More batting blues for the Proteas in Sydney

Another day, another torturous batting display from the Proteas, who are struggling to avoid the follow-on in the final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

South Africa will start the last day on 149/6 still needing another 126 runs to prevent being asked to bat again.

Even in the best times that would be a difficult task, and these are far from good times.

With Saturday’s first session and almost half of the second washed out, the Australian captain Pat Cummins understandably chose to declare his side’s first innings on 475/4, leaving opener Usman Khawaja five runs short of what would have been a maiden double hundred. 

Khawaja would not have minded however, not with the chance of being part of a series sweep against a side that in the period he has played them, has held the upper hand over Australia. 

However this generation of Proteas is not in the same class as its predecessors particularly with the bat and Cummins knows that.

No player exemplifies the Proteas struggles quite like skipper Dean Elgar. There is little about his batting that is attractive.

His forward defence is crab-like, his back-foot play while better, still looks rushed.

Outside off stump he often looks like he has no idea, as was the case for most of Saturday’s innings. 

There were plays and misses, and when bat met ball it was with the outside edge, which brought him a couple of boundaries.

However in terms of viewing, it’s not the kind of thing you’d want to watch again and, more importantly, it doesn’t engender much optimism for teammates watching in the dressing room. 

Last year was one of Elgar’s worst since his debut in 2012.

He averaged 28.85 in 11 Tests and while his unbeaten 96*, which won the second Test against India was one of the great performances by a South African batter, he hasn’t come close to matching that effort in the two biggest series South Africa played — against England and now Australia. 

Three times in the current series he’s been dismissed caught down the leg-side by the wicketkeeper, with Saturday’s seeing Elgar end up in a contorted mess not knowing whether to play the ball or leave it alone.

Admittedly it was a good nut from the impressive Josh Hazlewood, who is playing his first Test of the series, but for a player of Elgar’s experience it was a hideous conclusion and wasn’t helpful for his teammates watching from the dressingroom either, who are lacking confidence. 

His opener partner Sarel Erwee once again produced an innings in which he looked good but was never assertive and his dismissal was embarrassing.

Nathan Lyon hadn’t turned many and Erwee left a ball that hit his off stump. Erwee’s front foot wasn’t covering the line of off stump but it was still a ball that was short enough to cut and he didn’t do that. 

Heinrich Klaasen, batting at No.3 — the third different player to occupy that spot for the Proteas in this series — succumbed to Cummins’ disciplined approach and was also caught by Alex Carey off the glove down legside. 

Temba Bavuma and Khaya Zondo added 38 runs in a fourth wicket partnership in which Bavuma took advantage of some short balls from Lyon to belt a pair of sixes.

After the tea break the South African vice-captain hung his bat loosely outside off stump to edge Hazlewood to the keeper after scoring 38 — another good start in which he got through the difficult period and then gave it away. 

Zondo also played well against the spinners, before being trapped lbw amid a magnificent spell from Cummins.

The Australia captain made intelligent use of the short ball, and followed one such delivery with a fast yorker from around the wicket that Zondo felt he’d hit.

The TV replays didn’t provide any evidence of bat meeting the ball, though Zondo still looked perplexed as he walked off the field after scoring 39.

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.