Skipper Pat Cummins bowled Australia into conten-tion to pull off a remarkable victory with a fiery spell against South Africa in an absorbing third Sydney Test on Saturday.
Cummins captured three for 29 in a hostile 14 overs to set up the Australians for a dramatic final day charge for victory and a series clean sweep against the hapless Proteas.
At the close on day four, South Africa were bat-ting for survival at 149 for six in reply to Australia’s 475-4 declared with Marco Jansen on 10 and Simon Harmer six.
The outgunned South Africans have only passed 200 once so far in this series. The Australians need 14 more wickets to pull off an astonishing victory and cannot be counted out after rocking the tourists in Saturday’s two dominant sessions of the rain-marred Test.
Josh Hazlewood made the initial breakthrough, removing Dean Elgar for 15 continuing the Proteas’ skipper’s wretched series of low scores.
Hazlewood, bowling a lively opening spell, got Elgar with a brutal short-pitched delivery which clipped his glove for a catch by wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
Nathan Lyon stunned Sarel Elwee who did not play a shot and was bowled top of off-stump for 18 leaving the tourists 37-2 in the 18th over.
Four balls later Cummins claimed his first victim with Heinrich Klaasen, caught off a lifter leg-side by Carey for two.
Hazlewood broke through again after tea with an inswinger that kissed the edge of Temba Bavuma’s bat for Carey to do the rest.
Bavuma clouted two sixes off Lyon in his 35 off 74 balls but was a big wicket for the Aussies to leave the visitors 85-4 in the 39th over.—AFP
