South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel yesterday took his 300th Test wicket to break a promising partnership on the second day of the third Test against Australia at Newlands in Cape Town.
Australia were 150-5 at tea in reply to South Africa’s first innings total of 311.
Morkel, who is retiring from international cricket after the series, took three of the first four Australia wickets to fall and became the fifth South Africa player to join the 300 club.
Photo: Reuters
Morkel dismissed Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith in his first spell, then came back to break a 78-run stand between Cameron Bancroft and Shaun Marsh when Marsh flashed at a wide ball and was caught behind.
Bancroft made 77 off 103 balls with 14 fours, but was leg before wicket to Vernon Philander in the final over before tea to leave Australia in a precarious position.
Morkel, 33, was playing in his 85th Test.
He became the 32nd bowler in the world to achieve the feat.
Earlier, South Africa opener Dean Elgar equaled a world record when he carried his bat through an innings for the third time.
Elgar finished unbeaten on 141.
Only Desmond Haynes of the West Indies had previously batted through a Test innings on three occasions.
Smith also equaled a world record when he caught South Africa’s final two batsmen for a total of five catches in the innings, the joint most by a fielder.
Although 10 other fielders share the record, Smith was only the second Australia player to achieve the feat after Vic Richardson in 1935-1936.
N ZEALAND V ENGLAND
AFP, AUCKLAND, New Zealand
Kane Williamson yesterday insisted that the late Martin Crowe remained New Zealand’s best batsman of all time as he grabbed a national record 18th Test century on a rain-hit second day of the first Test against England.
Williamson’s 102 provided the backbone of New Zealand’s 229-4 at stumps which left England on the ropes on a wet and gloomy day when rain restricted play to 23.1 overs and only 54 runs were scored.
“I’d still rather be out there,” Williamson said, when asked how he felt breaking the previous record of 17 centuries which he shared with Ross Taylor and Crowe.
However, 27-year-old did take satisfaction from having New Zealand “in a fairly strong position” with a lead of 171 over England and six wickets in hand.
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