Johannesburg: Australia were struggling in the fourth and final Test as South Africa reached 400 in their first innings at the Wanderers on Saturday.
Temba Bavuma was 61 not out, following on from a big century by Aiden Markram and a half-century from AB de Villiers. South Africa were 400-7 at lunch on Day 2 of the series decider.
Australia, currently weighed down by the ball-tampering scandal that’s left the team in crisis, were in danger of also seeing the series slip away. South Africa lead 2-1 and Australia’s record of not having lost a test series in South Africa since 1970 is under threat.
So is Australia’s cricketing reputation.
Australia are playing their first match since the cheating scandal broke a week ago in the third test in Cape Town, where captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and batsman Cameron Bancroft plotted to tamper with the ball using a piece of sandpaper in an effort to give the Australian bowlers an unfair advantage.
Australia were forced to play the series decider at the Wanderers with three new batsmen, two of them — Matthew Renshaw and Joe Burns — urgently flown over to South Africa in the last few days.
