- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Australia’s new-look batting line-up faltered for a second time in the fourth Test yesterday as South Africa brought themselves to the edge of a 3-1 series victory.
Faced with a gigantic target of 612, Australia stumbled to 3-88 at stumps against a Proteas attack with two bowlers who were well below full fitness in Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada.
Australia’s fresh opening pair of Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw left as many deliveries as possible during the new ball spell by Rabada and Vernon Philander. But, while Burns looked solid, Renshaw was stuck in the mud.
The 21-year-old barely timed a delivery during his tortured stay of 5 from 42 balls, which ended when he was trapped LBW by Morne Morkel from around the wicket.
Renshaw was caught planting his front pad early and outside off stump, leaving him struggling to reach around this obstacle when Morkel got the ball to move in at him off the pitch.
That brought to the crease Australia’s most experienced batsman Usman Khawaja, who fell cheaply to spin for the umpteenth time in his career. Khawaja began his innings aggressively, advancing down the pitch to spinner Keshav Maharaj and cracking him through cover for four.
Then Khawaja started playing with fire by repeatedly kicking away balls pitching outside off stump. Soon after he was out LBW, failing to play a shot to a Maharaj delivery which was crashing into off. This blunder was emblematic of Khawaja’s often muddled thought processes when facing spin.
(Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
At the other end Burns played a calm and assured knock. He executed the shot of the day, blasting a flat pull for six from a Rabada delivery which was only slightly short of a good length. Burns was also impressive in his play against Maharaj, which was notable given he has had past troubles with spin at Test level.
Yesterday, however, he had a clear plan against Maharaj and stuck to it. When the Proteas spinner found a good length Burns stretched forward, got low and smothered the ball. When Maharaj bowled fuller Burns went down on one knee and swept for several confident boundaries.
And when the tweaker dropped slightly short Burns was well back and cutting nicely through point, with an emphasis on timing over power.
The one technical shortcoming which stood out during Burns’ innings was the same one which caused his dismissal. The Queenslander, like his batting partner Renshaw, was at times overcommitting on the front foot, leaving him vulnerable to a fuller delivery moving back in to him.
Philander tried to exploit this flaw and in the end Morkel was successful in doing so, getting Burns LBW for 42.
Peter Handscomb (23no) and Shaun Marsh (7no) then batted out the day. Handscomb underlined his generous ability against spin by regularly getting to the pitch of Maharaj deliveries to drive well through the offside.
Earlier, South Africa batted on and on, much longer than expected, building a monstrous lead.
This strategy seemed to be designed to limited the potential workload of their pace attack, with Morkel struggling with a side strain and Rabada reportedly suffering a stiff back.
They were able to bat at length because of the lack of penetration from the Australia attack who, bar Pat Cummins, caused few troubles.
The youngest member of the Australian attack was outstanding once more, with Cummins taking 4-58, including the key wickets of AB de Villiers, Aiden Markram, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock.
The 24-year-old has had an outstanding series, taking 22 wickets at 21, to trail only SA superstar Kagiso Rabada (23 wickets). As this series has worn on the gulf between Cummins and the rest of the Australian attack has widen considerably.
While Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have looked increasingly tired and flat, Cummins bowled with wonderful intensity all the way to his final spell. Handscomb and Marsh will need to replicate that verve in the first session today if they are to give Australia a slim chance of drawing this Test.