'Stitch up': Outrage over South Africa's dodgy decision
Cricket experts and fans were in outrage on Monday night as South Africa built their second innings lead to over 600 runs.
Despite their total creeping higher than the combined total of Australia's previous three innings, the South Africans continued to bat, only declaring at 6/344.
A huge 612 runs ahead.
Opener Dean Elgar was trying the hardest to put the crowd to sleep, scoring 81 runs off 250 balls.
IT'S ODD: Elgar confused by Aussies' new approach
Skipper Faf du Plessis wasn't much better as he batted on after making his century, despite having the perfect opportunity to call it quits at lunch.
Du Plessis was surely nervous at the proposition of bowling the Aussies out with an injury-riddled pace attack.
Morne Morkel (side strain), Kagiso Rabada (sore back) and Vernon Philander (groin) were all struggling with injury on Day Four of the fourth Test.
Either way, onlookers were furious, with spin king Shane Warne leading the charge against the South African decision makers.
Not sure what South Africa are doing out there, just blocking & boring everyone, they’re 158/3 off 65 overs & 425 ahead. We want Test Match cricket to survive & be exciting, this is not a good advertisement for the game. Get on with it & declare !!
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) April 2, 2018
South Africa now lead by 460.
This is a dead-set stitch up.
Elgar didn’t score for over 70 balls.
An insult to paying public.
Someone should check dismal Dean’s pulse.— Peter Lalor (@plalor) April 2, 2018
Even the injured South Africans are better than the Aussies in this series.
Morne Morkel has a side strain but gets Renshaw LBW for 5.
1-21
Only need another 591— Peter Lalor (@plalor) April 2, 2018
Meanwhile... what are Sth Africa doing? I think 600 is enough boys..
my god! #SAVAUS— Dean Jones (@ProfDeano) April 2, 2018
Are they that scared? Come on .. no team in history has won chasing that. https://t.co/vDj2oux393
— Dean Jones (@ProfDeano) April 2, 2018
South Africa will record their first home Test series win over Australia since the end of apartheid, having successfully batted the tourists out of the contest in Johannesburg.
Australia, set an insurmountable target of 612 at tea on day four of the fourth Test, will resume at 3-88 on day five.
Batting through three sessions on Tuesday would be a moral victory for the visitors, reeling from the cheating scandal that resulted in Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft returning home in shame.
Unbeaten batsmen Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb successfully stonewalled their way to a draw in Ranchi last year, while forecast showers could also help Australia's hopes of denying South Africa victory.
But even if the match is drawn - a big if based on the tourists' first-innings collapses of 3-28 and 3-6 - then the hosts will celebrate a 2-1 series triumph with much gusto.
With AAP