On Thursday, South Africa lost the second Test against top-ranked Australia by 182 runs, thereby ending the series.
On Thursday, South Africa was defeated by rampant, number-one-ranked Australia by 182 runs, losing the second Test and the series. The defeat ended a disappointing first two Tests for the tourists, who had already lost the opening game by six wickets in Brisbane in just two days. However, they still had a chance to salvage some pride by winning the third game in Sydney. “Things are tough right now. That was a rather severe beating, “According to Proteas captain Dean Elgar.
Australia declared on Wednesday at 575-8 in response to South Africa’s first innings 189, led by man-of-the-match Warner’s 200 and a brave 85 from Steve Smith in the scorching heat. Australia then dominated with the ball.
Following the early Wednesday rain delay, South Africa resumed play on day four with a 15-1 lead after Elgar was out for a duck.
They put up a valiant fight, but they lost all but three wickets by the end of the second session, scoring only 204 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The injury-plagued attack was led by Temba Bavuma’s 65 runs, but Nathan Lyon grabbed 3-58 in wicketkeeping.
“The triumph ranks near the top. Throughout the years, our matches against South Africa have consistently been some of the best in the competition. It’s adorable and worthy of praise, “according to Australian captain Pat Cummins.
“How Warner and Smith batted in the heat showed a lot of courage, in my opinion. After nursing their wounds, both (Mitchell) Starc and (Cameron) Green showed up.”
With nothing left to play for but pride, South Africa will travel to Sydney next week for the final Test, where they will have to bat last.
“Going forward, we need to conduct a lot of soul-searching. We may take away some encouraging data from this Test, but it’s not a lot “The composer Elgar remarked.
South Africa is a proud cricketing nation, and 2-1 sounds a lot better than 3-0, so there’s a lot to play for (in Sydney),” he said.
With Green and Starc already ruled out with finger injuries, Australia will be fielding a new-look lineup as they rush to be ready for a blockbuster series in India in February.
Having recovered from a side strain, Josh Hazlewood will replace Starc, and a replacement for Green is yet to be determined.
My Finger smashed into a door
The hosts took some early losses despite having a reduced attack and without Green, who had taken 5-27 in the first innings, because of a fractured finger.
Before lunch, Australia’s top-tier speed attack dispatched Theunis de Bruyn (28), Sarel Erwee (21), and Khaya Zondo (1).
Any chance they had in the second session was then dashed by Nathan Lyon’s spin and two sloppy run-outs.
Starc was playing with a bloodied and injured finger, but his relentless pace still caused plenty of issues.
After resuming on 7, Erwee smashed a stunning drive for four off him as his confidence soared. However, Starc swiftly got his revenge, trapping him lbw with a cracking yorker.
De Bruyn started on six and advanced to twenty-eight before returning to the pavilion with his team.
Scott Boland did the damage this time, luring an edge into the slips where the dependable Smith made his 150th catch. On the all-time list, he comes in at number 14 behind the 210 scored by Indian legend Rahul Dravid.
After South Africa had been put under pressure and needed to dig in, Bavuma bizarrely tried to single off Cummins, and Khaya Zondo was cheaply ran out by a Travis Head underarm throw.
After that, they were down 65-4 before Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne buckled down.
Soon after lunch, though, Boland struck again, this time getting Verreynne, one of their greatest batters in the series, lbw for 33.
First, Marco Jansen was bowled by Lyon’s spin, then Bavuma was run out again, and finally, Keshav Maharaj was run out by Starc’s straight hit following a mix-up.
The match was decided thanks to two more weak dismissals from Lyon and a rare wicket from Smith.
