South Africa 96 & 2/236 Amla 112, Smith 101*) beat Australia 284 & 47 by 8 Wickets: T1 D3 at Newlands, Cape Town. South Africa lead series 1-0 with one Test to play.
Graeme Smith 101*/140b (15x4) and Hashim Amla 112/134b (22x4) batted South Africa to an emphatic and considerably more substantial than seemed likely on the first two days, victory.
The Australian bowling lacked zip, while a couple of crucial, though not too difficult, chances were missed. They may not have changed the result but would have narrowed the margin and given the team a little more heart not to mention incentive to regroup before the next Test starts in a few days.
Can Australia recover by then?
I doubt it. The batting is weak. Michael Clarke's 151 was the best innings by far played in the match, albeit in a losing cause, but it wasn't enough to keep the fresh and aggressively positive South African attack at bay,The South Africans are more like the Australian teams of a decade ago: very competent and confident with several fringe players who have impressive records waiting to step up a level or two as opportunities arise
Scorecard
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