Proteas face certain defeat
Markram fires, but visitors need one wicket
AIDEN Markram fired the embers and, for the better part of yesterday, looked like he had stoked the unlikely fires for an unthinkable result. The fourth day’s play ended in near darkness yesterday at 5.55pm and Australia were forced into the inconvenience of returning to Kingsmead today to take the final wicket for a win and a one-nil lead in the fourmatch test series.
South Africa are on a precarious 293/9, making the 124 runs short academic, but subjecting their visitors to a night of restless sleep they could have avoided if Nathan Lyon and Steven Smith removed Quinton de Kock and Morne Morkel in the twilight stage in Durban.
Mitchell Marsh is the lesser bowler, but he snared the crucial wicket of Markram (143), whose third test ton was South Africa’s high batting point of what was a shambolic display.
The fortitude displayed by Markram, Theunis de Bruyn (36) and Quinton de Kock (81 not out) more than made up for the dog’s breakfast that was the razing of the Proteas’ top order by Australia’s fast bowlers.
It also put into bad light the abject first innings showing that saw South Africa being dismissed for 162 – in response to Australia’s 351.
The concession of the 189-run lead was the difference.
With the ease in which Markram, De Bruyn and De Kock went about their business, a lesser target could have and would have been overhauled.
But ifs do not win matches – only diligence with the bat does – and that was missing in South Africa’s second innings.
When Keshav Marahaj (4/102) dismissed Pat Cummins inside the first 30 minutes to have Australia all out for 227, hope sprung eternal that a rearguard – if not the second highest chase – could be on the cards.
Australia’s pace trio of Cummins (1/47), Josh Hazlewood (2/57) and Mitchell Starc (4/74) are not scarred by South Africa’s legendary fourth innings histrionics against them in Perth in 2008 and Adelaide four years later.
They ensured history would not think of repeating itself.
The centurion protagonists from those matches, AB de Villiers (0) and Faf du Plessis (four) sunk without a trace.
When South Africa stumbled to 49/4 in the 17th over at the hands of Australia’s varied, highly skilled but brutal pace triumvirate, it looked like it was over – bar the shouting.
Markram had clearly decided it was going to be his red letter, despite the enormity of the task that faced him.
A Starc bouncer kissed Dean Elgar’s (nine) glove on the way to Tim Paine’s gloves while Hazlewood prised Hashim Amla (eight) from the crease through an impassioned leg before appeal, which umpire Kumar Dharmasena belatedly ruled in the affirmative.
De Villiers found himself on the wrong end of an inexplicable run-out while Cummins nailed Du Plessis’s off stump.
Markram viewed all these dismissals with a monastic calm at the other ends and put together two important stands with De Bruyn (87) and De Kock (147).
His third test 100 came off 171 balls, but it nearly did not happen in the process of getting off 99 when he took an ill-judged single and had to dive to get in.
Marsh eventually found the edge of Markram’s bat and wicketkeeper Paine made no mistake with the catch.
Markram’s dismissal triggered a collapse that saw Starc get rid of Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada in the space of the 80th over.
Bad light denied Starc a hattrick and the new ball, but victory is just around the corner.