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Australia’s quicks scythed through the South African batting line-up yesterday to leave the Proteas in a desperate battle to save the Test and series at Cape Town.
Making full use of the new ball and later getting it to swing reverse, the Australian pacemen turned in a brilliant effort to dismiss South Africa for 287, securing a 207-run lead.
Australia opted to bat again and finished on 0-27 at stumps, setting up an intriguing final two days of the series.
State of play: How will Australia handle their second innings?
Australia were always unlikely to enforce the follow on if given the opportunity. Not only has Michael Clarke shown a distaste for doing so during his reign as captain, but this pitch looks likely to foster increasingly uneven bounce as the Test progresses, making batting last a difficult task.
Play is expected to start 30 minutes early again on days four and five, with 98 overs scheduled per day to make up some of the 50 overs lost to rain on Sunday. That leaves 196 overs of play in this match.
Such is the talent in the Proteas’ batting line-up, Australia will not feel comfortable setting them a total of less than 420 to chase, regardless of the tricky conditions expected.
Of course, it cannot be assumed the Aussies will have the luxury of making a declaration. Having repeatedly proved themselves capable of collapsing like a detonated apartment block, Australia cannot take their second innings for granted.
They must find the requisite balance between urgency and caution or South Africa’s attack, even if Dale Steyn cannot bowl, may seize the initiative.
Clarke will be hoping his side can canter to 240 in about 65 overs, setting South Africa 447 to win or, more realistically, about 140 overs to survive.
Selection issue: Rating James Pattinson’s return
It had been 228 days since Australia’s young firebrand last played a first-class match.
Pattinson had been forced to endure a lengthy stint on the sidelines, not for the first time in his professional career, after suffering stress fractures of the back in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s in July.
The 23-year-old paceman made his return to competitive cricket last month via the Big Bash League and a couple of one-day internationals against England.
During those ODI outings, in particular, Pattinson looked undercooked. It was no great surprise then that, with no further match practice under his belt, he battled for consistency with the ball in his Test comeback yesterday.
His offerings ranged from the sublime to the shocking. Even at his peak, accuracy is not Pattinson’s calling card. He is an out-and-out strike bowler.
When you take a wicket every 45 balls at first-class level you can get away with a modicum of waywardness.
His first over was full of variety: a no ball, a boundary, three good deliveries and two balls slanted onto the batsmen’s pads.
Then, in Pattinson’s second over, he provided a robust reminder of why, just nine months ago, he was Australia’s Test spearhead.
The Victorian fired the ball in on a length at 145kmh and got it to jag back at Dean Elgar, slicing the South African in two and drawing an edge which was spectacularly pouched by Brad Haddin.
Pattinson was quickly reminded of the stern challenges provided by Test cricket when Alviro Petersen and Hashim Amla took 23 off his next two overs.
Australia had taken a big gamble by dumping dependable veteran Peter Siddle in favour of the youngster. It was a bold, attacking selection by an Australian team intent on trying to secure a series victory at any cost.
Whether it was the right decision we may not know for another two days. In any case, it was heartening to see Pattinson had regained the pace and lift which previously had made him such a valuable member of the side.
In his last series in England he had bowled without venom and struggled to exceed 140kmh. Pattinson remains, to my mind, the young quick most likely to succeed Dale Steyn in the coming years as the world’s most destructive Test paceman.