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TELFORD VICE at Newlands
IT should have been Morne Morkel’s day at Newlands on Friday, or Dean Elgar’s, or even Steve Smith’s.
Morkel became the fifth bowler to take 300 wickets for South Africa in test cricket.
Elgar scored 141 not out, which made him only the second player after West Indian great Desmond Haynes to carry his bat three times in tests.
Smith joined the 10 other fielders who have taken five catches in a test innings, the most by a player who is not the wicketkeeper.
But the day was hijacked by those who, instead of spectating as they were supposed to do, chose to try and be part of South Africa’s bid to win the third test against Australia.
They failed and were evicted from the ground for verbally abusing David Warner and singing songs that were deemed to disparage his wife.
On Thursday, spectators wearing T-shirts adjudged to be offensive were thrown out.
Someone should tell them that, when bad light forced stumps 10 overs early, Australia were 245/9 in reply to South Africa’s first innings of 311.
The home side, then, will take a lead of 66 runs into the third day. Rain is forecast for Saturday, which will come as a relief to parched Capetonians but not to those who are still welcome at Newlands.
South Africa’s bowlers claimed 5/25 before and after tea to regain the advantage they squandered with the bat on the first day by losing 6/37.
In the sixth over of Australia’s reply, Kagiso Rabada, who had to win an appeal against a ban he earned during the second test at St George’s Park to be able to play at Newlands, uprooted David Warner’s off stump.
Warner’s punchy 30 came off 14 balls and featured five fours and a six.
There was more aggression to follow from the other side of the fence as Warner walked back to the dressingroom.
A spectator in the Western Province Cricket Club members’ enclosure, which borders the stairs to the dressingroom, launched what looked like a sustained verbal barrage at the Australian.
Security staff were on the scene and figures in Australia team tracksuits rushed out of the dressingroom and down the stairs towards Warner — who first hesitated but then continued up the stairs as the man continued to, it appeared, assail him.
Five overs after Warner went, Morkel had a pulling Usman Khawaja caught at fine leg for five with his third delivery.
The tall fast bowler moved to 299 wickets in the third over after lunch, when Steve Smith sent a catch looping to gully.
When Shaun Marsh flayed at a delivery wide outside his off-stump and was caught behind before tea, Morkel joined the 300 club, whose other members are Shaun Pollock, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Allan Donald.
Morkel’s removal of Marsh ended a stand of 78 he shared with opener Cameron Bancroft, the biggest of the innings.
Before another run had been added Vernon Philander trapped Bancroft in front for 77 with what became the last ball before tea.
Philander struck once more after tea to have Mitchell Marsh caught behind, and Rabada had Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc both taken at third slip by AB de Villiers.
Philander left the field after he suffered what team management said was whiplash when diving at mid-on to try and take a catch Lyon offered off Morkel. He returned 10 overs later.
Lyon was dropped on 12 by Hashim Amla at first slip off Rabada, and on 32 by De Villiers at third slip off Morkel.
The South Africans finally ride themselves of Lyon when he skied Morkel to deep point, where Elgar ran hard to take a fine catch.
Elgar, who batted for more than seven hours, and Rabada resumed on 266/8 and took their partnership to 50 before Rabada edged off-spinner Lyon to Smith at slip to go for 22.
Four balls later Lyon dismissed Morkel in the same fashion to end the innings.
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