Starc six-fer headlines seesaw opening day
South Africa squandered a flying start as they went from 203/1 to 329 all out on Day 1
Pat Cummins’s plan to bowl first ran into a rollicking opening stand, but Australia fought back from a one-sided opening session, effecting two separate collapses on a seesaw first day in Cape Town.
Gifting away their early advantage, multiple South African batters fell into traps laid out for them, undone by their own poor shot selection. They lost five wickets for 29, recovered briefly, before being blown away by Mitchell Starc. The second new ball claimed their last four wickets for two runs.
Cummins saw enough moisture to trust his bowlers, but the deck was hard, aided by an unusually dry winter, proving to be friendly for batters. Marques Ackerman cashed in early, racing to 82* by Lunch, the highest score by a South African batter in an opening session.
Australia’s attack, without the golden arm of Scott Boland, fell flat in the first session. Boland was one of four changes made by them, including Steve Smith, out due to a neck injury. Nathan Lyon, Cooper Connolly, Cam Green and Josh Inglis were all brought in.
The one-Test old Ackerman was initially more measured compared to his partner. Markram’s cuts and drives adorned the first session, and an emphatically pulled six off Cummins, off an eight-over-old ball, showed just how good the conditions were. Ackerman slashed hard at the first ball after drinks, nearly sending Hazlewood for a six past backward point. That unshackled him.
He carted Nathan Lyon for a six the following over, and repeatedly charged at him, forcing his first spell to stop after four overs. They cruised along to give South Africa their first 100-run opening stand in 42 innings. Ackerman then drilled four fours in a row off Starc, and hooked Cummins for a six. Head, meanwhile, shelled a catch off Markram’s bat to extend Cummins & Co’s misery. The first session yielded 140 runs at a rate of 5.18.
Having raced to 95 off 93, albeit with a short bout of cramps, Ackerman fell to Lyon, stepping out to him again but getting beaten by flight. The stumping brought in David Bedingham, who then combined with Markram to continue their solid work.
On 78, Markram, too, fell to an aggressive stroke. A short ball from Hazlewood was pulled to backward square where two fielders lay in wait. A diving Starc gobbled it up.
Four balls later, Temba Bavuma was floored by a Lyon delivery that didn’t turn but drifted enough to find his off-stump.
With Cam Green not fit to bowl, and Beau Webster dropped, they turned to Cooper Connolly for variety. On two, Matthew Breetzke’s harmless forward prod gave Connolly his first Test wicket: replays cleared a pad-first, bat-first doubt.
They went from 158/0 to 216/4, and then 232/6: a rapid morning had been replaced with a wobbly afternoon.
As the day passed, the odd ball gripped or laid low. One ball from Connolly dropped dead, nutmegging keeper Carey for four byes. Stepping out to spinners didn’t seem as easy.
But Bedingham solidly held one end: in contrast to the rapid scoring rate of the morning, he put together a composed fifty, confidently punching the quicks. On 50, he joined his teammates by falling to a short ball, sending one down to deep backward square for Hazlewood to complete a juggling boundary catch.
Wiaan Mulder then fell to a two-ball duck, yet another victim to the short ball.
Fortunately for the hosts, Ryan Rickelton and Marco Jansen dug in against the old ball. In a free-flowing knock, Jansen fiercely pulled Cummins for four and then hit identical square cuts of Hazlewood. Rickelton was the softer contributor in the partnership, which healed some of the damage from the afternoon session.
Then came Starc, using the second new ball to devastating effect. In direct contrast to their short-ball ploy from before, Starc’s full, swinging balls claimed four wickets across two overs. First Rickelton and Jansen were snuffed out by late movement. Coetzee and Rabada didn’t stand much chance either, succumbing to Starc’s third five-for against South Africa.
Brief scores: South Africa 329 all out (Marques Ackerman 95, Aiden Markram 78; Mitchell Starc 6-72, Nathan Lyon 2-71) vs Australia
