If Steyn doesn't get you, Tahir will

It's not easy to confuse Hashim Amla, but Joe Mennie, playing in his just his second ODI, did just that. Mennie's fourth ball pitched on middle and off. Amla, expecting it to come back in, looked to flick, but the ball straightened to beat the edge and clatter into the stumps. After a horror debut in which he conceded 82 without picking a wicket, Mennie would have felt a lot better about himself.

Rilee Rossouw didn't hide his unhappiness about not kicking on to get a hundred the previous two times he went past fifty in the series. So when he pulled one deep square leg and completed the single that took him there, Rossouw let him off steam. He punched the air several times, leapt up and beamed through his helmet before removing it to warm applause from the Newlands crowd.

After going for 17 runs in his first three overs, Steyn had the opportunity to make an impact on the field, but shelled it. Steyn was at third man when Aaron Finch, on 17, got a thick top edge off Kyle Abbott. Steyn ran in and angled himself sideways, imaging the breeze would blow the ball that way. He got to it but the ball bounced out as he fell. Steyn offered Abbott an immediate apology even as he scolded himself for misjudging it.

As if it wasn't enough that Rabada had one chance put down, when Quinton de Kock reprieved David Warner on 11, another chance was put down off his bowling. Mitchell Marsh pulled to a short ball to deep square leg where Kyle Abbott was stationed a little inside. Had Abbott been a touch further back, he would have gobbled up the chance. Instead, he palmed over to add to Rabada's frustration.

In what will be his last appearance for South Africa this year - they only have Tests to come and Imran Tahir is not part of that set up - Tahir made sure to have his say when it mattered most. Australia were on track on 72 without loss after 13 overs when Tahir was introduced and he immediately confused Finch, first with a flatter delivery, then the legbreak, then the googly and then the flipper. Finch went back to cut but was undone by pace as the middle stump was disturbed. Tahir set off to celebrate in front of the President's Suite, with his team in tow. Two balls later, he deceived the Australian captain, Steve Smith, with a straight ball. Smith went back to drive, missed and was bowled. Tahir ran towards the oaks and the grandstand to give fans on that side of the ground an opportunity to share in his joy. As always, the team was in tow.

Faf du Plessis had asked his team to use their body language to boss the opposition. Tahir tried. In the 38th over, after du Plessis agreed to review an lbw shout off Warner which replays showed had pitched outside leg, Warner and Tahir exchanged words. They continued their conversation even as the over ended. Tahir became more animated, while Warner only smiled. Tahir continued from his fielding position at short fine leg and had to be told to stop by his captain and then the umpires but in his next over, Tahir carried on. The umpires intervened and eventually Hashim Amla arrived to diffuse the situation. Tahir still had another over to bowl, which took place without incident. At the end of it, Warner put an arm around Tahir's shoulder in what seemed a peace offering. Tahir responded and all ended well.