Key events
Australia are heading for victory in Durban after another dominant day. They raced to 314/6 declared in only 58 overs, with Matt Renshaw making 82 and Nic Maddinson a 38-ball 48, before wearing down the South Africans with the ball.
Aiden Markram played an exemplary innings and will resume on 45 not out, but he and David Bedingham (46) were the only men to reach double figures. Bedingham played some eye-catching strokes before falling to the superb Josh Hazlewood.
Renshaw’s dream match continued with his first Test wicket when the South African captain Temba Bavuma was caught at short leg. It’s Renshaw’s match, and barring a miracle it will end in a massive Australia victory tomorrow afternoon.
Stumps: South Africa need another 319 to win
41st over: South Africa 102-4 (Markram 45, Mulder 5) Lyon almost snaffles the big wicket when Markram pushes him this far wide of Maddinson at short leg. Maddinson needed superhuman reflexes, or Steven Smithian.
40th over: South Africa 101-4 (Markram 44, Mulder 5) Mulder waves Renshaw for a single to bring up the South African hundred. Renshaw finishes another dream day with figures of 7-1-16-1, including his first Test wicket.
39th over: South Africa 99-4 (Markram 43, Mulder 4) Markram, a model of defiance, plays out yet another maiden, this one from Lyon. Should be time for two more overs.
38th over: South Africa 99-4 (Markram 43, Mulder 4) Mulder gets off the mark from his 13th delivery by slashing Renshaw past backward point for four. You’d expect the occasional bad ball from an occasional spinner, but Renshaw is also getting a few to really bite. Mulder is hit on the pad by one such delivery – it was too high for an LBW – and then bat-pads wide of short leg.
37th over: South Africa 95-4 (Markram 43, Mulder 0) Australia’s second spinner, Nathan Lyon, returns for a couple of overs before the close. An errant delivery is turned to the fine leg boundary by Markram, who lest we forget averages 63 in Tests against the Aussies. That’s almost double his average (32.20) against everyone else.
36th over: South Africa 91-4 (Markram 39, Mulder 0) A big offbreak from Renshaw bounces to hit Markram amidships. He follows that with a long hop that Markram pumps through extra cover for four. In the face of almost certain defeat, Markram has played admirably.
Mulder offers no stroke to another big offspinner from Renshaw that bounces over off stump. Renshaw is having the time of his life.
35th over: South Africa 86-4 (Markram 34, Mulder 0) An accurate maiden from Cummins to Mulder, who appears to have joined Markram in playing exclusively for the close. It’s about 20 minutes away.
34th over: South Africa 86-4 (Markram 34, Mulder 0) A maiden from Renshaw to Markram, who continues to bat in his defensive bubble. He’s scored 34 from 94 balls and 15 from the last 56.
33rd over: South Africa 86-4 (Markram 34, Mulder 0) Josh Hazlewood’s dismissal of David Bedingham was Australia’s cue to go for the kill: they’ve taken three wickets for 13 in the last 10.1 overs.
WICKET! South Africa 86-4 (Stubbs c Carey b Cummins 1)
A textbook piece of fast bowling from Pat Cummins moves Australia closer to victory. Cummins pushed Stubbs back with a series of back-of-a-length deliveries, then slipped in a fuller, wider delivery. Stubbs chased it and edged to Carey, who did the rest with the minimum of fuss.
32nd over: South Africa 86-3 (Markram 34, Stubbs 1) Renshaw continues and has a strangled shout for LBW against Stubbs. Inside edge, probably outside the line.
31st over: South Africa 84-3 (Markram 33, Stubbs 0) Stubbs pushes absent-mindedly outside off stump and is beaten by Cummins. Australia go up for caught behind when Stubbs tries to jump inside a bouncer. I think it flicked his shoulder, but it was a no-ball anyway.
Plenty of noise from the Australian fielders. With the light still good, they fancy their chances of breaking the back of the South African innings tonight.
30th over: South Africa 82-3 (Markram 32, Stubbs 0) Who writes Matt Renshaw’s scripts?
WICKET! South Africa 82-3 (Bavuma c Maddinson b Renshaw 1)
The match of Matt Renshaw’s life is complete: he’s just taken his first Test wicket! Renshaw was brought back to replace Starc and struck with his fifth ball. Bavuma, who has looked out of sorts with the bat in this match, stretched to reach a drifting offbreak and gave a simple bat-pad chance to short leg.
29th over: South Africa 81-2 (Markram 31, Bavuma 1) Lyon is replaced by Cummins after a single over. Bavuma feels defensively outside off stump and is beaten. Another maiden, and the pressure is starting to build again.
28th over: South Africa 81-2 (Markram 31, Bavuma 1) Markram has been largely strokeless in the past hour, an approach he continues for most of a maiden over from Starc. Markram has scored 12 from his last 42 balls.
27th over: South Africa 81-2 (Markram 31, Bavuma 1) The lights are on, even though it remains sunny at Kingsmead. Lyon returns after the drinks break and starts round the wicket to Markram with a slip, leg slip and short leg. Markram defends solidly, as he has throughout the innings, before working a single to square leg.
26th over: South Africa 80-2 (Markram 30, Bavuma 1) Bavuma works Starc to fine leg for a single to get off the mark. No sign yet of Starc getting the ball to reverse – that was a pretty harmless over, and it’s time for drinks.
25th over: South Africa 77-2 (Markram 28, Bavuma 0) The light in Durban remains good, so play should continue for longer than on the first three days.
Hazlewood continues to get some subtle reverse swing to the right-handers. Bavuma plays very carefully, protecting his off stump, and it’s another maiden. Hazlewood’s figures are terrific: 8-3-20-2.
24th over: South Africa 77-2 (Markram 28, Bavuma 0) Starc replaces Renshaw and almost gets Markram with a delivery from round the wicket that keeps low. Markram crouches to deflect it into the ground and over the stumps.
Markram, who had been becalmed, crunches a wide half-volley from Starc through the covers for four. That’s his first boundary since the 12th over. But Markram has hurt his right shoulder and is getting some treatment from the physio.
23rd over: South Africa 73-2 (Markram 24, Bavuma 0) David Bedingham faced 141 balls in this match, and for 139 of them he looked a seriously good player. That’s the life of a batter.
Bedingham has fallen just short of a half-century for the second time. He push-drove and pulled Hazlewood for high-class boundaries, only to walk across a straight delivery that moved inexorably towards his front pad. Hazlewood was so delighted that he didn’t even appeal; Bedingham hung his head and walked off without seriously considering a review. There was a little bit of reverse inswing, but ultimately it was a misjudgement from Bedingham.
WICKET! South Africa 73-2 (Bedingham LBW b Hazlewood 46)
A huge wicket for Australia!
22nd over: South Africa 65-1 (Markram 24, Bedingham 38) And now for something completely different: the occasional spin of Matt Renshaw. He’s already the player of the match so there’s a certain logic to it, and he finds a bit of slow turn during a decent first over. Two singles from it.
21st over: South Africa 63-1 (Markram 23, Bedingham 37) Hazlewood wobbles into the crease and beats Markram with a snorter outside off stump. Perfect length, extra bounce and a bit of seam movement.
There has also been a hint – a suggestion – of reverse swing when Hazlewood has pitched it up in this spell. A mini-grubber is kept out well by Markram, who is playing an excellent defensive innings. Hazlewood has been the pick of the bowlers in this innings and has figures of 6-2-12-1.
20th over: South Africa 62-1 (Markram 22, Bedingham 37) Lyon has a slip and two short legs for Bedingham, who forces a couple into the leg side off the final ball of the over. Australia won’t be worried yet, but they would very much like to break this partnership tonight.
19th over: South Africa 60-1 (Markram 22, Bedingham 35) Hazlewood replaces Cummins and slips one past Bedingham’s outside edge. The follow-up ball is straighter and slightly fuller, looking for the LBW. Bedingham is good enough to flick it through midwicket for four. That brings up a determined fifty partnership with Markram.
Including these two, there have been 19 scores between 21 and 49 in this game. Matt Renshaw remains the only man to reach fifty.
18th over: South Africa 55-1 (Markram 22, Bedingham 30) Three singles from Lyon’s fifth over. I’m not sure you’re ever in on this pitch, unless you’re Matt Renshaw, but Markram and Bedingham are playing nicely.
17th over: South Africa 52-1 (Markram 21, Bedingham 28) Oohs and aahs from the Australians when Markram inside-edges a low full toss from Cummins onto his pad. Turns out it was a no-ball anyway.
That might it for Cummins after five overs of toil. Australia would love one or two more wickets before the close, whenever that may be.
“Could there be a more Marnus possibility than dropping him for the next Test, and then bringing him in as Steve Smith’s concussion replacement?” wonders Pete Salmon.
Cricket loves a full circle.
16th over: South Africa 49-1 (Markram 20, Bedingham 27) Lyon tries his luck around the wicket to Bedingham, then moves back over. Nothing doing in that over, but Lyon could claim a decent record in this Test: the most wickets in the fourth innings of a Test victory. Shane Warne leads the way with 106; Lyon is on 104. Winning games in the fourth innings is a point of pride for all spinners.
