South Africa’s hopes of winning the decisive third Test against Australia in Cape Town took a major hit on day three after several careless dismissals left the hosts at 140-4, holding a slender lead of just 40 runs at stumps. Following a morning session where the Proteas quickly wrapped up the Australian first innings for 429—despite a century from Josh Inglis—the home team faced a 100-run deficit that was soon exacerbated by poor shot selection.
Weaknesses Exposed by Australian Bowlers
Opening batter Aiden Markram set the tone for the struggles by driving a full delivery from Mitchell Starc straight into the hands of mid-off for just one run. David Bedingham fared even worse, repeating the exact mistake from his first-row dismissal by top-edging a pull shot off Josh Hazlewood after taking a blow to the chest from Starc earlier in the over.
Former South Africa bowler Vernon Philander told BBC Sport that Bedingham’s shot selection was “absolutely soft,” noting that the batter fell into the same tactical trap twice in the same Test. Former captain Graeme Smith added that Bedingham lacked a strong base when attempting the pull or hook shot, pointing out that he is often off balance and pirouetting on one leg.
Cummins Tweak Derails Bavuma Resistance
Captain Temba Bavuma attempted to stabilize the innings, grinding out 35 runs from 115 balls in a resilient partnership with Matthew Breetzke, following an aggressive 62 from opener Marques Ackerman before he fell to a Starc bouncer.
However, with just four minutes remaining in the day, Australia captain Pat Cummins adjusted his field for spinner Nathan Lyon by introducing a silly point. The change tempted Bavuma out of his crease, resulting in a wild swipe through mid-wicket that brought about his dismissal and sparked jubilant celebrations from the Australian side.
South Africa will resume on day four with Breetzke and Ryan Rickelton at the crease, followed by Wiaan Mulder and all-rounder Marco Jansen, as they attempt to set a challenging target on a pitch where spinner Simon Harmer previously claimed 4-104.
