Aussies in control in Adelaide against SA

Desperate for a consolation victory to avoid a first 3-0 series sweep on home soil, Australia’s tail boosted their first- innings tally to 383 before the bowlers took over. Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla departed before tea and JP Duminy, captain Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma and Kyle Abbott followed under the lights in the night session. 

Opener Stephen Cook was the one top-order batsman left standing after hitting 81 off 199 balls and will return to the crease on day four with Quinton de Kock, who had yet to score. Paceman Mitchell Starc, who earlier completed his seventh test half century, removed Elgar for a duck with the fifth ball of the innings before taking the key wicket of Du Plessis for 12 courtesy of a brilliant catch by Peter Handscomb.  Amla lost his wicket to Josh Hazlewood for the fifth time in the series when he nicked behind for 45.

Australia had resumed on 307-6 after enjoying their best day of batting in the series on Friday. Usman Khawaja’s match-changing innings ended when he was trapped lbw 

by Vernon Philander for 145 while Starc was caught and bowled by Kagiso Rabada for 53 to trigger the end of the innings. 

Following Elgar’s early departure off an outside edge, which Australia skipper Steve Smith took with a fine low catch in the cordon, Cook was even more circumspect as partners came and went at the other end. 

Duminy (26) took the tourists past Australia’s tally with two runs to third man but lost patience at the pace of scoring and tried to play across a Nathan Lyon delivery only to miss the ball completely and watch it take out his off-stump. Bavuma made 21 before giving Lyon his second wicket shortly before stumps, the batsman attempting a sweep but getting an edge which looped off his arm for Smith to catch. 

Lyon was getting serious turn by now and still had time to remove nightwatchman Abbott lbw for a duck.