Steve Smith Ruled Out as Starc Takes Six in Cape Town

Steve Smith was ruled out of the series-deciding third Test against South Africa an hour before the toss, but Mitchell Starc’s 6-72 dragged Australia back into the contest as the Proteas collapsed from 158 without loss to 329 all out on day one at Newlands.

Smith failed a final fitness test on his troublesome neck on Tuesday morning in Cape Town, cricket.com.au reported. The 37-year-old hit balls in the nets wearing a heat pack on his neck before speaking with the team doctor, coach Andrew McDonald and selector George Bailey.

Josh Inglis was called in to replace him, one of four changes to the side beaten by an innings in Gqeberha. Nathan Lyon, Cooper Connolly and Cameron Green also returned, while Scott Boland and Beau Webster were left out and Nic Maddinson had already flown home.

Captain Pat Cummins said Smith “had another little try (batting) this morning but wasn’t happy with how his neck was feeling, so we had to look elsewhere.”

Cummins said leaving Boland out after his five-wicket haul in the second Test was “very hard – as it was hard to leave Nathan Lyon out last week. You can consider him very unlucky.”

Australia’s XI

Matthew Renshaw, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

A rough first session

Cummins won the toss and chose to bowl, the first captain to do so at Newlands since Faf du Plessis in 2019, ESPNcricinfo reported. It backfired early. Marques Ackerman and Aiden Markram put on 158 for the first wicket, and South Africa were 140 without loss at lunch.

Travis Head dropped Markram on 39 at cover just before the break. Ackerman fell for 95 off 94 balls when he charged Lyon and was stumped by Alex Carey, and Markram was caught at long leg off Josh Hazlewood for 78.

Lyon and Connolly strike

Lyon then bowled South Africa captain Temba Bavuma for a duck, and Connolly trapped Matthew Breetzke lbw for 2 after a review to claim his first Test wicket. Lyon finished with 2-71 from 23 overs.

Starc runs through the tail

Starc removed David Bedingham (50) and Wiaan Mulder in the space of three balls after tea as Australia turned to the short ball. Marco Jansen (52) and Ryan Rickelton (42) then put on 95 for the seventh wicket before the second new ball changed the day again.

Starc took the last four wickets, removing Rickelton, Jansen, Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada, to finish with 6-72 from 16.3 overs. It was his 20th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, BBC Sport reported, and AP reported it was his best Test figures against South Africa.

South Africa were bowled out in 82.3 overs and Australia did not face a ball before stumps. The series is level at 1-1 after Australia won in Durban and South Africa replied with an innings win in Gqeberha.