Cook stands firm as Australia edges ahead
Australia had South Africa on the mat in the third Test, reducing Faf du Plessis’s side to 194 for 6 in their second innings and limiting the lead to just 70 on Saturday (November 26) at Adelaide Oval.
Stephen Cook, the opener, dug in for a valuable half-century in tricky conditions in the final session of the third day of the day-night Test, but he found little support as Australia’s bowlers, led by Nathan Lyon, harried the rest of the batsmen.
Cook was batting on a patient 81 from 199 balls, while Quinton de Kock was yet to open his account at stumps.
This after Usman Khawaja’s epic century and an entertaining half-century from Mitchell Starc took Australia to 383 and put it ahead of South Africa’s 259 for 9 declared by 124 runs.
Starc struck first for Australia in the opening over, Dean Elgar caught at second slip by Steven Smith without opening his account.
Cook then added 81 with Hashim Amla before Josh Hazlewood broke the stand 30 minutes before the dinner break.
Amla, dropped by Matt Renshaw off Starc on 13, was caught but sought a review, which detected an edge off his bat and he was on his way for 45 off 80 balls. He has yet to score a half-century in the series and has been dismissed by Josh Hazlewood five times in the series.
South Africa went to dinner at 100 for 2, chipping away at Australia’s lead.
The drying up of runs got to JP Duminy (26), who saw his off stump uprooted by Lyon. Starc got the big wicket of du Plessis, the first-innings centurion, with a beauty, caught by a diving Peter Handscomb at gully.
Lyon then sent back Temba Bavuma, caught by Smith at first slip, and had Kyle Abbott lbw in his last two overs of the day to give Australia the advantage going into the fourth day.
Earlier, Khawaja top scored with 145, his runs made over three days and 466 minutes at the crease. It was his fifth Test century in the past year and the first by an Australian in the South Africa series. He has now scored 314 runs at 62.80 in five innings.
His 308-ball knock came after he was forced to open following South Africa’s surprise first-day declaration, which meant that David Warner, who had been off the field, couldn’t walk out at the start. He left the field in the first session of the third day to a standing ovation, lbw to Vernon Philander.
Australia, overnight on307 for 6, benefitted from its last four wickets adding 100 runs.
Starc’s 91-ball 53, which featured five fours and a six, was his seventh Test half-century. He entertaining innings came to an end when he offered a return catch to Kagiso Rabada.
Lyon chipped in with 13 before becoming Tabraiz Shamsi’s maiden Test wicket, while Hazlewood was 11 not out.
Abbott was the best of South Africa's bowlers with an economical 3 for 49 off 29 overs with Rabada claiming 3 for 84.
Australia, which is on a run of five straight Test losses, had rung in the changes as it tried to prevent South Africa from completing a sweep of the three-Test series.
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