Photo via BBC Sport

Careless dismissals give Australia route to series win

South Africa struggled significantly during the third day of the decisive Test against Australia, ending their second innings at 140 for four and holding a narrow 40-run lead. Careless shot selection proved costly for the Proteas, as top-order batters threw away their wickets through poor strokes.

Aiden Markram fell cheaply after driving a delivery straight to mid-off, while David Bedingham repeated the exact same mistake from his first innings by top-edging a pull shot off Mitchell Starc into the hands of Josh Hazlewood. Even captain Temba Bavuma eventually succumbed to a reckless swipe, departing for 35 before stumps.

Earlier in the match, Australia had been dismissed for 429 following a century from Josh Inglis, despite Simon Harmer claiming four wickets and the hosts taking the final six Australian wickets for 99 runs during the morning session. With the winner of this third Test ultimately claiming the top spot in the International Cricket Council Test rankings, Australia now appear poised to secure the series victory.

South Africa will need a dramatic shift in momentum to defend their slender advantage when play resumes.

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