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Gary Wilson gave Ricky Ponting some act to follow with a century that propped up Surrey’s batting on the first day against Sussex

Alex Winter at The Oval24-Apr-2013
ScorecardGary Wilson played fluently after being promoted up the order•Getty Images

Gary Wilson went out to bat at No. 3 for the first time in his first-class career on the opening day against Sussex. It could also be the last time he fills the slot. But he gave Ricky Ponting some act to follow with a century that propped up Surrey’s batting.Wilson was hurried up the order at the request of Surrey’s captain, Graeme Smith, after Arun Harinath was ruled out of the match having taken a blow to the hand in the nets before the start of play. After Smith failed again in a 12 ball stay, Wilson deputised to great effect with his second century for Surrey.It is easy to become blinded in an assessment of Surrey by their big-name signings but their real strength lies in those players they have nurtured themselves. The contrasting innings of Smith and Wilson provided a perfect demonstration.Wilson was brought to Surrey by the previous head coach, Alan Butcher, as a 20-year-old and has grown from his initial role as back-up wicketkeeper to feature regularly in Surrey’s one-day side. Last year’s tragic circumstances gave him a chance in the Championship. He played three matches and scored 182 runs at 60.66.Here he was handed another opportunity to show his worth in red-ball cricket and responded by working hard in the morning session to set up an afternoon where he pushed on to a hundred in 207 balls with 12 fours.Last season it was lesser-known players, Harinath, Rory Burns and Zafar Ansari among them, that began the club’s revival. Surrey fell to pieces after Tom Maynard’s death and relegation was a distinct possibility but their young batsman found form and a recovery was conjured. Names that few noticed in among the swaggering stars.Wilson was one of those and he was dealing with a double bereavement, having lost his mother to lung cancer shortly before the start of last season. His celebration here reflected someone who had gone through so much: a big punch of the air, raise of the arms and generous embrace from his batting partner, Zander de Bruyn.But Wilson denied the celebration contained any overt emotion, saying his reaction on pushing Chris Nash through the covers to reach three figures reflected only the joy of doing the job he was asked to do.”I battled really hard this morning to get into a good position and it was a case of pure relief, I knew I had done the hard work,” Wilson said. “I knew I had a job to do for the team and it was a case of going in and enjoying batting up the order. I can’t imagine it will continue but it was nice to get a few while it lasted.”Hard work was necessary in a morning that yielded only 58 runs in 32 overs. James Anyon and Steve Magoffin did all they could with the new ball, with Chris Jordan – returning to the county he spent six years with – proving an excellent first change. Anyon found a little dent on the wicket to get one to lift on Smith who edged behind but there was precious other help. In the face of such conditions, having been asked to bowl first, the Sussex attack were admirably disciplined.Runs flowed more freely as the ball got older – with Anyon and Jordan suffering – but the attack as a whole, with Monty Panesar bowling 25 cheap overs, deserved their four wickets with the second new ball that left Surrey grateful for their makeshift No. 3.

A century from Riki Wessels and a solid opening stand between Alex Hales and Neil Edwards put Nottinghamshire in a strong position after two days

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge07-Apr-2012
ScorecardJust when it seemed Worcestershire were in position to pull off an improbable victory at Trent Bridge, a late burst of destructive bowling tipped the balance back in favour of Nottinghamshire. Worcestershire had been favourites to win before the second new ball became available but they enter the final day suddenly facing a tall order to avoid defeat. They are 134 behind, with only four wickets in hand and the new ball has had only five overs of wear.Yet, even if the final day has defeat in store for them, they can console themselves with the knowledge that the competitive spirit that enabled them to defy their status as relegation favourites last season remains intact. Chasing what seemed likely to be no more than a nominal target of 392 to win, they managed to reduced it to 157 while losing only Michael Klinger and Vikram Solanki. At that stage, with the pitch behaving as well as it had throughout the match, you would not have bet against them pulling it off.But a partnership of 174 between their captain, Daryl Mitchell, and the allrounder Moeen Ali, ended when Ali, six short of a century, was caught behind off a slightly weary drive against Andre Adams. Then what had been such a promising position unravelled rather dramatically.Nottinghamshire, by then a little ragged in the field and getting scant help from the pitch, were toiling. Once Moeen had departed, with the new ball imminent, responsibility rested on the shoulders of Mitchell to hold things together. Mitchell’s task became more onerous when Ben Phillips, the right-arm seamer who has bowled well throughout this match, needed only six deliveries with the new ball to deal Worcestershire another blow, bowling Alexei Kervezee off his padsMitchell had played superbly, anchoring the innings for more than five hours. He had been granted an unusual reprieve during the morning, allowed to continue on 9 despite being apparently given out leg before by umpire George Sharp, who then reversed the decision when Adams, the bowler, declined to appeal.He completed a fine century off 237 balls with his 12th boundary but faced only one more before Luke Fletcher bowled him. The ball was swinging for the broadly-built seamer and he struck again with his next delivery, badly misjudged by new batsman Ben Scott, who did not offer a shot.  Now the Worcestershire target suddenly looked a considerable one.In the morning, Nottinghamshire had added 48 runs to their overnight total, 25 of them coming in a typically violent assault by Adams. Riki Wessels stretched the century he had completed on Friday evening to 113 before he was leg before playing across one from Alan Richardson, whose five-wicket haul was just reward for carrying the heaviest workload among the Worcestershire bowlers, at 36, and as unselfishly as ever.Substantial though it is, Worcestershire’s target does not require them to break any records. In June 1996, at Bath, they chased down 446 to beat Somerset by one wicket with three balls to spare. Steve Rhodes, then wicketkeeper, now director of cricket, scored 92 not out. Solanki, aged 20 and in only his eighth first-class match, made 71.He looked as if he might do something similar, if not better, for a while yesterday, but having been dropped at first slip on 20 he aimed a loose drive at Adams to be caught at backward point. He was annoyed with himself, with just cause.  Another 50 or so from him and Worcestershire might still be favourites.Instead, Nottinghamshire can anticipate a winning start to the season, having already had one piece of good news in the shape of an England Performance Squad that includes neither Alex Hales, who has appeared in four Twenty20 internationals, nor James Taylor, the England Lions captain who joined them from Leicestershire during the winter.Having seen Samit Patel make his Test debut in Sri Lanka, Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, had been worried his side’s prospects might be seriously compromised should England see fit to fast-forward Hales and Taylor in their international development. To his relief, Jonathan Bairstow, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes appear to be ahead in the pecking order.Edited by David Hopps

Hamish Bennett, the New Zealand fast bowler, has been ruled out of the World Cup due to an injury to his ankle and Achilles tendon

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2011Hamish Bennett, the New Zealand fast bowler, has been ruled out of the World Cup due to an injury to his ankle and Achilles tendon. Seamer Daryl Tuffey, who had been called up as a standby for an injured Kyle Mills, will take Bennett’s place in the XV.Bennett injured himself during New Zealand’s previous game against Sri Lanka in Mumbai after bowling just 4.1 overs, and limped off the field. He played four games this tournament, picking up six wickets including a four-for in his team’s opening game against Kenya.New Zealand have been plagued by injuries in this World Cup with Mills suffering from a quad strain after bowling a couple of overs against Canada, and captain Daniel Vettori hurting his knee while attempting a catch in the game against Pakistan. Both missed the clash against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, where New Zealand were comprehensively beaten.Tuffey, who had arrived in India on Friday, had been playing for Auckland in the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s domestic first-class competition. He’s played 94 ODIs, claiming 110 wickets at 32.12.

Durham continued to dominate the county curtain-raiser against MCC at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, setting their opponents an improbable target of 526 for victory on day three

31-Mar-2010Close MCC 156 for 7 (Murtagh 27*, Lewis 32*, Blackwell 3-39) and 162 (Malan 41, Borthwick 4-27) require 370 runs to beat Durham 228 for 6 dec (Thorp 79*, Coetzer 52*, Kirby 2-10) and 459 for 9 dec (Coetzer 172, Di Venuto 131, Malan 4-20) with three wickets remaining
ScorecardKyle Coetzer followed up his first innings hundred with an unbeaten fifty in the second innings•PA Photos

Durham ripped through MCC’s batting line-up for the second day in a row to move within three wickets of a resounding victory on day three of the county curtain-raiser at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.If MCC’s labours in the field on Monday suggested the pink ball being trialled in this fixture offers little for the bowlers, Durham have gone about proving the opposite ever since, rolling their opponents for 162 yesterday and leaving them 156 for seven at stumps.That left MCC 370 runs adrift of a nominal target of 526, with Scott Borthwick and Ian Blackwell sharing six wickets in the final session.Steve Kirby, who took two late wickets last night to leave Durham seven for two, started with another fiery spell this morning. First he beat Blackwell with a bouncer and then clattered Will Smith on the helmet with another short-pitched delivery.Jon Lewis, who has been struggling with a thigh problem for much of the match, came on first change and proceeded to bowl Smith via the bottom edge with his first ball of the innings. Dean Cosker matched that feat, snaring Blackwell’s outside edge with his loosener. Phil Mustard was in at five in a changed Durham order and quickly opened up with a handful of crisp attacking strokes.But debutant Ben Stokes could only add seven before he was pinned lbw by MCC skipper Alex Gidman as Durham stumbled to 74 for five. Mustard dashed a single just before the break to bring up his 50, which included eight fours, but fell two balls into the second session, carving James Middlebrook into the hands of James Taylor.That brought day one centurion Kyle Coetzer and Callum Thorp together and the pair were offered some fairly easy pickings as the frontline bowlers were withdrawn from the action in favour part-time spin from Taylor and Malan.Thorp took full advantage, helping himself to a rare half-century before moving up the gears to pass his previous first-class best of 75 with two thrashed boundaries off Taylor. Coetzer, meanwhile, followed up his career-best 172 in the first innings with an organised but low-key 52 not out. Despite the awkward twilight period closing in, Smith delayed the inevitable declaration by a handful of overs before calling his men in at 228 for six.Just seven of those had been scored when Steve Harmison struck in his third over, Scott Newman playing on for a second failure of the match. MCC soon set about replicating their implosion on day two, with David Sales (2) trapped lbw by Blackwell and Malan (13) lifting the same bowler to substitute fielder Mark Stoneman. Blackwell’s left-arm spin continued to trouble the batsmen, with Gidman bowled for a breezy 17 after missing a paddle sweep.At 44 for four, MCC were in deep trouble. They struggled to 74 before James Foster went lbw for six, Borthwick striking with his first ball of the day. That was his fifth scalp of the match and a sixth could have followed from the next ball when Middlebrook survived another strong shout.Yet he could not capitalise on his reprieve, making just nine before picking out Smith to give Borthwick a second success. Taylor, the 2009 Young Cricketer of the Year made a composed 39 before he too capitulated to Borthwick, pulling a shorter one to Coetzer, who held a smart
catch. By now the result was a formality but Lewis (32 not out) and Murtagh (27 not out)
forged a solid eighth-wicket stand to ensure the match would reach a fourth day.Even Harmison, who had puzzlingly contributed just three overs with the new ball, was tempted into a second spell without joy.

He has been fined 100% of his match fee for a Level 1 breach of the IPL’s Code of Conduct during the game against Delhi Capitals

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2024Harshit Rana, the Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler, has been fined 100% of his match fee and suspended for a game, for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Delhi Capitals. Rana will now miss KKR’s game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, on May 3.Though the IPL release did not specify the reason for Rana’s fine, he could’ve been pulled up due to the animated celebrations from him towards DC batter Abishek Porel. Rana, who picked up 2 for 28 during KKR’s seven-wicket win, dismissed Porel in the seventh over of DC’s innings, giving the batter a bit of a send-off as he walked back. Rana was subsequently charged with a Level 1 breach under Article 2.5 of the tournament rules. For Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct, the Match Referee’s decision is final and binding.This was Rana’s second offence of the season, having also been penalised last month during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. During that match, Rana gave SRH batter Mayank Agarwal a sharp stare after dismissing him, and was fined 60% of his match fee.KKR are currently second in the table with 12 points, and an NRR of 1.096, the best of all teams in the competition.

Giants have just two points from three games but a win on Saturday will put them back in contention for playoffs

Shashank Kishore11-Mar-2023

Big picture: Giants eye back-to-back wins

Gujarat Giants were in the news for all the wrong reasons at the start of the WPL.First the mystery around Deandra Dottin’s “medical condition”, which was followed by her rebuff on social media. Then Beth Mooney’s injury in their tournament opener, followed by long suspense over her availability.Then, Sneh Rana was named stand-in captain before a social-media gaffe that suggested Harleen Deol might be the new captain sent tongues wagging. Some teams go through that much drama over an entire season. But, that’s all in the past.Rana has been firmly handed the reins, Laura Wolvaardt has come in as Mooney’s replacement, and there seems to be a settled look about the team that an emphatic victory can bring about.Sophia Dunkley, who may have not played had Mooney been fit, set the stage alight with an 18-ball half-century in their previous game, while Harleen and D Hemalatha have shown spark in each of the three games they’ve played. If S Meghana can fire at the top of the order, the collective batting might they have could challenge Delhi Capitals as they aim for back-to-back wins.Royal Challengers Bangalore losing a fourth straight game has meant the gulf between them and the other four teams has become bigger. If Giants win on Saturday, they will firmly be back in contention for the playoffs.Capitals have one of the most well-rounded units in the competition, but they were given a massive reality check by Mumbai Indians. Meg Lanning battled hard, but the rest of the batting unit collapsed around her. That said, they would rather have that one off game out of the way now than during the knockouts.Shafali Verma’s approach has largely been refreshing, far different to the diffidence we saw at the T20 World Cup. Jemimah Rodrigues, who helped deliver their opening win, has been putting together key contributions. But there is a soft underbelly to their lower middle order. In Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia and Radha Yadav, there’s not much batting depth beyond the superstars. There in lies a chance for Giants.

Players to watch: Pandey and Meghana

Remember that devious inswinger to clean bowl Alyssa Healy from a couple of years ago? That’s the version of Shikha Pandey the Capitals would love to see with the new ball. So far, there has been little swing and movement on offer for her. And without those two elements, Pandey has struggled a bit. She takes great pride in reinventing herself every time she is challenged, so how she bounces back against Giants could be worth watching.S Meghana has the reputation of being an explosive batter in Indian domestic cricket. So far, opportunities to exhibit that with the Indian team have been rare, because of the presence of an established top order in Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma and Jemimah Rodrigues. That has meant she has mostly been in the reserves. Now is her opportunity to bring that explosive game to the fore and show the selectors what she can potentially offer going forward.

Likely XIs

Delhi Capitals: 1 Meg Lanning (capt), 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Alice Capsey, 6 Jess Jonassen, 7 Taniya Bhatia (wk), 8 Shikha Pandey, 9 Radha Yadav, 10 Tara Norris, 11 Titas Sadhu/Minnu ManiGujarat Giants: 1 Sophia Dunkley, 2 S Meghana, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Ash Gardner, 5 D Hemalatha, 6 Annabel Sutherland, 7 Sneh Rana (capt), 8 Kim Garth, 9 Sushma Verma (wk), 10 Tanuja Kanwar, 11 Mansi Joshi

Quotes

“You can’t go out there and look at 180 right from the start. You get yourself into a bit of trouble if you do that.”
“Sneh Rana has had very good support from her vice-captain, her deputy Ash Gardner – both of them worked together. Sneh has done well because she also has the experience of leading Indian Railways in the domestic season.”

“I know the areas of my game I need to get better at and one of them is playing the short ball”

Edited PTI copy17-Dec-2021Two years into international cricket, 17-year-old Shafali Verma is fully aware of the need to improve constantly and her immediate focus is on tweaking her short-ball game against fast bowlers.Having made her India debut as a 15-year-old, Shafali has come a long way over the past 24 months and alongside Smriti Mandhana, forms one of the most explosive opening pairings in women’s cricket. However, on tours of England and Australia this year, Shafali was peppered with short balls and she didn’t look particularly comfortable against them. So, to get better against the rising ball, Shafali is now facing 200-250 balls from Under-25 men’s players, who can clock 125-130 kmph, at Shri Ram Narain Cricket Academy in Gurugram, under the watchful eyes of her coach Ashwani Kumar.”It feels good that I have been able to complete two years in international cricket but there is a long way to go. I know the areas of my game I need to get better at and one of them is playing the short ball,” Shafali told PTI after being named a Hyundai brand ambassador. “The coaches have also told me to play as per the ball and I will continue to do that. I will never change my game.”During the England and Australia series, Shafali was seen backing away to the short balls and the approach fetched her mixed returns. The coaches at the academy are making her play the short ball on cemented, astroturf and normal wickets. And, besides negotiating higher speeds from the men, Shafali is also facing throwdowns.Related

• Mithali: We have had 'good preparation' for 2022 World Cup

• New Zealand to host India Women for one T20I, five ODIs

• Mandhana: 'Amazing to watch our bowlers dominate Australia'

• Mandhana lauds leadership of Darlington at Sydney Thunder

“I won’t back away that much going forward. You will see me shuffling around the crease a lot more and play as per the merit of the ball,” Shafali, who is also working on her fitness, said.Her coach Kumar feels Shafali will only get better with time and experience. “We must not forget that she is still 17. Her dream Test debut shows that she has got the required technique to succeed at the highest level.”In the shorter formats, where there is scoreboard pressure, you need to be really quick with your thinking and that is where she needs to improve a bit. As she goes along playing for India, you will see her only getting better.”Mandhana targets better consistency for World Cup success
Mandhana, who was named a Hyundai ambassador alongside Shafali, Jemimah Rodrigues and Taniya Bhatia, said she wants to add more consistency to her batting going into the Women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand in March.”Post [the] Covid [-enforced break from cricket], it was hard to get the rhythm back as I was playing international cricket after one and a half years,” Mandhana told PTI. “It took a while to get into the groove but the last two series [England and Australia] have been decent but surely there is scope for improvement.”I am really happy with the way I have been timing the ball… [But] as a batter you have to be selfish to be more consistent and that’s something I want to work on, closing games on a regular basis especially the tight finishes.”It is something which we all know that we need to work on as that is going to help us in the World Cup.”India has lost ODI series to South Africa, England and Australia since March, but Mandhana feels the team has got the best possible preparation for the World Cup. India will also play New Zealand before the World Cup.”The last one year has been really important for us and especially playing in England and Australia. We are also playing New Zealand, so playing the top three-four teams in a space of seven-eight months, that is the best preparation for World Cup. We have learnt a lot in the last two series.””The Australia series was a good one though results didn’t go our way. Almost all the matches were decided in the last over and those were matches we could have won or lost. We were able to score 250 plus in two out of three games. Will take take all the positives from that. I also learnt a lot in Australia.”

Pair post unbeaten centuries to secure draw for Northants

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2020Northamptonshire 142 (Stone 4-39) and 507 for 6 declared (Rossington 135*, Proctor 112* Thurston 96, Curran 58) drew with Warwickshire 369 for 8 (Bresnan 105, Yates 88)Northamptonshire secured a Bob Willis Trophy draw that felt like a win after seventh-wicket pair Adam Rossington and Luke Procter batted through the final day to crush the life out of Warwickshire’s victory bid at Edgbaston.Northamptonshire seemed to be hurling to defeat when, just after lunch on the third day, trailing by 227 on first innings, they hit 148 for 5 in their second. But from that point onwards they showed enormous resilience and resolve to bat their way to safety on a flattening pitch.The great escape was led by Rossington who dug in to deliver the archetypal captain’s innings – 135 from 399 balls with 17 fours. After adding 159 with Charlie Thurston on the third day, on the fourth, the skipper added an unbroken 200 in 83 overs with Procter, who reached 112 not out, to steer his side to 507 for 6, their record total against Warwickshire.The superb rearguard action left a young Northamptonshire side proud and delighted, but there were the opposite feelings in the home dressing-room. After completely dominating the first two days, Warwickshire let victory slip through their fingers, literally with several dropped catches, while the bowling attack failed to deal with the loss of spearhead Olly Stone.The absence of Stone, who was off the field having a side injury assessed, was a big blow but did not excuse the lack of potency and control from too many other members of the attack.Northamptonshire still had plenty to do to reach safety in the match when they resumed on the final morning on 317 for 6, but Procter set down an immediate marker for the day with successive fours off Tim Bresnan.On a pitch which offered the seamers less and less assistance as the match lengthened, very few balls did not locate the middle of the bat. Rossington reached his seventh first-class century from 227 balls with his 14th four, punched straight off Ryan Sidebottom before, in the next over, Procter posted his 50 from 91 balls with eight fours.The pair added 98 in the morning, then in the afternoon Rossington dropped anchor deeper than ever. The captain scored just 15 runs in the session, settling for largely strokeless resistance and challenging the home side to find the potency to dislodge him, which they failed to do.Procter completed his fourth first-class century with his 17th boundary, cut off Rob Yates, in the first over after tea. That Yates, having never before purveyed his off-spin in first-class cricket, was into his 14th over said everything about Warwickshire’s bowling performance. They will hope to welcome Liam Norwell and Henry Brookes back into the attack for the match away to Gloucestershire starting next Saturday.

CSA has advised the fast bowler to return home as a precautionary measure ahead of the 2019 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2019A back niggle has brought an early end to Kagiso Rabada’s IPL season. Cricket South Africa has advised that the fast bowler return home as a precautionary measure ahead of the 2019 World Cup, which begins on May 30 with the tournament-opener pitting South Africa against hosts England.Rabada, the leading wicket-taker of IPL 2019 with 25 in 12 games, had complained of discomfort after Delhi Capitals’ match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 28. He missed Capitals’ next match, against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday, and underwent scans on his back the following day. Capitals shared the scan results with CSA, and on Friday the franchise confirmed that Rabada had been advised to return home. As a result, Rabada will miss Capitals’ last league game, against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, as well as their playoff matches.”Kagiso experienced stiffness in his lower back a few days ago and was taken for scans for further investigation,” South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee said. “The scan results, combined with further assessment by our physiotherapist Craig Govender. who is fortunately in Delhi, led the CSA medical committee to the decision to withdraw him from the remainder of the IPL.”Kagiso has a history with back injuries and the CSA medical team is taking the best measures to ensure he is fully fit for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup starting this month. He will consult with a back specialist upon his return and proceed with a treatment and rehab programme.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“It is indeed very hard for me to leave the Delhi Capitals at this stage of the tournament,” a Capitals statement quoted Rabada as saying. “But with the World Cup just a month away, a collective decision has been made for me in this regard. It’s been a tremendous season for me with the Delhi Capitals, both on and off the field, and I truly believe that our team can win the trophy.”Ricky Ponting, the Capitals coach, conceded that it was a “tough loss” but expected the team to cover for the star pacer’s exit.”It was a decision which was taken of our hands. It was a decision that Cricket South Africa made. He had a sore lower back in the last couple of games and after our last home game here it got a little worse,” Ponting said. “So CSA took the decision as precautionary measure to ensure that he is fit for the World Cup.”It’s a massive loss obviously but it’s a loss that we can cover. We have someone like Trent Boult, who is a world-class fast bowler. He had a terrific season for the Daredevils last year. With him coming to the side now we think we can cover for the loss of Rabada quite well.”The injury to Rabada is the latest in a long line of fitness worries for South Africa’s fast bowlers ahead of the World Cup. Dale Steyn’s IPL also ended prematurely following a shoulder injury, while Lungi Ngidi (side strain) and Anrich Nortje (shoulder) were ruled out even before the tournament began.

Keshav Maharaj and Morne Morkel picked up three wickets, but South Africa were no better off than 24 hours earlier as Australia’s lead reached 402 at stumps on day three

The Report by Brydon Coverdale03-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIt was a long shot that South Africa could significantly improve their situation on the third day at Kingsmead, and long shots rarely get up. They fought hard, took wickets, fielded well, kept Australia to a fairly modest score – and still ended the day facing a near-record Test chase. It was always likely. The morning began with Australia 189 runs in front, and ready to start their second innings. What South Africa really needed was an all-out 47 a la Cape Town 2011. What they got was Australia on 213 for 9 at stumps.That meant that for all South Africa’s hard work, little had changed in the match situation. Australia’s lead stood at 402 runs, with the possibility of adding more on the fourth morning. South Africa would need at the very least the fifth-highest successful chase in Test history to win. They would also have to better by 60-plus runs a record that has stood for 60-plus years – the highest target ever successfully chased in a Test in South Africa was 336, achieved on this ground when Neil Harvey struck an unbeaten 151 in 1950.If South Africa want encouragement, they can look to more recent history. In 2002, also at this venue, they chased down Australia’s target of 335, so the two highest-successful pursuits in South Africa have come at Kingsmead. And the second-highest successful chase in all of Test history was the 414 that South Africa achieved against Australia in Perth in 2008. If the conditions are different, at least some of the players are the same: AB de Villiers made 106 not out in that chase, and Hashim Amla contributed a fifty.But enough nostalgia. Kingsmead 2018 is all that matters now, and on the third day of the Test, Cameron Bancroft eased some of the immediate pressure on his place in the side with a half-century; Usman Khawaja got out reverse-sweeping before he had reached double-figures; Dean Elgar made Steven Smith his bunny by dismissing him for the second time in Test cricket; Keshav Maharaj took his match tally to eight wickets; Morne Morkel took his career tally to 297; Kagiso Rabada bowled impressively and claimed 2 for 28; and perhaps significantly for the chase, Elgar hurt his hand late in the day.Bancroft and David Warner started the innings with a solid 56-run partnership but on 28, Warner threw his start away by trying to force Rabada through leg and instead sending a catch to mid-on. Khawaja then completed a disappointing Test personally when he tried to reverse-sweep Maharaj and a catch popped up off his glove to Quinton de Kock, ending his innings on 6.Australia’s lead was already in comfortable territory but Bancroft still had much to play for, seeking to justify his retention ahead of Matt Renshaw for this tour. If he didn’t fully put his stamp on the position as Warner’s opening partner, he at least showed a glimpse of what he can do, striking 10 fours on his way to a 76-ball half-century, and using his feet well to the spin of Maharaj. At least, for a while. It was that same footwork that brought him undone, when on 53 he failed to reach the pitch of one and Maharaj turned it past his edge to allow an easy stumping.Left-arm spin also accounted for Smith, but from an unlikely source. Faf du Plessis took a gamble on the part-time spin of Elgar and it immediately paid off, when on 38 Smith tried to sweep and was lbw. Remarkably, it was the second time in Tests that Elgar, who has 14 wickets from 46 Tests, had dismissed Smith, the world’s best Test batsman. Four years ago almost to the day, he had bowled Smith in Cape Town with a hop so long it could have won Olympic gold in the triple jump.Smith had already survived a close call on 30 when he was adjudged not out lbw to Maharaj, and South Africa’s review found that – by the slimmest of margins – he had been struck in the umpire’s call zone on off stump. In general, South Africa might have been frustrated by close calls going against them on the third day, though du Plessis was also saved from wasting reviews on two occasions when the umpire Kumar Dharmasena decided he had taken too long.South Africa continued to pick up wickets fairly regularly. Mitchell Marsh edged to slip off Rabada for 6, Tim Paine was taken at slip off Maharaj for 14, Shaun Marsh spent 99 balls over 33 before he too edged to second slip off Morkel, and Nathan Lyon likewise sent a catch into the cordon off Morkel. The one who wasn’t caught behind the wicket was Mitchell Starc, who crunched Morkel to cover, where Elgar took a sharp catch but immediately left the field for medical attention to his hand.The day finished – early once again, due to bad light – with Pat Cummins on 17 and Josh Hazlewood on 4. And with South Africa, for all their best efforts, no better off than they were 24 hours earlier.