DURBAN: Matt Renshaw top-scored for the second time in the match and took a key wicket as Australia pushed for victory on the fourth day of the first Test against South Africa at Kingsmead on Monday.
South Africa, set an improbable 421 runs to win, were 102 for four at the close.
Renshaw followed his marathon 190 in the first innings with a brisk 82 in the second as Australia hurried to 314 for six in 58 overs before declaring.
Opening bowler Josh Hazlewood struck twice before Renshaw, a part-time off-spinner, claimed his first Test wicket when he had South African captain Temba Bavuma caught off bat and pad at short leg.
Australian captain Pat Cummins had Tristan Stubbs caught behind three overs later, leaving the world Test champions with an almost impossible task on Tuesday if Bavuma is to retain an unbeaten captaincy record.
Since being appointed in 2023, Bavuma has led South Africa in 12 Tests, achieving 11 wins and a draw. No other captain in Test history has had such a successful start to a captaincy career.
South Africa have lost four Tests since his appointment but all happened with other players at the helm.
One of the wins under Bavuma was in the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's in 2025.
While Renshaw's first innings was notable for his patience and the way he left the ball, the big left-hander was aggressive on Monday.
He hit seven fours and two sixes in facing 99 balls as Australia set out to score quickly to give themselves enough time to bowl South Africa out.
"He's (Renshaw) a well-loved guy, everybody knows his talent and we saw a glimpse of it today," said teammate Beau Webster.
"He's quite destructive when he gets going. He hits the ball in some odd spots and he can be really hard to stop.
"It's an amazing achievement to get back to Test cricket from where he was in the last 12 to 18 months. Everybody knows how good he is."
- 'Soft dismissals' -
The tone was set from the start of the day as Nic Maddinson, who struggled to a 33-ball duck, continued to attack the bowling as he had done at the start of the Australian second innings on Sunday.
Maddinson needed just 19 balls to hurry from 17 to a Test-best 48 before he was bowled by a fast yorker from Anrich Nortje.
Nortje was South Africa's most impressive bowler. He struck Steve Smith on the helmet with a bouncer which prevented Smith from taking the field at the start of South Africa's second innings, and also bowled Alex Carey.
Renshaw was in sight of a second century in the match when he was out to a remarkable juggling return catch by Keshav Maharaj which needed to be confirmed by an umpire's review.
Cummins was next in and he thrashed four sixes in scoring 32 not out off 12 balls before declaring.
Maharaj said South Africa had again suffered "a couple of soft dismissals" but said Aiden Markram had shown the application needed as he batted through to the close, scoring 45 not out off 115 balls.
Maharaj admitted that South Africa's 11-month gap since they last played a Test might have been a factor in the way some of the batsmen were dismissed in both innings.
"You can replicate in practice games and match sort of simulations and you can hit many balls or bowl many balls, but having that feel and that sort of match awareness, it plays a big hand," said Maharaj. - AFP
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