# SA vs AUS 3rd Test: Starc takes 6-72 as South Africa slide from 158 for 0 to 329 all out

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/cricket/sa-vs-aus-3rd-test-starc-takes-6-72-as-south-africa-slide-from-158-for-0-to-329)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 27 Oct 2026
Updated: 27 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 28 Oct 2026

> Ackerman fell for 95 and Markram for 78 at Newlands before Australia's left-armer ripped through the rest in the series decider.

SA vs AUS 3rd Test, day 1: Mitchell Starc took **6 for 72** as South Africa lost all ten wickets for 171 runs after an opening stand of 158, to be bowled out for **329** at Newlands in Cape Town on Tuesday, 27 October, ESPNcricinfo reported. The third Test decides the series.

## Day 1 at a glance

- **South Africa 329** (Marques Ackerman 95, Aiden Markram 78, Marco Jansen 52, a 78-ball fifty from David Bedingham; Starc 6-72, Nathan Lyon 2-71)
- **Toss:** Australia captain Pat Cummins chose to bowl, the first captain to do so at Newlands since Faf du Plessis against Pakistan in 2019.
- **Australia** had not batted at stumps.
- **Play starts** at 1:30pm PKT on each day of the Test (10:30am in Cape Town).

## From 158 for 0 to 329 all out

Ackerman and Markram punished Cummins' decision, putting on 158 for the first wicket and taking 140 runs off 27 overs before lunch. Travis Head dropped Markram on 39 at cover just before the break. Ackerman, chasing a maiden Test hundred, charged Lyon and was stumped by Alex Carey for 95 off 94 balls. Markram then pulled Josh Hazlewood to long leg, where Starc took the catch, for 78.

South Africa lost 5 for 29 either side of tea. Captain Temba Bavuma was bowled by Lyon for a duck, and recalled left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly trapped Matthew Breetzke lbw for 2 on review for his first Test wicket. Australia went short after tea and Starc removed Bedingham and Wiaan Mulder in three balls.

Jansen and Ryan Rickelton added 95 for the seventh wicket, and Jansen's fifty was his second in a row after 85 in Gqeberha. The second new ball ended it: Starc bowled Rickelton and Jansen with full deliveries, then knocked over Gerald Coetzee, in his first Test for almost two years, and Kagiso Rabada as South Africa lost their last four wickets for two runs.

## Smith out, four changes

Australia were without Steven Smith, ruled out with a neck injury picked up in their heavy second-Test defeat. Lyon, Connolly, Cameron Green and Josh Inglis came in for Scott Boland, Nic Maddinson and Beau Webster, the first time since the 2018 Johannesburg Test that Australia had made four changes. It is also Australia's first Test at Newlands since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.

## How to follow it in Pakistan

Each day starts at 1:30pm PKT. For Pakistan's own cricket, see the [Pakistan vs Sri Lanka tri-series report](/news/cricket/pak-vs-sl-pakistan-all-out-for-110-as-madushanka-takes-5-34-sri-lanka-reach-tri) and the [Asia Cup living page](/news/cricket/asia-cup-schedule-results-pakistan).

## Frequently asked questions

**What time does the SA vs AUS 3rd Test start in Pakistan?**

10:30am in Cape Town, which is 1:30pm Pakistan time, each day of the Test (27 to 31 October 2026).

## Sources

- Starc six-for sends SA sliding from 158 for 0 to 329 all out (ESPNcricinfo): https://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/1560254.html

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