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South Africa bowled brilliantly at Cape Town yesterday to highlight concerns about Australia’s batting away from home, before a lower-order burst brought the tourists back into the third Test.
At 8-175, trailing South Africa by 136 runs, Australia were in a deep hole. But they were revived by an audacious partnership of 66 from 71 balls between tailender Nathan Lyon (47) and in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Paine (33no).
Lyon rode his luck and capitalised on some wayward bowling to plunder eight boundaries in his sprinting knock, while Paine again produced an innings of class and composure.
Since returning to the Test team in the Ashes, the gloveman has made 328 runs at 47 from eight Tests.
What’s been most impressive has been his consistency – in eight of his 11 innings during that time Paine has scored 24 or more. While Australia are still well behind in the Test at 9-245, their late flourish yesterday will have buoyed them and deflated the Proteas.
There were failures aplenty for Australia yesterday, although the most glaring issue is the continued struggle on the road of Usman Khawaja, who yesterday threw his wicket away, lowering his series average to 20.
Khawaja is statistically the biggest home-track bully in world cricket. Among current batsmen with at least 1,000 Test runs to their name, no one has a bigger gap than Khawaja between their home (59) and away (25) averages.
The Queenslander is an elite batsman in Australian conditions. The question now becomes whether Australia can continue to carry him away from home?
Khawaja is fortunate the only back-up batsman in Australia’s squad is the out-of-form Peter Handscomb. That fact may well save his spot even if Khawaja fails again in the second innings here. But he surely will have to show major improvement across the remainder of the series if the selectors are to retain him beyond this tour.
Australia have badly needed the likes of Khawaja to step up because this is the first time in more than four years both of their two best batsmen have had limited influence in a Test series.
Not since the 2013 Ashes have both captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner averaged less than 40 in a Test series. Midway through the third Test of this four-match series, Warner is averaging 37 and Smith just 27.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
It’s hard to read too much into Smith’s form as he’s been so dominant for so long that a trough such as this was inevitable.
Unlike most of the Australian batsmen, there’s no problem with his record away from home – he’s scored 3,102 runs on the road at an average of 52, with ten centuries.
As much as Khawaja deserves to be under scrutiny, he’s far from alone in his battles outside Australia. David Warner, Shaun Marsh and Mitch Marsh all average considerably less on the road than at home.
Warner, at least, has shown improvement over his past two series away from home.
The elder Marsh has had a disappointing series so far, wasting a succession of starts. With scores of 40, 33, 24, 1 and 26 he must surely feel as if his graft has consistently been to no avail.
Yesterday Shaun Marsh was patient and assured against both spin and pace as he built a fine platform for a big innings, making his way to 26 from 62 balls.
Having soaked up considerable pressure he then gifted his wicket by pushing half-heartedly at a wide delivery from Morne Morkel which he easily could have left.
(AFP PHOTO / William WEST)
His younger brother was less culpable in his own demise, drawn into an edge behind by a beautiful delivery from Philander which started on the line of the stumps before fading away late.
Mitch Marsh started this series in imperious fashion, cracking a match-winning 96 in the first innings of the first Test.
Since then, however, he has failed in three of four innings. Of course, it must be noted that the Australians have been confronted by a truly elite bowling attack in this series.
South Africa bowled better as a unit yesterday than they have at any other time in this series. They well and truly earned their ascendancy in this Test, placing themselves in a prime position to go 2-1 up in the series.