By Patrick Compton.
The woes of Dean Elgar continued when South Africa’s captain was dismissed cheaply yet again as the Proteas were forced to follow-on on the final afternoon of the third test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Elgar was dismissed in the same fashion – gloving a rising delivery down the leg side to the wicketkeeper – for the fourth time in the series with Pat Cummins making the breakthrough for the home team.
Sarel Erwee and Heinrich Klaasen survived a couple of scares but batted well enough to take the tourists to 46 for one in 15 overs at tea, an overall deficit of 174 runs.
The arithmetic for the Proteas is that they need to survive for a further 32 overs in the final session to take a face-saving draw in the rain-affected match, although Australia already hold a winning 2-0 lead in the series.
Earlier, the tourists owed a great deal to Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer when they went in to lunch on 244 for seven with Marco Jansen the only batsman to lose his wicket in the morning.
Under a blazing sun, the pitch had looked flat and the Proteas would have harboured high hopes of avoiding the follow-on.
But Australia bounced back after the break with Josh Hazlewood the instigator. The paceman quickly trapped Maharaj leg before for 53 after getting the ball to reverse back into the right-hander, ending an eighth-wicket partnership of 80 in 161 balls. It was a superb innings from Maharaj and his fifth test half-century in which he struck six fours and a six in his 81-ball knock.
That was all Australia needed to sweep away the final two wickets with Hazlewood bowling Harmer who played on off his inside edge and Nathan Lyon disposing of Kagisio Rabada, caught and bowled as the Proteas failed by 20 runs to avoid the follow-on.
Harmer’s gutsy knock of 47 off 165 balls was his highest test score, and it showed all the fighting qualities that South Africa have largely lacked on this tour.
For Australia, Hazlewood was their outstanding bowler, grabbing 4/48 on his return to the test side after missing the first two tests through injury. Cummins was close behind with 3/60 while Nathan Lyon (2/88) and Travis Head (1/21) claimed the other wickets.
AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw Alex Carey (wk), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (capt), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
SOUTH AFRICA: Dean Elgar (capt) Sarel Erwee, Heinrich Klaasen, Temba Bavuma, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje.