Why it could only get ‘harder and harder’ for Aussies as ‘dramatic’ shift moves SA goalposts

It was the puff of dust that signalled Australia had the upper-hand in the series deciding Test against South Africa in Cape Town but a moment that also inspired confidence in one Protea that they can produce heroics for their nation at Newlands.

With the sun setting over the glorious Table Mountain on another brilliant day at Newlands, champion off-spinner Nathan Lyon celebrated with rapture after deceiving South African captain Temba Bavuma near stumps in a massive moment for Australia.

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But the delivery which clean-bowled Bavuma drew a puff of dust from the pitch and had the Proteas’ star spinner Simon Harmer licking his lips in anticipation of what is to come should South Africa manage to survive the opening session with the bat on Thursday.

The Proteas lead by 40 runs with six wickets remaining but there are signs the pitch is deteriorating and the first hour shapes as critical to how the series between the world’s two top-ranked Test teams will be decided.

All and sundry are declaring that if South Africa is able to extend their lead to 200, it would make Australia’s task of winning a series of great significance an extremely challenging one.

“I think if you look at how the wicket changed from this morning to this evening, there’s been quite a dramatic change,” Harmer said.

“I think Mitchell Starc does a pretty good job of churning up the wicket. So yeah, I definitely think that spin is probably going to come into it a lot more than it has in the first two and a half days.

“I think it was quite evident to see tonight how the ball was turning out of the footmarks. I don’t know if the middle of the strip is going to start going up and down for the seamers, but

the way that I see it is that I think that spin has a massive role to play in the rest of the Test.”

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Josh Inglis, who became the first Australian to score multiple centuries in all formats with a superb 102, is wary of what is to come if the Proteas bat well on Friday morning in Cape Town and said the Aussie attack will be desperate to pile more pressure on.

“Obviously the further it goes into the game, I think it’s only going to get harder and harder,” he said.

“(But) I’m not sure of a (good) total. I think it depends how long they bat for, as opposed to runs. You don’t want them getting too many more than maybe 200 or so (ahead).

“It’s obviously spinning a fair bit. We’ve got a new ball 30-odd overs (away) so, hopefully we’ll start well tomorrow.”

What is indisputable is that after a day where the balance tilted both ways at different stages, with South Africa doing well to restrict Australia’s first innings lead to 100 runs, Lyon’s momentous scalp near stumps gave the tourists the advantage once again.

He bowled superbly all afternoon in tandem with the pace attack, which were on-song against the Proteas on a surface that was still good to bat on until it began turning more in the last session.

“It was a satisfying (conclusion)” Inglis said.

“I think we controlled the tempo there really well in that last session (because) although they put on a pretty good partnership and were playing well, they weren’t really getting away from us.

“I thought ‘Gaz’ bowled brilliantly and looked threatening the whole time and like you said, when you sort of work for a couple of hours there and then get the rewards right at the end, it’s really satisfying.”

Just as the Australians were disappointed to lose 6-59 at the end of their first innings having hoped to lead by at least 50 runs more than their advantage of 100, Proteas Aiden Markram and David Bedingham lost their wickets with poor shots.

But the Australians bowled extremely well and Harmer, who took four wickets, conceded that “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face” when assessing the manner with which those wickets were lost.

While Pat Cummins’ run without a wicket continues, he was unlucky not to snare Bavuma on three different occasions and also rotated his bowlers regularly to ensure the Proteas were never able to settle into a rhythm.

Harmer said the key for the hosts was trying to survive against what he described as an outstanding bowling attack, with Matthew Breetzke unbeaten on 19 and Ryan Rickelton surviving a couple of scares to reach stumps not out on eight.

“They’ve got an incredible bowling lineup and we know that the pressure is going to be on for all 90 overs tomorrow,” Harmer said.

“But as we’ve seen throughout the series, there’s going to be periods where it’s going to be easier to score, and there’s going to be periods where they’re going to bowl well.

“So it’s just about navigating through the tough periods and understanding that there is going to be an opportunity for you to score more freely somewhere down the line, and the trust in that sort of process.”

Former Australian opener Simon Katich said that a series of so many twists and turns deserved to go down to a photo finish and Harmer believes the World Test Champions are capable of creating a magic finale for the hosts. And he wants the ball in his hand.

“I think there’s going to be a lot more on offer from the wickets’ perspective, and there’s a lot more on the line in terms of the result,” he said.

“The series is at one-one and it’s going to boil down to getting the ball in the right area the most amount of times.

“(I’m) just trying to keep it as simple as possible, understand the occasion, enjoy it, enjoy the pressure, and hopefully do something spectacular.”