Morkel demolishes Australia to put South Africa 2-1 up
For much of the fourth day in Cape Town, the Newlands crowd sat in a sort of stupor, as if still digesting the full implications of the previous day’s controversy and awaiting the significant repercussions to come.
The spectators began to stir once Australia’s batsmen emerged in mid-afternoon to attempt a world-record run chase of 430.
And then after tea as South Africa stormed to a sensational 322-run victory that put them 2-1 up in the series with one Test left to play in Johannesburg, the 12,000 mostly Capetonians were in full throaty voice once again.
The start of Australia’s second innings gave no hint as to the mayhem to follow in the evening session, when all 10 wickets fell for 50 runs in 19.4 overs.
Five of those wickets were taken by paceman Morne Morkel, playing in his penultimate Test match. He produced some ferocious bounce from a pacy Newlands pitch and hit Mitchell Starc on the helmet along the way to taking 5/23, and a Test-best match haul of 9/110.
Australia’s openers, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, went to tea embattled but unbeaten on 47/0. They were asked plenty of questions by South Africa’s probing pacemen but they resisted with focus and intent. But the run-out of Bancroft soon after the interval was the catalyst for the catastrophic collapse.
Warner pushed the ball into the covers, set off for a single but his partner, who was the previous day’s centre of attention, was out for 26 by at least a metre as Faf du Plessis produced a direct hit at middle stump with an athletic off-balance throw.
Three overs later Warner was well caught low down in the gully by AB de Villiers off Kagiso Rabada for 32.
In the next over left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj found himself on a hat-trick after having Usman Khawaja caught at slip and Shaun Marsh brilliantly pouched at short leg by Aiden Markram.
Morkel took a wicket with his third ball after replacing Rabada when Steve Smith fended a short ball to Dean Elgar in the gully for 7.
Four overs later, he was on a hat-trick himself after Mitch Marsh miscued a hook that ended up in the hands of de Villiers at third slip, followed by Pat Cummins caught off the wristband of his left glove.
Starc launched the hat-trick ball for four through the unpatrolled mid-off area but two balls after being hit on the head he was caught at short leg.
Nathan Lyon, who earlier had taken his 300th Test wicket, was run out without facing a ball and the rout was completed when Josh Hazlewood guided Morkel straight to Vernon Philander at third man.
Australia had collapsed from 57/0 to 107 all out.
The remarkable day had begun with Cricket Australia announcing that Smith and Warner had been stood down as captain and vice-captain respectively from the remainder of this Test following yesterday’s admission of ball-tampering by Bancroft. Wicket-keeper Tim Paine, who was only recalled to the Test side last November, took charge.
CA’s head of integrity, Iain Roy, has been flown out to Cape Town to conduct an investigation into yesterday’s incidents.
Later in the afternoon, the ICC announced that Smith would be suspended for the final Test in Johannesburg, receive four demerit points and be fined 100% of his match fee. Meanwhile, Bancroft was fined 75% of his match fee and received three demerit points but remains available for selection.
The charge against Smith was laid by ICC chief executive David Richardson, who said: “The decision made by senior players of the Australian team to act in this way is clearly contrary to the spirit of the game, risks causing significant damage to the integrity of the match, the players and the sport itself and is therefore ‘serious’ in nature."
South Africa, resuming the day on 238/5, lost AB de Villiers early for 63.
But Quinton de Kock and Philander continued to extend South Africa’s advantage before de Kock went six overs before lunch, caught behind off Cummins for 65.
Rabada took South Africa’s lead to 400, smashing two successive fours off Starc before becoming Lyon’s 300th Test victim when he came down the pitch, was beaten and stumped by Paine for 20.
When Morkel was bounced out by Hazelwood, South Africa were all out for 373 and had a lead of 429.