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South Africa 1-75 in Cape Town 3rd Test

South Africa have won the toss and reached 1-75 at lunch on day one of the third Test, frustrating Australia's bowlers in Cape Town.

Aiden Markram on his way in the third Test.
Australia celebrate dismissing South African opener Aiden Markram in the third Test in Cape Town. (AAP)

Hostilities have resumed in Cape Town, but with little malice and much caution, with South Africa winning the toss and advancing to 1-75 at lunch on day one of the third Test against Australia.

Josh Hazlewood claimed the only wicket to fall in the morning session, tempting Aiden Markram to drive a delivery on a perfect length during Thursday's fourth over.

Steve Smith dived to his left, completing a sharp slips catch to dismiss Markram for a 17-minute duck.

Hashim Amla and Dean Elgar, who were unbeaten on 31 and 40 respectively at the meal break, then settled in and saw off the new ball without offering a single chance.

Amla and Elgar took few risks as they attempted to grind Australia's attack into submission, a tactic that helped the Proteas level the four-Test series with victory in Port Elizabeth.

Elgar struggled for fluency early, then helped himself to 11 runs off Mitch Marsh's first over.

Marsh (groin strain) and Mitchell Starc (sore calf) both looked proppy at various points of the morning session, although the left-armer came close to skittling Elgar's stumps with a searing yorker in his second last over.

There were expectations of fireworks after Kagiso Rabada's reprieve, with Smith making it clear he was unhappy with the judicial process and that the repeat offender "bumped me a little bit harder than it actually looked on the footage".

But apart from umpires having a brief chat with Smith during the early stages of the innings, presumably about the tourists' chatter, there wasn't any sign of the rivalry turning ugly as it did in the first two Tests.

The hosts made two changes to their XI, with beanpole paceman Morne Morkel and pint-sized batsman Temba Bavuma replacing Lungi Ngidi and Theunis de Bruyn.

Smith, having lost the toss for the first time in the four-Test series, admitted he had also ben keen to bat first.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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