Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Two moments of Steve Smith brilliance have given Australia control of the first Test in Durban, as South Africa slumped to 4-115 at lunch on day three.
After the Proteas got off to a flyer on Sunday morning at Kingsmead Stadium, Smith took two smart catches to leave the hosts on the back foot in reply to Australia’ 390.
He first showed his wares to help Nathan Lyon remove Temba Bavuma, when he intercepted a reverse sweep at slip to dismiss South Africa’s captain on three.
Three overs later he then leapt across to have David Beddingham out for 49, this time with both feet in the air at second slip to secure Pat Cummins’s first wicket.
That dismissal perhaps looked better than was required, given the ball was on track to be a regulation catch for Matt Renshaw at first slip.
But the smarts on show to remove Bavuma were all class.
Stationed at slip, Smith anticipated the right-hander was attempting a reverse sweep and began moving to his right before Bavuma hit the ball.
That allowed him to be in position to take the catch, despite the South African middling the off break.
The wickets came as Australia dried up South Africa’s scoring, with the quicks dragging back their lengths slightly after a hot start from the hosts.
After resuming at 1-27, South Africa added 60 runs from the first 10 overs of the day without loss as Aiden Markram and Beddingham regularly drove to the cover boundary.
Beddingham at one point hit Mitchell Starc for three straight fours through cover, mid-wicket and backward point, while Markram was powerful on the cover drive.
But when Starc had Markram caught at slip to a ball that angled in at the right-hander, the complexion of the morning changed.
The Proteas lost 3-15 from 9.3 overs. Beddingham had hit his first 48 runs off 56 balls but scored just one in the 16 deliveries before his dismissal.
Lyon then thought he had Wiaan Mulder caught at slip just before lunch on six, before the third umpire ruled Marnus Labuschagne did not take the ball cleanly.
Smith’s two catches took him to 221 and back ahead of Joe Root for the most in Test history.
The former captain has now taken 64 catches off Lyon’s bowling, with most of those at slip.
