone with a passing interest in the sport. South Africa, though, this has been a historic couple of hours for this side. On the mat early in the series, lost that first Test in humiliating style, and they’re been fierce ever since.

26th over: Australia 60-7 (Green 25) Last ball of the over, last ball of the session now as well, and Harmer strikes again. Starc has played with some heart, declining runs and doing his best in defence, but a ball spearing in at his pads causes him concern, thrusting the bat at it while trying to get his feet out of the way. His ankle rolls slightly, he gets the full face of the bat onto the ball, and from there it thuds into his pad and up into the air. Short leg is waiting under it. Harmer has 3 for 5!

25th over: Australia 59-6 (Green 25, Starc 0) If indeed Green is avoiding spin, then South Africa make sure he has to face some. Markram comes on for a bowl. Green drives two runs powerfully to deep cover, then is happy to take a single. So maybe the issue was about Starc facing pace early.

David emails in. “Looking back on this Test, the Australians started off on the wrong foot and it was only Mitchell Starc’s extraordinary intervention at the end of the first day that allowed them to be in front at all. Should never have bowled first with the attack selected, why would they volunteer to face Harmer and Rabada on the final day? Putting their head in the lion’s mouth because of concerns with the batting. Think a large part of that has been insisting on playing Marnus for 12 months past when his form warranted. Has lead to a permanently weak and makeshift top order. You reap what you sow. Time to bite the bullet and reshape the team.”

This batting order has been jumbled and out of sorts for a while now. Opening, three, the confusion between six and seven, have all been problems.

24th over: Australia 56-6 (Green 22, Starc 0) Harmer is teasing Starc’s off stump. Two back-foot defensive punches playing leg side of the ball, trying to keep his pads out of the way, but it leaves the pegs open, and twice Starc misses that shot and Harmer almost bowls him. The last of the over Starc leaves, and Harmer almost bowls him. He’ll get the line right sooner or later, surely.

23rd over: Australia 56-6 (Green 22, Starc 0) I’m neglecting your emails, sorry, things just got too hot in the hot seat. Green takes two runs into the deep, knew he’d have time to get back. More extras for Australia, they’re only a boundary away from becoming second top-scorer, as Coetzee bowls with wild bounce that clears Green and swerves late in the air past the keeper.

22nd over: Australia 50-6 (Green 20, Starc 0) Harmer with big turn again, past the edge of Starc’s bat and away for four byes. Yep, they’re dead-batting now. Starc twice hits to deep point and refuses to run. Is that because he doesn’t want to face Coetzee, or Green doesn’t want to face Harmer? Surely Harmer is a massive threat to a left-handed lower order player.

21st over: Australia 46-6 (Green 20, Starc 0) Coetzee bowls a maiden. Not many of those for him in this match. What’s the plan for Green from here? Just bat long? I said before play that the draw was unlikely, well it’s absolutely miles away. Perhaps though it’s the only chance Australia have.