Inglis and Carey Put Australia Ahead as South Africa Toil on Day 2 at Newlands

Cape Town: Josh Inglis and Alex Carey batted through the final session unbeaten to put Australia in front on day two of the series-deciding third Test at Newlands, steering the visitors to 330 for 4 at stumps — one run ahead of South Africa’s first-innings 329, with six wickets still in hand. Australia had wobbled badly in the middle of the day. After Simon Harmer struck twice in his first over of the match, removing Travis Head for 41 and Marnus Labuschagne for a duck, Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green rebuilt with a determined 126-run third-wicket partnership. Renshaw made 74 from 139 balls and Green 65 from 110, and at 184 for 2 Australia looked set to build a big lead. Marco Jansen changed the game again. The left-arm quick had Renshaw caught behind off an uppercut — a decision overturned on review — for his 100th Test wicket, and then had Green edging to slip in the same spell, leaving Australia 185 for 4 at tea. It was Jansen’s second match-turning intervention of the Test, after his fifty with the bat on day one. But that was South Africa’s last cheer of the day. Inglis, recalled to the side in place of the injured Steve Smith, and Carey dug in against a tiring attack and then took control, adding an unbeaten 145 runs for the fifth wicket. Inglis finished on 85 from 111 balls with nine fours and two sixes, while Carey reached 51 from 126 balls, and the pair’s calm against Harmer’s spin and the second new ball drained the life out of the home side’s bowlers. Harmer finished with 2 for 84 and Jansen 2 for 37, but South Africa’s seamers could not find the movement that Mitchell Starc had conjured late on day one, when his 6 for 72 bowled the hosts out for 329. The stakes could hardly be higher. The series is level at 1-1, after Australia won the first Test by 214 runs in Durban and South Africa hit back with an innings-and-31-run victory in Gqeberha, and the winner of this decider will claim the world No. 1 Test ranking currently held by Australia. Australia will resume on the third morning with Inglis and Carey set, a lead in hand, and the chance to bat South Africa out of the match. For the hosts, early wickets on day three are now essential — anything else, and this decider will start to slip away. Read the day-one report: https://t20star.com/ackermans-95-and-starcs-six-fer-headline-day-1-as-south-africa-bowled-out-for-329-at-newlands/ Brief scores: South Africa 329 all out in 82.3 overs (Ackerman 95, Markram 78, Jansen 52; Starc 6-72) vs Australia 330/4 in 90 overs (Inglis 85*, Carey 51*, Renshaw 74, Green 65; Harmer 2-84, Jansen 2-37). Australia lead by 1 run.