Australian endured a torrid day in Gqeberha as the brilliance of South African captain Temba Bavuma and his lower order left the visitors fighting for survival with two days to play.
Australia’s bowlers were well below their best as Bavuma, Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer made hay while the sun shone at St George’s Park.
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Scott Boland picked up a five-wicket haul to stake his claim to remain in the side, while Mitchell Starc ticked off a big milestone.
But the Aussie batters have plenty of work to do and they could do worse than lose from Bavuma and co.
Scroll down for the biggest talking points from day three of the second Test!
WRAP: Aussie opener’s nightmare caps off dirty day as skipper’s career-best ton stuns
“I’m just admiring!” | 01:26
‘WIND OUT OF THEIR SALES’: AUSSIES BLOWN AWAY
When Mitchell Starc snared Wiaan Mulder early on Tuesday morning, the sun was shining over Gqeberha and also the prospects of Australia securing the series in the port city.
At 6-110 and following on from the Proteas struggles in the second innings in Durban, the odds firmly favoured an Australian win with the draw second and daylight to the Proteas.
But the magnificence of Bavuma, aided admirably by Marco Jansen and Simon Harper, has flipped the script entirely and this was evident in the body language of the Australians.
From being “cockahoop” after snaring Mulder, former Protea fast bowler Vernon Phliander noted that Bavuma’s obstinance “blew the wind out of the sales” of the Aussie attack.
Pat Cummins bowled fire in Durban last week. And he started with similar ferocity at St George’s Park. But by the time South Africa declared he had posted the worst figures of his career – 0/96 from 26 overs.
Starc toiled away and snared the 450th wicket of his career, but he did not look threatening. And Josh Hazlewood not surprisingly lacked zest after spending yesterday in the sick bay.
As Harmer smashed a half-tracker from Matthew Renshaw to the fence to record the highest ever eighth-wicket partnership for South Africa, the Aussies looked completely flattened.
The famous brass band was tooting away, the South African fans in attendance bore broad smiles, some local press in the box were applauding every milestone moment they surpassed and the Aussies on respective tours … well at least the beers were only A$3.50.
“This morning they were all cockahoop … and that looked like it blew the wind out of their sales,” Philander noted on broadcaster SEN.
“The second point is how ineffective Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins have been. Somehow they could not find the rhythm or the length on the surface to make themselves effective.
“But also credit to the way South Africa have composed themselves in the application shown. They have been very disciplined and it goes to show that once this team gets back into Test match rhythm, they are a force to be reckoned with.”
Jansen cops a nasty one! | 01:50
WILL BOLAND PLAY THE NEXT TEST?
The Australians will not know the conditions they will face in the next Test in Cape Town until they arrive at their scene of their infamous Sandpaper crime, but regardless of how the surface looks, Australian great Mark Waugh believes Scott Boland must play.
Nathan Lyon may come back into the equation after being left out in Gqeberha, but former selector Waugh stressed that Boland cannot be the one to make way if a specialist spinner is required after taking a first innings five-wicket haul.
“I’d play him,” Waugh said on Kayo Sports.
“Maybe Mitchell Starc has a breather. He hasn’t had a rest for a long time. He looks not quite 100 per cent at the moment.
“So, you could pick him over one of the other guys if you want to bring Nathan Lyon back in.
“I think he’s got to play. I’d nearly play him every Test the way he bowls because he’s a point of difference.”
With Australia having plenty of Test cricket to come in the next 12 months, Waugh also believes that the 37-year-old, who is playing his 20th Test match, has plenty more appearances in the baggy green ahead of him.
“He looks the fittest he’s ever been. He’s got a good couple of years in him,” Waugh added.
Boland was less threatening on day three as the ball softened and the St George’s Park surfaced settled in the sunshine.
Marco Jansen even launched him for six with a superb lofted off drive and Temba Bavuma fought hard to get the better of their battle, but Boland got the last laugh on Jansen, hitting him where no man wants to be hit before dismissing him 15 shy of a maiden Test ton.
Boland toiled admirably, but truly made his statement on the opening two days when he had the ball talking under grey skies.
The damage the Victorian inflicted gave the visitors the early ascendancy with a masterclass in seam bowling.
“He’s been dying to have a bowl and he’s bowled beautifully,” Waugh said.
“He’s the perfect bowler for these conditions. Pitch up, hits the stumps, hits the edge and any sort of technical issues, he will find it out.
“He almost looks unplayable. He never looks like getting hit for any runs. You expect him to always hit the edge.”
Former Australian leg spinner Kerry O’Keeffe added: “The good thing about him is, he gets people to nick.
“These South African players are all off side dominant. They all play open face outside the off stump.
“They hit 12 boundaries yesterday, ten or 11 were through the offside. Four of their five nicked off when they batted.
“Australia know if they hang it at fifth and sixth stump, they’re going to get an open face.”
Bat handle does in Mulder? | 00:30
STARC’S HISTORIC MILESTONE
Mitchell Starc could not find his footing in slippery conditions on Sunday and is yet to discover the potency in this series that has seen him secure his legacy as an Aussie great.
But if his brilliance has been stymied in South Africa, what is indisputable is his appetite for the battle, with the left-arm pace bowler striving mightily to make a difference this tour.
In an innings where Scott Boland was by far the most threatening of the Australian bowlers, Starc continued to pepper away at the Proteas and picked up three handy wickets for his toil.
The second of them was a Starc classic, with a rearing delivery catching the glove of Wiaan Mulder before striking him on the helmet and then ballooning to Matt Renshaw at 1st slip.
And it will always be one to be celebrated, irrespective of what unfolds at St George’s Park over the remaining two days of the Test, given it was the 450th Test wicket of his career.
The 36-year-old joined fellow greats Shane Warne, Nathan Lyon and Glenn McGrath as the only Australian bowlers to take 450 Test wickets or more with the scalp of Mulder.
His buffer to the fifth-placed Australian bowler in terms of Test wickets, Dennis Lillee, could be beyond 100 by the end of this series, while his teammates Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood sit in the top eight overall as well.
“He’s been a champion through his career, Mitchell Starc,” former Zimbabwean international Pommie Mbangwa said on commentary.
“450 is a fantastic milestone. He’s got a really good strike rate of 45. Over a career of 109 matches, he has been dependable for Australia across various formats, actually.”
Starc gets Mulder for his 450th wicket | 01:53
AUSSIE’S BAVUMA CLAIM COMES TRUE
Temba Bavuma was batting like a man determined to make the most of every ball he faced.
In defence he was concentrated. Balls outside off stump were waved by. Those in line were treated with the full face of the bat. And any that strayed were stroked diligently away.
And he batted and batted and batted as other Proteas came and went with impressive concentration. Practice, it is said, makes perfect and Bavuma was leaning into the mantra.
What unfolded on Tuesday at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, where Bavuma anchored an innings with a stunning xxx to keep the Proteas hopes in the series alive, is no accident.
Leading into the series, champion Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood told foxsports.com.au the aspect about Bavuma that impressed him the most was that he tended to make runs when the situation in a match was at its toughest. And so it proved.
Bavuma strode to the crease facing a rampaging Scott Boland on a hat-trick ball. It was a near run thing. But he survived and then batted brilliantly to secure his fifth Test century.
“I feel like when he gets runs, it’s always the hardest part,” Hazlewood said.
“It might be a green wicket when you’ve got them two or three for not many and he comes in and gets that 60 that’s not convincing, it’s not pretty, but it gets it done. I think that’s a real trait that you need in your team. You need one guy like that, (someone) who makes a difference in a low-scoring game.”
Hindsight can make even the most lapse of judges look like a genius but anyone who watched him batting exhaustively in the nets leading into the match saw a determined soul.
Having been stung by twin failures in his first loss as South African captain in Durban, Bavuma was determined to do all he could to ensure he was as well-prepared as possible.
There was no guarantee his dedication would pay off in the handsome manner it did in the Eastern Cape city. But at the very least, he was setting a superb example for his team.
It is not only his teammates who will have been inspired by the manner in which Bavuma dealt with the attack.
For most of his innings, Bavuma was cheered on by a chorus of school kids sitting in The Old Stand at the picturesque ground not far where the brass band was belting out bangers.
The first black cricketer in South Africa to score a century a decade ago against England, the 36-year-old is also the first black man to captain his country. And he is doing a stunning job.
“We talked about it in Durban. One part of leadership is leading from the front, getting the job done and making sure your action matches your words and he has done that in spades,” former Australian opener Simon Katich said.
“But players have got better records under him. One of them he batted with today (in Marco Jansen) which has turned this Test match and put it back in South Africa’s favour. The skipper is getting something extra out of him, whether it is chats, whether it is the tactics around wanting him to play a role that suits the team.
“That is the thing about Bavuma. He is doing it with the bat, but he is also doing it with the way he manages this group, and it is quite a young group.”
After leading South Africa to a famous victory over Australia in the World Test Championship decider at Lord’s last year, batting bravely while dealing with a hamstring issue, Bavuma spoke about his method of leadership.
“I think leading through a collective, identifying guys within the team and allowing them to lead within their space (is important),” he said.
“That’s something I think that has allowed me to be a lot more successful as a batter but yeah, I’m not a big talker. I’m more about action.
“For me, it’s always about the team, doing what I think is best for the team, and also wanting to be the guy for the team, I think, in times where there’s pressure, where you can make a decision, where you’re kind of giving another one the opportunity.
“It’s easy to do that in pressure moments, but it takes a certain level of courage to be able to look past what you’re feeling physically, and still try to find a way to get the job done.”
Given the rain-marred nature of this Test, Bavuma’s brilliant innings may not be enough to secure victory for the Proteas. But it has made it very unlikely they will lose this match.
Every boundary from Jansen’s amazing 85 | 02:08
‘DANGEROUS’ PROTEAS STAR OFFERS UNIQUE ‘LUXURY’
If Marco Jansen can continue to bat with the verve he has in an outstanding innings at St George’s Park on Tuesday, South Africa will continue to excel in the Test arena.
With a blistering knock that thrust the Proteas back into the second Test, Jansen demonstrated the capacity to bar far higher than No.8 when making 85.
The rangy right-hander revelled when facing the softer ball in a 132-run partnership with his captain Temba Bavuma, a partnership which revived the hosts hopes in the second Test.
He clubbed nine fours and three sixes in his 100 ball knock before being caught by Travis Head when trying to clip star fast bowler Scott Boland to the fence for four.
Former South African fast bowler Vernon Philander said that although Jansen, who has not made a century at any level in his senior career, was denied a magical breakthrough, he should be very proud of his deeds in Gqeberha after coming to the crease at 6-110.
“It is an incredible innings and one where he will look back on in his career and say, wow, I have managed to turn the tables around for South Africa,” Philander said.
Former Australian opener Simon Katich cited the example of South African legend Jacques Kallis when saying that if Jansen continues to improve with the bat, he will be particularly valuable.
The 26-year-old, who dealt a painful blow by Boland shortly before losing his wicket, batted at No.5 in his most recent domestic match and is capable of batting higher, Katich said.
“He has counter-attacked. He has backed himself. And, geez, he has played some good shots,” the Australian said on SEN.
“He could be a serious talent, this young man. I think the big upside for him will be what he does with the bat moving forward. And then SA will have the luxury, like they did with Kallis, of batting him in the top six. And then that makes them a much more flexible and dangerous team.”
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