Inglis-Carey stand shifted momentum, says Renshaw

Opening batter Matt Renshaw believes Josh Inglis and Alex Carey showed Australia exactly when to absorb pressure and when to turn it back on South Africa as their unbeaten partnership frustrated the hosts at Newlands on Wednesday.

The pair came together with Australia 204/4, still 125 runs behind South Africa’s first-innings 329, after Marco Jansen had removed Renshaw and Cameron Green in a dramatic double strike.

But instead of allowing South Africa to build on that momentum, Inglis and Carey countered with a composed partnership that carried Australia to 330/4 at stumps, giving the visitors a slender one-run lead.

For Renshaw, who had earlier shared a 126-run partnership with Green, Inglis’ ability to change gears when Australia needed it was crucial.

“Yeah, definitely. He’s a very talented player. We’ve seen that across a lot of the white-ball formats,” Renshaw said.

“But I think, yeah, to sort of come in today, we were under a little bit of pressure having lost two quick wickets. And the way that he played was really positive. And it was very, very Josh innings. And I think it was really what we needed at that time.”

Inglis initially settled alongside Carey before accelerating dramatically, smashing 16 runs from three balls at one stage to lift Australia’s scoring rate and shift the pressure back onto South Africa.

Renshaw, watching from the other end, said the brief burst was a reminder of Inglis’ attacking instincts but also checked that his teammate remained in control.

“Yeah, I was just asking if he was all good. He did hit 16 off three balls. So he got the run rate up a bit,” Renshaw said.

“Seeing how he was going, seeing whether that was in his plans, whether that’s what he wanted. It was more just sort of keeping that tempo, keeping the calmness out there.”

That balance between aggression and control has been central to Australia’s response after South Africa dominated the opening exchanges.

Renshaw, who returned to the opening position after batting at No 5 in the first two Tests, said the visitors had focused on building partnerships rather than allowing South Africa’s bowlers to dictate the tempo.

“It was just sticking to our processes as long as possible. We knew that they were going to come hard through periods, and [for us] it was just about building partnerships,” he said.

“We’ve sort of hinted at some partnerships over the first two Tests, probably more so with the bowlers. So it’s just about the batters trying to build some partnerships out there.”

The Inglis-Carey stand was particularly important after Jansen’s double strike had appeared to swing the momentum back towards the hosts.

Renshaw also praised Cameron Green, who made 58 before falling to Jansen, for absorbing the early pressure after Australia lost Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne in quick succession.

“Just coming back into it probably took him a little bit. But as you saw today, he’s had a really important innings today,” he said.

With Australia now one run ahead and Inglis and Carey still together, Renshaw believes the visitors have put themselves in a strong position in what he described as a “pretty feisty” contest between two heavyweight sides.

“When you’ve got Jansen bowls an over and then [Kagiso] Rabada comes on and then [Simon] Harmer’s bowling, you’ve got all of them coming in pretty hard at you,” he said.

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