Australia tightened their grip on the Test series in South Africa before a ball was even bowled on Day 1 in Gqeberha. After a delayed start at St George’s Park, Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to field first, backing his bowling attack to rip through a Proteas side still reeling from the 214-run defeat in Durban.
South Africa vs Australia, 2nd Test (Credits: BBC Sport)
The hosts trail 1-0 in the three-match series, and the stakes could hardly be higher. Australia sit atop the World Test Championship table, while South Africa have slipped to third and are desperate for a win to claw their way back into the top two. Everything about Day 1 suggested the tourists came to Gqeberha ready to finish the job.
Cummins Backs His Bowlers With a Bold Call
Sending the opposition in is always a statement, and Cummins made his loudly. After Hazlewood tore through South Africa’s second innings in Durban with a six-wicket haul, the Australian captain clearly liked the look of an overcast morning and a pitch with something in it for the seamers.
It was also a day of big selection drama. Australia axed veteran spinner Nathan Lyon in favor of Scott Boland, a call that reportedly left even Steve Smith taken aback. The tourists named: Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, and Josh Hazlewood.
South Africa, meanwhile, named Aiden Markram, Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada, and Anrich Nortje — a lineup under enormous pressure to answer the “rusty or something more” questions that followed the Durban humiliation.
The Batting Order Debate That Won’t Die
One of the loudest talking points heading into the second Test has been Australia’s revolving-door batting order. Former captain Steve Waugh led calls for the selectors to “pick and stick,” arguing that Matt Renshaw — whose match-winning 190 and 82 came at number five — should be left alone rather than shuffled around.
Makeshift opener Travis Head managed just 9 and 11 at Kingsmead, while the returning Nic Maddinson endured a 50-minute duck in the first innings before bouncing back with 48 in the second. Cummins defended the flexibility, insisting the team likes having multiple players who can open — but in Gqeberha, the experiment gets another audition, this time with the series lead on the line.
What Day 1 Sets Up
Delayed starts have a way of compressing a Test match, and South Africa know that batting first after losing the toss against this Australian attack is the worst possible opening. The Proteas’ top order has looked fragile, and with Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, and Boland all unleashed under helpful conditions, survival was always going to be the first-session goal.
For South Africa, this Test is about more than the series — it’s about proving the Durban collapse was an aberration, not a trend. For Australia, it’s about ruthlessness: winning in South Africa is one of Test cricket’s hardest achievements, and a 2-0 lead with a game to spare would be a statement for the ages.
The tone was set at the toss. Now it’s over to the batters to answer.
Also Read: Rusty or Something More? South Africa Face Tough Questions After Australia Loss
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
