Australia and South Africa’s bowlers traded blows in a blockbuster day one of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s.
But it might be two fighting fifties that will prove to be the difference in an epic clash.
Day one of the World Test Championship was not overly friendly to battersICC via GettyGreen and Gold was the colour as thousands of Proteas and Aussie cricket fans trooped along to St John’s Wood for the final of a competition England repeatedly turn their noses up at.
And under moody skies the action started straight away after South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Australia have chopped and changed their batting order recently and Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne became their seventh opening partnership in this World Test Championship cycle, neither made it to lunch.
Khawaja (0) was the first to go. The last time he walked from the field at the home of cricket he became embroiled in noisy & ugly scenes involving the Members, this time it was to awkward silence.
He could have gone first ball of the match as he was beaten comprehensively by Kagiso Rabada with a delivery that seamed past the outside edge.
Instead he blocked, withdrew the bat and swayed away from 19 deliveries before finally being forced to play at a masterful wobble seam delivery from the same bowler to find himself well caught at second slip.
It meant Cameron Green, who has batted at 7,6,5 and 4 in his short Test career, walked in for the first time at 3, a place that looks and feels one position too high.
Green had won a Test match with 174* against New Zealand at four only last year but with the Smith-opener experiment consigned to history and with him unable to bowl, here he came.
And there he went, edging into the slip cordon third ball to give Rabada two for the over.
Even when he was scoring runs Labuschagne never looked comfortable at the crease and he isn’t scoring runs anymore.
Rabada’s five-wicket haul made him South Africa’s fourth-highest wicket-taker in TestsICC via GettyHis stay never looked permanent and his lame dismissal came playing defensively at a ball from Marco Jansen on a sixth stump line.
Then on the brink of lunch a stroke of luck for South Africa with the player of the match in the last WTC Final, Travis Head (11), edging down the legside to be brilliantly caught by Ryan Rickelton.
Beau Webster (72) playing in his third Test was given a proper going over after lunch and admitted afterwards could have been out on several occasions.
He played and missed with hard hands on numerous occasions and survived a huge shout for LBW which would have been given out if South Africa had reviewed.
While South Africa had been flawless with their catching, their use of DRS now let them down, wasting one on the same batter shortly after. And their bowling mirrored this lack of discipline with far too many loose deliveries pumped to the boundary.
Lungi Ngidi was the main culprit, he had been a surprise inclusion in the side, but his lack of control hurt the South Africans.
Webster top-scored for the Aussies with a crucial knock of 72GettyThe 45 runs leaked from his eight wicketless overs at odds with the bowler friendly conditions.
Steve Smith (66), who made his debut at Lord’s (also in a Test not involving England), came into the match with an average of over sixty at this ground. With a double-ton and a century on the board he looked set on getting his name honoured for the third time.
His departure came as a surprise in Aiden Markram’s first over after an astonishing take at the third attempt by Marco Jansen at first slip with Smith perishing on the sweep via a thick edge.
However, Smith’s knock of 66 meant he had scored the most Test runs at Lord’s out of any touring cricketer in history.
Despite this bonus wicket Australia went into tea buoyed with Webster moving past the good fortune he enjoyed at the start of his innings with some powerful off-side play.
However 190/5 became 212 all out shortly after the break with the returning Rabada running riot backed up by Jansen. Rabada got his name on the honours board and as mentioned by Neil Manthorp in doing so went past Alan Donald in the list of all time Test wicket takers.
Smith showed plenty of patience on his way to 66GettyAny thoughts it would continue to be South Africa’s day ended in six balls as Markram followed Khawaja with a duck, chopping an inswinger from Mitchell Starc onto his stumps.
Australia sniffed blood, and their fab four showed no mercy. Ryan Rickelton (6) couldn’t take advantage of a poor drop by Alex Carey and was dismissed caught on the drive soon after to give Starc his second wicket.
Pat Cummins got one to fly past a flat footed drive from Wiaan Mulder (6), another experiment at number three that didn’t pay off, to take out off stump.
South Africa were on the ropes, desperately trying to get to the close, Australia’s bowlers tormenting them, for the first time it became a mismatch.
Temba Bavuma got off the mark from the 31st ball he faced to huge cheers. At the other end Josh Hazlewood beat Tristan Stubbs (2) defensive prod to bend back the off stump.
A day that started with South Africa daring to dream ending in nightmarish circumstances still 169 runs adrift and only 6 wickets in hand.
But if they manage to counter punch half as effectively as Australia did today then they will be back in the contest. Anything less and Australia will become favourites to keep hold of the crown they won here two years ago.
Australia v South Africa - Day One scorecard
Australia – 212 (First innings)
Beau Webster 72 (92)
Steve Smith 66 (112)
Alex Carey 23 (31)
Mitchell Starc 2/10 (7 overs)
South Africa – 43/4 (First innings)
Ryan Rickelton 16 (23)
Wiaan Mulder 6 (44)
David Bedingham 8* (9)
Kagiso Rabada 5/51 (15.4 overs)
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