Aussies march towards victory after late blows, crazy Cummins cameo and star’s clinic

Australia is marching towards victory, needing six wickets on the final day to wrap up the first Test against South Africa in Durban following a dominant day four.

The Australians set South Africa 421 runs to win after Matt Renshaw followed up his first innings 190 by top-scoring again with 82 before captain Pat Cummins smacked 32 not out off 12 balls to trigger his declaration at 6/314.

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Alarm bells went off as Australia took the field after tea without the brilliance of Steve Smith in the slips - he watched from the changerooms as South Africa reached stumps at 4/102 with Josh Hazlewood taking two wickets, while Renshaw and Cummins claimed one each.

Smith was struck on the helmet by an Anrich Nortje bouncer earlier in the day and Cricket Australia said he was being assessed for concussion.

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He played out the remainder of his innings, but did not take the field after Australia declared with Michael Neser substitute fielding, Beau Webster filling in at second slip to the quicks and Marnus Labuschagne jumped into slip when Nathan Lyon was bowling.

Hazlewood went about his business, however, giving Australia a strong start with the ball by dismissing South African opener Ryan Rickelton (2) and No.3 David Bedingham (46).

Hazlewood kicked things off when he got Rickelton without conceding a run off his bowling for the second time in the match but after the left-hander edged to third slip in the first innings, this time he feathered a short ball through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

World Test Championship final centurion Aiden Markram (45*) and Bedingham responded with an impressive 66-run partnership, but Hazlewood was again the man to create the breakthrough, trapping Bedingham, who did not bother to review, stone cold LBW.

For the first time in the Test match, bad light did not stop play for the scheduled finish of 5pm local time and the Australians made hay as the sun shone for 41 overs in an extended final session.

Renshaw added to his outstanding match with the willow by taking his first Test wicket, much to the delight of his teammates.

The part-time off spinner found South African captain Temba Bavuma’s (1) inside edge and Nic Maddinson took a nice catch at short leg.

“I tell you what, Matt Renshaw is going to be watching the highlights tonight,” South African great Shaun Pollock said with a laugh on commentary.

Cummins added to the Proteas’ pain shortly after, nicking off Tristan Stubbs (1) with Carey taking a good catch to his right.

The Proteas are long way from eclipsing the previous record run chase at Kingsmead of 336 by Australia in 1950 - or the 335 they motored down against an Australian attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and Shane Warne in 2002 - to pull off a stunning upset after the visitors have controlled the past three days of play.

Former Australian leg spinner Kerry O’Keeffe declared on Kayo Sports that it is “a Nathan Lyon pitch” as the surface noticeably took more turn on day four, but Australia piled on 281 runs in two sessions.

On the stroke of tea, Cummins pulled off an impressive captaincy powerplay by sending off spinner Simon Harmer over the fence three times in an over and then informing the umpires that it was time to have a bowl.

Cummins’ cameo with the willow, which was supported by all-rounder Webster (39*), followed another Renshaw masterclass.

While his 190 was a clinic in patience, the Queenslander’s 82 on Monday was more akin to the busy innings’ that have made him an ODI regular in the past year.

The left-hander struck seven fours and two sixes in the second dig as he once again swept, both conventionally and reverse, the South African spinners for fun.

He also landed some hefty blows down the ground, but trying to hit straight proved to be his undoing.

Renshaw looked destined for twin tons before tweaker Keshav Maharaj somehow hung on to a caught and bowled catch after several fumbles that had to be closely examined by the third umpire.

It was a bizarre ending to another fantastic knock from Renshaw, whose 272 runs for the match was the highest by an Australian since Marnus Labuschagne made 308 courtesy of a double ton and a century against the West Indies in Perth in 2022.

He is also in the box seat to become the fifth player, joining a list that includes the late Phil Hughes for his twin tons in 2009, to top score in both innings of a Test in Durban.

While he was just 16 runs shy of Justin Langer’s record for the most runs in a Test match without scoring a hundred in each innings or a double ton.

Renshaw was again the only Australian to pass fifty with Nic Maddinson (48), Labuschagne (37), Smith (27) and Carey (24) all keeping the scoreboard ticking over but failing to kick on.

In the morning session, Travis Head (11) was the first to go, falling cheaply when his leading edge resulted in a simple catch for Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma at mid on off the bowling of left arm quick Marco Jansen.

Maddinson picked up where he left off on the third evening, however, smacking a rapid fire 48 from only 38 deliveries.

The left-hander struck six fours and two sixes, the first of which was flicked over square leg off Wiaan Mulder yesterday before he launched off spinner Simon Harmer into the sight screen this morning, in a drastic turnaround from his 33-ball duck in the first innings.

Maddinson’s cameo came to an end when Anrich Nortje splattered his stumps with a high class yorker.

“They bowled poorly, they did,” Australian great Mark Waugh declared on Kayo Sports of the South African bowlers’ battle with Maddinson.

“Nortje should have opened the bowling for a start, they bowled rubbish.

“Good that he got 47, but he’s going to need more than that.

“ You know, he’s going to need a proper Test match innings to keep his spot.”

The South African speedster then created the most riveting overs of the morning as he pinned Smith on the helmet before the champion Australian and Labuschagne fought fire with fire.

Smith flayed back-to-back boundaries over the off the side off Nortje at point and the fiery quick responded with a bouncer that sailed over Smith’s head for a wide.

Then the Aussie No.4 smacked another four behind point to take 14 off the over after Labuschagne crunched Nortje to the fence twice in his previous over.

Smith came unstuck trying to put the foot down against Harmer, however, as he picked out Jansen, who juggled a fine catch, at long on after smacking the spinner over fence earlier in the over.

In promising signs for Nathan Lyon, spin claimed another casualty when Labuschagne miscued Keshav Maharaj to Bavuma at cover.

The South African-born Queenslander remarkably fell for 37 off 58 balls - exactly the same score of the same amount of deliveries as the first innings.

“He tried to hit it too square,” former Australian captain Alyssa Healy said on Kayo Sports.

“He was trying to work the gap. The length wasn’t quite there. Yes, it held in the surface a little bit, but that’s just him trying to work that delivery a little bit too square in the wicket.

“He’d be disappointed. I mean, he looked pretty good for his 30 again.

“And now it’s just going to ask more questions.”

Play will begin on day five in Durban at 6.30pm AEDT on Tuesday.

Live updates from Day 4 of the First Test below!

Match details

Venue: Kingsmead, Durban

First ball: 6:30pm (AEDT)

Watch it live: On Fox Cricket (channel 501), and streaming on Kayo, from 5:30pm (AEDT)

Teams

Australia: Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje.