The Proteas again showed little discretion with the bat, losing three wickets in the first session of batting in the third Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
South Africa were 71/3 in the first innings at tea on the fourth day, Australia had declared at 475/4 after the rain washed out all play on the third day and action on Friday morning.
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Australian attack, have five sessions to take 20 wickets to win the Test and claim a 3-0 sweep of the series, also guaranteeing themselves a place in the World Test Championship final, they bang on the target from the outset there. .
It made for a torrid time for the Proteas batsmen, especially opener Dean Elgar. The skipper scored 15, but most of the runs were off the edge and he was alive and well, especially when he bowled Josh Hazlewood to Steven Smith at first. Smith dived forward one-handed, but similar to the incident Marnus Labuschagne / Simon Harmer on the first day saw the third referee Richard Kettleborough quite rightly refused to catch because some part of the ball had hit the ground.
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But Hazlewood dismissed Elgar four overs later when the left-hander got into a tangle against a well-directed lifter on the leg-stump, gloving the catch to the wicketkeeper.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon was introduced in eight overs and bowled opener Sarel Erwee for 18 in six overs, the left-hander made a terrible error in judgment and shouldered his arm for delivery directly to the off-stump.
Great use of the short ball again by Australia, this time by captain Pat Cummins, saw the departure of Heinrich Klaasen (2) in the next over, gloving lifter aimed at the armpit through to the wicketkeeper.
South Africa were surprisingly at 37/3, but Temba Bavuma and Khaya Zondo calmly went about their business to ensure they did not concede wickets.
At the same time, the score can be massaged with the addition of 34 more runs. Bavuma, who used to save the team in times of crisis, looked calm and hit some powerful sixes off Lyon’s back as he teed off on 28 not out.