DURBAN, March 4 (Reuters) - South Africa opener AidenMarkram led the resistance as they battled to save the firsttest against Australia on Sunday, reaching 167 for five wicketsat tea on day four, chasing an improbable target of 417.
Markram was 85 not out, along with Quinton de Kock on 21,with South Africa needing another 250 runs to win the openingtest of the four-match series after a terrible start to theirsecond innings.
With another four sessions left on a deteriorating wicket,Australia are just five wickets away from keeping up theirremarkable run of success in South Africa where they have won 28times in 51 past tests.
Australia elected to bat on at the start of Sunday's playafter being 213-9 overnight and added 14 runs in 18 balls beforeKeshav Maharaj bowled Pat Cummins (NYSE:CMI) to finish with figures of4-102.
Maharaj took nine wickets for the match in a rare high pointfor the home team.
South Africa lost their first wicket in reply with 29 runson the board when Dean Elgar played away from his body to arising delivery from Mitchell Starc and steered it into thegloves of Tim Paine to depart for nine.
Hashim Amla's arrival at the crease brought about animmediate bowling change as Australia brought on Josh Hazlewood,who had dismissed the batsman five times in the last seriesbetween the two sides in Australia in November 2016.
Hazlewood quickly took another wicket as he trapped Amla legbefore for eight.
AB de Villiers then returned to the pavilion after facingjust one ball and without troubling the scorers.
He tried to run a quick single but was sent back by Markramand then found himself short of his crease as fielder DavidWarner threw the ball at the bowler's end where Nathan Lyonwhipped off the bails.
Home hopes were then handed another hammer blow when captainFaf du Plessis was clean bowled by Cummins, adding just fourruns, and leaving South Africa reeling at 49-4.
Markram and Theunis de Bruyn were positive against theAustralian bowling after lunch in an 87-run partnership for thefifth wicket that was filled with as many flourishing strokes asit was with chances for the visitors to snag a wicket.
That came when De Bruyn (36) nicked one from Hazlewoodbehind to Paine.