CAPE TOWN — Stand-in Australia captain Tim Paine apologized for the ball-tampering controversy that has overshadowed the third Test after South Africa seamer Morne Morkel ripped through the visitors' batting lineup to inflict a 322-run defeat Sunday. The scandal-hit Australian team, which has been caught up in a storm since deposed captain Steve Smith confessed Saturday that senior players in the side hatched a plan to tamper with the ball, was booed and whistled throughout the day as it was skittled out for 107 in their second innings. Morkel picked up five wickets for 23 runs, and career-best match figures of 9-110, as the host took a 2-1 lead in the tempestuous four-match series, taking the 10 Australia wickets for 50 runs in a shambolic end to the game for the tourists. Paine, drafted in to lead the side after Smith and vice captain David Warner stood down before the start of play Sunday, apologized for the incident that has been condemned around the world. It's been horrible 24 hours, difficult for all of us. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to our fans for what has happened, he said at the post-match presentation ceremony. We are disappointed, too, with the way we folded in the last two hours of what was a really horrible test match, added Paine. The result has piled more humiliation on an Australia side that has become embroiled in one of the biggest scandals in the country’s sporting history after Smith admitted an orchestrated plan from the team to tamper with the ball on the third day. He will be missing for the final match at The Wanderers as he serves a one-match ICC suspension, and it could be a much-changed side that takes to the field with the places of a number of players under threat, some due to poor form. After AB de Villiers (63), De Kock (65) and Vernon Philander (52 not out) led South Africa to 373 all out in their second innings, Australia faced a world-record run chase for victory. Openers Cameron Bancroft, who was handed three demerit points and fined 75 percent of his match fee for his role in the ball-tampering scandal, and Warner started brightly enough. They took the score to 57 when Warner called a tight single and a direct hit from South Africa's Faf du Plessis saw Bancroft (26) run out well short of his ground. Kagiso Rabada (1-31) then removed Warner (32) before two wickets in as many balls for Keshav Maharaj (2-32) as Usman Khawaja (1) was caught in the slips before Shaun Marsh (0) was taken at forward short leg by Aiden Markram. Smith (7) was roundly booed when he came to the wicket and left having steered the ball to Dean Elgar in the gully off Morkel, an unhappy end to a series in which he has averaged 24. Morkel then made light work of the tail, picking up a further four wickets as the end came in a rush for the hapless Australians.

Scorebaord

South Africa (1st innings) 311 Australia (1st innings) 255 South Africa (2nd innings) A. Markram c Cummins b Starc 84 D. Elgar c Smith b Cummins 14 H. Amla c Bancroft b Cummins 31 A. de Villiers c S. Marsh b Hazlewood 63 F. du Plessis lbw b Lyon 20 T. Bavuma c sub (Handscomb) b Hazlewood 05 Q. de Kock c Paine b Cummins 65 V. Philander not out 52 K. Rabada st Paine b Lyon 20 K. Maharaj c Cummins b Lyon 05 M. Morkel c Khawaja b Hazlewood 06 Extras (b4, lb1, nb1, w2) 08 Total (112.2 overs) 373 Falls: 1-28 (Elgar), 2-104 (Amla), 3-151 (Markram), 4-196 (Du Plessis), 5-201 (Bavuma), 6-269 (De Villiers), 7-324 (De Kock), 8-354 (Rabada), 9-362 (Maharaj), 10-373 (Morkel). Bowling: Starc 23-5-98-1 (1nb), Hazlewood 25.2-5-69-3, Cummins 27-5-67-2 (2w), Lyon 31-2-102-3, Smith 1-0-6-0, M. Marsh 5-0-26-0. Australia (2nd innings) C. Bancroft run out (Du Plessis) 26 D. Warner c De Villiers b Rabada 32 U. Khawaja c De Villiers b Maharaj 01 S. Smith c Elgar b Morkel 07 S. Marsh c Markram b Maharaj 00 M. Marsh c De Villiers b Morkel 16 T. Paine not out 09 P. Cummins c Elgar b Morkel 00 M. Starc c Markram b Morkel 07 N. Lyon run out (Bavuma) 00 J. Hazlewood c Philander b Morkel 05 Extras (b4) 04 Total (39.4 overs) 107 Falls: 1-57 (Bancroft), 2-59 (Warner), 3-59 (Khawaja), 4-59 (S. Marsh), 5-75 (Smith), 6-86 (M. Marsh), 7-86 (Cummins), 8-94 (Starc). Bowling: Rabada 12-6-31-1, Philander 6-2-17-0, Morkel 9.4-3-23-5, Maharaj 12-2-32-2.

Rajasthan Royals wait

on disgraced Smith

Indian Premier League side Rajasthan Royals are waiting for instructions from the Indian cricket board (BCCI) before deciding on the future of their captain Steve Smith, officials from the team said. He was due to captain Royals in this year’s IPL but that is now in doubt with executive chairman Ranjit Barthakur saying the team had a zero tolerance policy against actions that bring the game into disrepute. We have been made aware of the controversy of ball tampering in the ongoing Australia-South Africa series and await further instructions from BCCI, before we make any announcement, Barthakur said in a statement. — Reuters