By Estea Rademeyer.
Photo Credit: CSA/ ClearScore.
Eight years after “Sandpapergate”, Australia return to the scene of one of cricket’s most infamous scandals with a series to save. South Africa, buoyed by a commanding win in Gqeberha, have the chance to claim a rare home triumph and rise to No. 1 in the Test rankings.
Newlands has never been short of cricketing drama. On Tuesday, Australia return to the ground where the 2018 ball tampering scandal left a lasting stain on their reputation, but the immediate concern for Pat Cummins is more pressing than history. His team must find a way to bat properly again.
The series is level at 1-1, though the two Tests have offered little middle ground. Australia won the opener in Durban by 214 runs after Matt Renshaw and the lower order rescued their first innings.
South Africa answered in Gqeberha, where Temba Bavuma’s 179 helped them declare on 425 for nine before Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen ripped through Australia. The visitors were dismissed for 99 and lost by an innings and 31 runs.
Now comes the decider, with the World Test Championship holders chasing a result that would carry significance well beyond this series.
A South African victory would secure a home series win over Australia for only the second time since re-admission and lift them to No. 1 in the Test rankings. Australia, meanwhile, would retain their top ranking with a draw, but after their collapse in Gqeberha, merely avoiding defeat may not quiet the growing criticism.
The return to Newlands inevitably brings the events of March 2018 back into view. Steven Smith, then Australia’s captain, was at the centre of the ball tampering scandal that engulfed the tour and led to suspensions for Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. Smith is again in the spotlight, this time because of a troublesome neck that requires a fitness assessment before he can play.
He also returns to a country where his Test average of 35.28 is well below his career mark of 55.29.
Australia have more immediate problems to solve. Nic Maddinson has been dropped after scores of 0, 48, 0 and 8, with Renshaw expected to return to the top of the order alongside Travis Head.
Cameron Green is available after recovering from an abdominal injury, although he will not be able to bowl. He is likely to bat at No. 5, a position in which Australia have found greater returns in recent seasons.
Smith’s fitness could determine the final shape of the batting order. If he cannot play, Josh Inglis is on standby. Marnus Labuschagne is also under scrutiny after another difficult stretch, although selectors appear prepared to give him another opportunity.
Australia may also bring Nathan Lyon back into the side, with Scott Boland potentially the man to make way despite his five for 81 in Gqeberha and a stubborn 40 with the bat.
Boland’s omission would be a difficult call to sell to his growing band of supporters. He has 87 Test wickets at an average of 18.44, but Australia’s established attack of Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Lyon remains formidable.
The decision is likely to turn on conditions, with selectors weighing Lyon’s experience against the threat Boland offers with the seam.
South Africa have fewer selection headaches. Gerald Coetzee replaces the injured Anrich Nortje in an otherwise unchanged side. Rabada’s return in Gqeberha transformed the attack, giving Jansen the freedom to attack and allowing Wiaan Mulder to make a telling contribution with five wickets.
Ryan Rickelton, newly installed as wicketkeeper, has also added a tactical wrinkle by standing up to the stumps to Mulder’s medium pace.
Rickelton believes Rabada’s presence has changed the atmosphere within the team. “He has a massive presence in the changing room, he has a massive presence on the field and I think that allows Marco to express himself a little bit more as well, “he said.
The shift in South Africa’s approach was clear in Gqeberha. After falling behind in Durban, the team became more assertive in the field. “We’re not here to fall over,” Rickelton said of the message shared among the players. “KG led that, Temba led that quietly in his own way with the bat, and then KG took the ball and ran with it.”
Aiden Markram will be central to the next challenge. He has averaged 56.84 against Australia across seven Tests, with three centuries, and his 75 in Durban showed the patience required to blunt the new ball.
Yet South Africa’s batting remains unsettled, and another rescue act from Bavuma cannot be assumed.
Markram says individual milestones no longer drive him. “I really just want to try and win games now,” he said. Having contributed to South Africa’s World Test Championship triumph, he wants the team to build a lasting record rather than live off one achievement.
A win here would strengthen that ambition ahead of a home summer that includes England and Bangladesh.
Newlands is expected to offer a relatively dry surface with around 6mm of grass, while mostly sunny weather should provide a better chance of uninterrupted play than the first two Tests.
Bavuma needs seven runs to reach 4,000 in Tests, Rabada is four wickets away from 350, and Jansen stands one wicket short of 100.
Australia have experience and a powerful attack, but their batting has become a serious liability. South Africa have momentum, yet still need to prove they can deliver across a full Test. At Newlands, the ghosts of 2018 will be present, but the next chapter will be decided by the cricket.