Marques Ackerman smashed Mitchell Starc for four consecutive boundaries in the 25th over of South Africa's first innings at Newlands.

Ackerman scored 95 off 94 balls as South Africa posted 329 all out on the opening day of the series-deciding third Test.

South Africa’s opening batter Marques Ackerman produced an aggressive batting display against Australia in the third Test at Newlands in Cape Town. The left-hander took on Mitchell Starc just before lunch, smashing the Australian pacer for four consecutive boundaries in a remarkable over.

Ackerman’s counter-attack came during a dominant opening session for South Africa, with the hosts putting Australia’s bowling attack under pressure on a batting-friendly surface. The opener combined confidence with powerful strokeplay, making the most of any width or length offered by Starc as South Africa built a strong platform in the series decider.

Marques Ackerman smashes Mitchell Starc for four consecutive boundaries

The incident took place in the 25th over of South Africa’s innings, when Ackerman found the boundary with every delivery from Starc. He started by slapping a wide delivery through backward point before following it up with an effortless whip over midwicket. Ackerman then used his reach and timing to ramp a back-of-a-length delivery over gully.

The fourth boundary came off the toe-end of his bat, flying over the same region as Starc struggled to contain the left-hander’s attacking approach. The sequence highlighted Ackerman’s confidence at the crease as he scored at more than a run a ball. His aggressive strokeplay also added to Australia’s difficult opening session, as the visitors struggled to make an impact after captain Pat Cummins chose to bowl first.

Here’s the video:

ACKERMAN SHOWED STARC NO MERCY 🥵🥵🥵🥵

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Marques Ackerman narrowly misses maiden Test century

Ackerman continued his attacking approach after lunch and looked set to reach his maiden Test century. However, he fell for 95 off 94 balls after charging Nathan Lyon and missing the delivery, allowing wicketkeeper Alex Carey to complete a stumping. He shared a 158-run opening partnership with Aiden Markram, who scored 78 before Starc caught him off Josh Hazlewood. South Africa’s strong start was followed by a middle-order collapse, with the hosts losing five wickets for 29 runs either side of tea.

Starc led Australia’s fightback with an outstanding six-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 6/72. Marco Jansen contributed 52, while Ryan Rickelton added valuable runs during a 95-run seventh-wicket stand. South Africa were eventually bowled out for 329, leaving the third Test finely poised after an eventful opening day.