Australia ends 5-test losing streak with win vs South Africa

“There is an opportunity for us tomorrow to try and capitalise on a big partnership to try and push us up past 180-200 lead”, team batting coach Neil McKenzie said. They represented a united front at all times, not something that could always have been said about previous Proteas teams, and it bore dividends both on and off the field this tour. Amla has a lot left to give South African cricket and has the summer at home against Sri Lanka to make up for any disappointment.

As much as Australia need new talent, they also need Khawaja and Lyon to bridge the gap between Steven Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and the rest. As well as breaking this streak, this Test promoted a “changing of the guard” if you will in which five players were dropped from the previous line up. “Every ball I told myself that I wasn’t satisfied, I was driven today to make a big performance”. Some new players came in, they stood up and we showed some fight and character and I guess that’s what I want us to. The fact that Australia won here at the Adelaide Oval should not matter a one bit. They are at No. 5 now, and Domingo admitted there’s still a “great deal of work” to be done, beginning with the batting.

In Renshaw, Australia appear – and it is important to stress these are very early days – to have found an opener in the Chris Rogers mould who can occupy the crease and provide the ideal foil for the aggression of Warner.

Peter Handscomb came through with a really timely half-century when batting was tough on Friday night, and Matthew Renshaw clearly doesn’t get too anxious about things if his second innings that guided us to a win is an indication.

Warner, suddenly the oldest player in Steve Smith’s Australian team at 30, was prevented from opening on the first evening of the third Test last Thursday after spending more than the maximum eight minutes off the ground receiving medical treatment on his shoulder.

“He’s got a really good temperament, a really good head on him”. We came here to win the series and fortunately for us that was in Hobart.

Players wore black armbands in memory of the former global who died two years ago to the day, two days after being hit on the head by Sean Abbott bouncer.

They’ve got the pink ball right, and the pitch that Damian Hough produced was ideal – he is the best curator in the world, no question.

A security guard shoved an Australian media member into a glass door in an incident at Adelaide Airport, Cricket South Africa claiming the reporter in question had harassed Du Plessis. “I think that is just part of riding the wave of what happened, so no hard feelings”. “I guess that’s the sort of template we’re sort of looking for in our top six batsmen”.

The gamble for quick wickets backfired, though, when Khawaja navigated the tricky session with Renshaw then batted through the entire second day to post the first century by an Australian in the series.

An agitated Darren Lehmann appears to have not taken kindly to the suggestion by Cricket Australia’s high-performance manager Pat Howard that he reinvent himself following Australia’s collapse for 85 in Hobart but he says he is pleased for the Australian players now after they “copped a lot over the last few weeks”.