South Africa vs Australia 2018: 1st Test, day 3 - 5 things we learnt from the day

After Australia had taken a massive 189-run lead in the first innings of the first Test match at Kingsmead in Durban, they extended their dominance on the third day as well. The visitors ended the day with 213 runs on the board with the loss of nine wickets. In the process, they extended their lead to 402 runs, and South Africa’s chances look minimal on the slow and sluggish wicket.

Here are the 5 talking points from Day 3, that ended with bad light stopping further play.

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#5 Cameron Bancroft smashes a well-crafted half century

With David Warner coming to the party in the first innings, it was the other opener who came good in the second. Cameron Bancroft was in fine flow throughout his 83-ball stay at the crease, hardly tampering with the deliveries that needed to be left alone.

He was at ease against Keshav Maharaj, who had threatened the Aussie batsmen in the first innings, using his back-foot and his drives to full use against the spinner. He brought up his second Test fifty for Australia with a wonderful pull off a short ball off Morne Morkel and fell for 53 after Maharaj tossed a length ball that was turning away from the batsman.

#4 The DRS is the centre of all attention!

The DRS was the centre of all attention on Day 3

The day had enough action with the Umpiring Decision Review System throwing up its share of drama on Day 3. On two occasions, Kumar Dharamasena disallowed Proteas captain Faf du Plessis to ask for the DRS as he had overshot his time limit.

In the nineteenth over of the innings, Maharaj had Quinton de Kock dismissed after du Plessis reviewed a clear nick to the keeper, that was adjudged not out by the umpire. In the 35th over, Steven Smith was given not out by the umpires, though du Plessis seemed to think otherwise. A huge stir erupted as the UltraEdge and the zoomer all failed to unanimously state whether Smith had nicked the ball onto his pads or not. The Hawk-Eye went with the umpire’s decision, though uncertainty remained.

Though Smith fell soon after, reviewing an LBW decision, de Plessis wasted one when Maharaj and de Kock convinced the captain to go for the DRS, which turned out to be a bad one as Shaun Marsh was clearly outside the line of the stumps when the ball struck the pad.

#3 Shaun Marsh’s saving act

The elder Marsh played the role of an anchor to perfection

After his brother saved Australia the blues in the first innings, elder brother Shaun Marsh came to the party in the second. Coming in to bat with the score card reading 108 for three, he combined first with Smith and then with Tim Paine to help himself to a well fought 33 in 99 deliveries. Though he did not score a fifty, when viewed in the context of the innings, his knock was a crucial one indeed.

Not only was he the anchor when Smith fell, with the score reading 146, he comfortably negated the threat of the most dangerous bowling line-up. He fell for 33 in a knock that had five fours.

#2 Morne Morkel’s absence in the post-lunch innings

Morne Morkel did not bowl a single delivery in the second session but then picked up 3 wickets

Morne Morkel did not bowl a single over in the second session on day 3, keeping in mind the slow and the dry pitch that had been laid out. He bowled the twenty sixth over of the innings and was only back to bowl the sixtieth in the post-tea session. He struck almost immediately, picking up Shaun Marsh with a back of a length delivery that reverse swung to garner an edge off the batsman.

He sent back Mitchell Starc soon after with a full delivery outside off and got the wicket of Nathan Lyon with a ball that swung away. Just when he was in his best rhythm of the Test match, poor light stalled the day’s play.

#1 Keshav Maharaj spins his web again

Maharaj continued to bamboozle the batsmen, including Smith!

After ripping apart the Australians in the first innings, Keshav Maharaj bamboozled the opponents in the second as well. His first scalp was that of Usman Khawaja, who was given out after the DRS suggested that the ball went to de Kock off the glove of the batsman. He was troubling Smith at regular intervals, beating him off the outside edge, which only states how phenomenal he has been in the game.

He had Bancroft stumped and had Tim Paine caught by AB de Villiers with a good length delivery that spun away. He ended the day with 3 wickets in his 28 overs, which is fourteen more overs than any other South African bowler!