Pat Cummins weighs changes for the Cape Town decider after Australia's innings defeat

Pat Cummins expects Cameron Green and Josh Inglis to be available for the Cape Town decider and says Australia will settle on their XI only once they reach Newlands

Australia go into the third and final Test against South Africa needing a win, after a defeat at St George's Park by an innings and 31 runs squared the series at 1-1.

Cummins, who had led Australia to a 214-run win in the Durban opener, said the performance in Gqeberha was a long way short of his side's best and that the selection conversation would run over the coming days.

The decider begins at Newlands on 27 October, with both teams inside the top three of the World Test Championship standings.

Not enough contributors at Gqeberha

South Africa made 425 for 9 declared, built around Temba Bavuma's 179, then bowled Australia out for 99 as Marco Jansen took 5-33.

Following on, Australia reached 295. Travis Head made 121 from 190 balls and Scott Boland dug in for 40 from 166, but Kagiso Rabada's 4-77 and Wiaan Mulder's 3-64 ended the resistance on the final morning.

"I feel there was some good fight today," Cummins said. "Scotty Boland and Trav both, I thought, played their roles really well. But, yeah, it was a fair way to come back from it. Wasn't quite enough."

Asked what had been missing a week after Durban, he said Australia were "obviously a long way away from our best". "I think last week we didn't start off too strong, but everyone contributed, and lots of little things added up to a win," he said. "But, yeah, today, just across the board, not enough of us contributed."

Green and Inglis back in the frame

Cameron Green and Josh Inglis have both been missing through injury, and their return would hand Cummins batting options he did not have at Gqeberha.

"I think we will probably have Cam Green and Josh Inglis be available for next week," Cummins said. "I'm sure their names will get thrown around when we try and work out an XI."

He described the call as a familiar one. "It's not a perfect science," he said. "It's always the challenge of, do you give someone one more game? Or do you feel like now is the right time to make a move?"

Starts but not scores for Labuschagne

Marnus Labuschagne made 14 and 39 in the match and is among those under scrutiny, though his captain defended the way he is batting.

"I think the hardest thing about opening or batting three is actually getting yourself in," Cummins said. "The ball is normally doing a fair bit. You've got fresh bowlers, and he's actually doing the hard bit."

"He's getting to 30s," he added. "I think he's got to find a way to turn those into bigger scores. 30s aren't going to win you too many matches." Cummins said the dismissals were "certainly not a technique error".

Maddinson, Webster and the Lyon question

Nic Maddinson and Beau Webster were also well below their best with the bat at Gqeberha, where Australia picked four seamers and left Nathan Lyon out of the side.

Whether Lyon comes back at Newlands is the other question in front of the selectors, and Cummins said the shape of the team was not the problem.

"I think the balance is always fine," he said. "We're lucky we've got loads of all-rounders to call on, so I don't think that's a major issue. But, yeah, again, kind of from all departments, just needed a little bit more."

What the decider is worth

South Africa's win was worth 12 points and lifted them to 66.67 per cent, third in the World Test Championship table behind New Zealand.

Australia remain top on 75.00 per cent, but a second straight defeat would narrow that advantage with a home summer to follow.

"There's one Test match left in the series," Cummins said. "We've got to win this, and then obviously there's a bit of a break before the summer."

Australia's XI will be settled in Cape Town, where the series is decided from 27 October.

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