AUS vs SA: South Africa escapes series whitewash in Sydney after defiant batting performance on final day

The third and final Test between Australia and South Africa fizzled out in a draw despite the best efforts from the home side on the final day of the SCG Test, which was heavily affected by rain. The Protean batters managed to thwart the Aussie bowlers after Pat Cummins enforced the follow-on on the final day. The draw in the Pink Test means that South Africa's 47-game streak of producing a result in a Test finally came to a halt.

The day started with South Africa losing the wicket of Marco Jansen early in the morning session. The home side smelled blood and looked on course for an unlikely victory on the final day, completing a whitewash in the three-match series. However, the Protean tail wagged and wagged for a considerable amount of time as the pair of Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj added 80 runs for the eighth wicket.

The dismissal of Maharaj after his defiant half-century opened the floodgates for the Aussies as they bundled out the visitors for 255 runs. Australian skipper Pat Cummins wasted no time in enforcing the follow-on as the home side had their eyes set on a series whitewash that would seal their spot in the WTC final later this year.

South Africa were dealt a fatal blow after inspirational skipper Dean Elgar was strangled down the leg side for a second time in the match. The hosts could see the opening and were relentless with the Aussie pacers breathing fire down the Protean necks. However, Sarel Erwee and Heinrich Klaasen blunted the Australian attack with their positive attitude. Klaasen's dismissal did cause a bit of panic, but it was a little too late for the visitors as Temba Bavuma ensured that his side were spared the embarrassment of a series whitewash.

Here is how Twitter reacted to South Africa's defiance on the final day of the Test series against Australia:

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