Australia want a 14-wicket closing day to defy Sydney’s poor climate and declare a 3-0 sequence sweep of South Africa after Pat Cummins breathed life again into the rain-soaked Test.
South Africa went to stumps on day 4 at 6-149 and needing 127 extra runs to keep away from the follow-on, after Australia declared at 4-475 with Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 195.
It got here after the primary half of the day was washed away by rain and leaky covers, including to the lack of all of day three and one other 57 overs throughout the opening two days.
Australia should win the match to wrap up a spot in June’s World Test Championship closing, taking qualification out of the equation earlier than subsequent month’s four-Test tour of India.
The first job shall be to dismiss South Africa for 275 or much less of their first innings, permitting the hosts to implement the follow-on and push for the win.
“I think (we can do it),” Josh Hazlewood stated.
“From what we saw today we bowled 50-odd overs and took six wickets.
“And the wicket after a bit of traffic down it looked quite nice with Gazza (Nathan Lyon) bowling into that rough.”
Hazlewood stated himself and Cummins would have the ability to bowl prolonged overs with out workload issues with a month till Australia’s subsequent Test.
Cummins claimed 3-29 on Saturday, as he bowled with fury in fading gentle late after he earlier had Heinrich Klaasen caught behind earlier than tea.
The fast arrange Khaya Zondo when he bounced him from across the wicket late within the day with a area set for brief bowling, earlier than he adopted up with a yorker and trapped him lbw for 39.
Zondo claimed afterwards the lbw ought to have been overturned, as he advised he hit the ball whereas additionally indicating gamers ought to have been taken off for unhealthy gentle.
“There was a spike (on real-time snicko),” Zondo stated.
“It was just dark. That’s what I felt, it was quite dark. He’s not slow is he?
“But we’ve got a day to bat. We’ve done it before so I am sure we will be able to do it tomorrow.”
The in-form Kyle Verreynne additionally fell to Australia’s captain on 19, edging Cummins to slide after he and Zondo had led a quick fightback for the Proteas with free-flowing strokeplay.
But with Verreynne’s exit, the tail is uncovered to begin the ultimate day.
Hazlewood additionally bagged two wickets in Australia’s cost, as he prolonged South Africa captain Dean Elgar’s woes with a well-placed bouncer that caught the opener’s glove on 15.
Elgar had earlier survived an attraction for a diving Steve Smith catch within the slips, with third umpire Richard Kettleborough deeming the ball brushed the grass.
Temba Bavuma was Hazlewood’s different sufferer, caught behind when he hung his bat outdoors off stump to a seaming supply and provided his outdoors edge.
Lyon additionally outsmarted Sarel Erwee to assert the opener’s wicket earlier within the day, with a ball that went straight on and brushed the leaving left-hander’s off stump to assist begin the rot.
