Table of Content
Mitchell Starc delivered an extraordinary bowling display to take six wickets, triggering a dramatic South Africa collapse on day one of the deciding third Test at Newlands.
Proteas Build Early Momentum
Having won the toss and elected to field, Australia initially found breakthroughs hard to come by as South Africa moved comfortably to 192-1 by the afternoon drinks break. Marques Ackerman spearheaded the strong start with an aggressive 95 off 94 deliveries, striking 12 boundaries and two sixes, before falling just short of a maiden Test century when he was stumped off Nathan Lyon.
Ackerman built a 140-run partnership with opener Aiden Markram, who survived an early drop off Starc to score 78. Markram then combined with David Bedingham for a 45-run stand to take the home side to 203-1, placing heavy pressure on an Australian lineup that featured four changes, including the omission of Nic Maddinson and the absence of the injured Steve Smith.
Starc Triggers Middle-Order Slide
The momentum shifted when Starc held a sharp catch at square leg off Josh Hazlewood to remove Markram. Lyon swiftly added to the breakthroughs by bowling Proteas captain Temba Bavuma for a three-ball duck, before left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly claimed his maiden Test wicket by trapping Matthew Breetzke lbw for two.
Starc struck again after tea, dismissing Bedingham shortly after he reached 50 and then catching Wiaan Mulder behind two balls later for a duck. The flurry of dismissals saw South Africa surrender five wickets for just 29 runs.
Late New-Ball Blitz Cleans Up Tail
Marco Jansen and Ryan Rickelton briefly stabilized the innings with a 95-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Jansen scored his second straight half-century with 52, while Rickelton contributed 42 to push the total past 300.
Starc took total control once Australia brought on the second new ball. The left-arm fast bowler trapped Rickelton lbw in the 81st over and bowled Jansen two balls later. Starc then bowled Gerald Coetzee for a golden duck and removed Kagiso Rabada for another zero, taking four wickets in six deliveries to complete figures of 6-72—his finest Test performance against South Africa and his 20th five-wicket haul in Tests.
South Africa lost their final four wickets for only two runs, slumping from 327-6 to 329 all out. The rapid finish shifted control back to Australia in the deciding match of the series, following their 214-run win in the first Test at Durban and South Africa’s victory by an innings and 31 runs in the second Test at Gqeberha.
