South Africa captain Temba Bavuma made a career-best 179 to drag his side from 6-110 to 9-425 declared on day three of the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha, before Kagiso Rabada removed Nic Maddinson for a duck.
Australia were 1-3 at stumps on Tuesday, trailing by 422 runs, after bad light ended play at St George’s Park. Travis Head (1 not out) and nightwatcher Scott Boland (2 not out) survived three overs of spin, cricket.com.au reported, after Maddinson edged Rabada to Simon Harmer in the first over of the innings.
Australia lead the three-Test series 1-0 after winning in Durban by 214 runs, but rain had already cost this match nearly five sessions before South Africa’s fightback.
Bavuma’s marathon
Bavuma batted for 334 balls and hit 18 fours, according to the Cricbuzz scorecard. Cricket.com.au reported that no South African had batted as long against Australia since the country’s readmission to international cricket, and that it was the first Test hundred by an opposing captain against Australia since Ben Stokes made 155 at Lord’s in 2023.
He found two key partners from the lower order. Marco Jansen smashed 85 off 100 balls in a stand of 132, before Harmer made 82 off 157 in a 183-run partnership, a South African record for the eighth wicket.
Read more: Scott Boland Takes Four as South Africa Slump to 5-97 in Gqeberha
Without a frontline spinner after Nathan Lyon was left out, Australia took just one wicket in a 77-over span on Tuesday, cricket.com.au reported. Josh Hazlewood was also unable to bowl for the whole first session after a stomach bug kept him off the field the previous day.
Boland and Starc milestones
Boland finished with 5-81 from 29 overs, his third Test five-wicket haul, removing Jansen with the second new ball. Mitchell Starc took 3-89, including his 450th Test wicket when Wiaan Mulder was given out caught by Matt Renshaw after a successful Australian review.
Marnus Labuschagne bowled Harmer with his leg-spin, and Starc had Bavuma caught behind by Alex Carey on the very next ball, prompting the declaration.
Day four starts at 6.45pm AEDT on Wednesday, with up to 98 overs scheduled. The third Test is at Newlands in Cape Town from 27 October.
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