Australia fight back with pink-ball win

Australia 383 and 3 for 127 (Warner 47) beat South Africa 9 for 259 dec and 250 (Cook 104, Starc 4-80, Lyon 3-60) by 7 wicketsScorecard and ball-by-ball details

In the end there was no whitewash, Australia were not swept in a home series for the first time since 1887. Instead, the dead-rubber bounce that Test cricket so often produces again manifested itself as Australia chased down 127 to win the third Test against South Africa at Adelaide Oval. Australia’s sequence of five consecutive Test losses ended, and it ended with two debutant batsmen at the crease.

South Africa, of course, won the series. They finished with a 2-1 result that will still go down as an outstanding achievement given the developing nature of their own side. But if Australia were to take a consolation win after the mass overhaul to the side, it was perhaps fitting that two of the new boys would share the winning runs, which came when Peter Handscomb flicked through midwicket and called Matt Renshaw through for a single.

In many ways, this Adelaide Test felt like it was part of a completely different series from the Perth and Hobart matches. Of course, it was played with a pink ball as a day-night fixture, but Australia’s team was also hard to recognise: five changes were made from the XI that lost in Hobart. Whatever the reasons, the public interest was sparked: the match crowd of 125,993 was the highest for any non-Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval.

Set a small target, Australia’s new opening pair finally had the chance to bat together, Usman Khawaja having opened with Renshaw in the first innings because David Warner had spent too long off the field having treatment on an injured shoulder. Renshaw and Warner were a study in contrasts during their 64-run stand, as had been the case with Warner and past partners such as Ed Cowan and Chris Rogers.

Renshaw displayed more leaves than an evergreen, Warner as many as a deciduous tree in autumn. Warner …

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