Australia produced a stunning fightback on day one of the third Test against South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town, bowling the hosts out for 329 after they had cruised to 203 for 1. Mitchell Starc finished with six wickets, including four in six balls with the new ball at the end of the day.
Pat Cummins (Credits: BBC Sport)
It was a day that began horribly for captain Pat Cummins. After choosing to bowl under blue skies, a decision that invited immediate scrutiny, Australia leaked 140 runs at more than four runs per over in the first session and watched South Africa plunder the bowling. Few watching at that point would have predicted the finale.
South Africa Collapse From 203 for 1 to 232 for 6
South Africa’s collapse was helped by some careless batting. Aiden Markram, David Bedingham, and Wiaan Mulder all fell attempting to take on the short ball, for 78, 50, and nought respectively. Opener Marques Ackerman, on 95 and eyeing a first Protea century in only his second Test, ran past one from Nathan Lyon, while captain Temba Bavuma was undone by a straight ball from Lyon.
Bavuma’s dismissal continued a worrying pattern: either side of a knock of 179 last week, he has now been dismissed by off-spin three times in three innings, all for single-figure scores. Australia, fielding well and drying up the scoring in the afternoon, turned a position of 203 for 1 into 232 for 6.
Mitchell Starc Four Wickets in Six Balls Seals the Day
At 327 for 6, South Africa could still have finished an enthralling day on top in this series decider, from which the winner will finish the series on top of the rankings. Instead, Starc thundered in with the new ball in the day’s final moments, prizing out Ryan Rickelton for 42 and Marco Jansen for 52, then bowling Gerald Coetzee and pinning Kagiso Rabada lbw for ducks. South Africa were 329 all out.
Starc finished with figures of 6 for 72, a fitting reward for a bowler who had earlier been slapped and steered for four consecutive fours by Ackerman. It was a reminder of why Australia keep finding a way when they appear to be teetering near the brink.
What the Newlands Fightback Means for Pat Cummins
The day also spared Cummins, for now, from joining an unwanted club of captains remembered for choosing to bowl when they should have batted. The comparisons were already being drawn with Ricky Ponting’s famous decision to bowl at Edgbaston in 2005 when Glenn McGrath was on his way to hospital, and with the fact that not since then had a 100-run opening partnership been made for a side put into bat by Australia.
Questions remain. Australia’s batting line-up is flawed, with opener Nic Maddinson sent home after two Tests, Marnus Labuschagne retained despite a long run without a century, and Steve Smith out injured. Australia could yet lose this Test, a result that could have wider repercussions ahead of next year’s Ashes. But after everything on day one, if either side is happy, it is Australia.
Also Read: Starc Takes Six as Australia Bowl South Africa Out for 329 on Day One of Third Test at Newlands | England Out of Tri-Series After Sri Lanka Thrash Pakistan by 8 Wickets in Lahore
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
