Key events
3rd over: South Africa 7-1 (Rickelton 6, Mulder 1) Rickelton leans into a full ball and drives a delicious drive down the ground for four. What a shot. But then Starc brings his length back and beats the outside edge by a whisker. This is tense! Excellent, compelling Test cricket.
Nick Parish has made sense of my garbled mess from just before South Africa’s innings:
Hi Dan I think perhaps a simpler way of understanding first vs fourth (if I understand it correctly) is to say that if they’re to have a realistic chance of winning, Australia need in the third innings to at least match what South Africa score in the second innings. Is that right? If not I’m off to fetch a wet towel.
Nope you’ve got it mate. That’s exactly what I meant (and should have said).
“Hi there. Not sure about a 150 lead. This has been a truly great Aussie attack for a long time. I could imagine the Saffers struggle badly against it in these conditions”
I said South Africa need a 150 run lead. I didn’t say they’d get one, Dean Kinsella.
2nd over: South Africa 3-1 (Rickelton 2, Mulder 1) The air is thick with tension. Wow, feels on a knife’s edge right now. Hazlewood is bang on the money. Rickelton and Mulder tip and run to get off the mark and settle the nerves. Rickelton gets another off an inside edge but he survives.
Colum Fordham has this to say:
“Hi from Naples. I can’t think of a more thoroughly deserved five-fer than Rabada’s today. On centre stage at Lords he has delivered the goods for South Africa and his captain Bavuma against a top batting unit. The whole Proteas attack has excelled, as have the fielders. Jansen has bowled and caught superbly. Let’s see if they can cope with the Aussie quicks.”
Signs aren’t positive so far.
Hazlewood, not Cummins, to open the Pavilion End.
1st over: South Africa 0-1 (Rickelton 0, Mulder 0) Game on! Starc with a wicket in his first over. He’s a cheat code sometimes. Markram looked in all sorts out there. Big job now for the makeshift number three, Mulder.
WICKET! Markram b Starc 0 (South Africa 0-1)
A perfect start for Australia! That’s exactly what they needed and Starc gets the early breakthrough! Swing and pace from that hefty left arm, he brings it back into Markram who chops it back onto his boot and onto his stumps. He survived an earlier inside edge but this time he’s gone!
OK, South Africa’s turn. Starc has the ball. Markram to face up first. Three slips. A giant human at gully.
Big question now, what’s the target for South Africa?
A lead, of course, but what sort of lead? As Alastair Cook suggested on TMS, this could be a case of first innings versus fourth innings.
That takes some explaining.
What he’s getting at is that this surface is improving, and batting should be easier for days two and three. That means that even if South Africa get a lead of 150, Australia would then need to set South Africa a target of around 211 (the score they made here).
Convoluted? That’s cricket.
I’ll try make it simple. By my reckoning South Africa need a lead of at least 150. But first they need to get to the close of play today with as many wickets in hand. At least eight perhaps.
So many things going on, so many numbers whirring in my brain. I’ll take a quick breather and be back in a few for South Africa’s response.
Australia all out for 211
Kagiso Rabada gets five! He’s knocked over Starc with another top nut that jags back off a length and clips the top of the middle. Outstanding bowling from South Africa’s premium fast bowler, claiming 5-51 from just under 16 overs.
South Africa were brilliant. Won the toss and skittled the Aussies for a target that looks well below par on a deck that is getting better to bat on.
But, as they say, we can’t judge a game until both sides have taken guard. So, I guess we’ll find out where things stand.
Kudos to Webster who battled and biffed for his 72. And Smith for stroking a tidy looking 66.
But South Africa’s day (so far). No doubt about it.
56th over: Australia 211-9 (Starc 1, Hazlewood 0) South Africa’s pace bowlers have been immense since tea. They’ve run through the Australians. Jansen did his best to snatch a five-for from Rabada, almost getting the last wicket with an absolute gem that angled into Hazlewood and moved away and over his off-stump. As it is, Rabada will have a crack next over.
WICKET! Lyon b Jansen 0 (Australia 211-8)
They’re running through them now! I’m not sure Lyon saw that as Jansen got it full and straight and beat the veteran spinner for pace.
55th over: Australia 210-8 (Starc 1, Lyon 0) With that wicket Rabada moves ahead of Alan Donald as South Africa’s fourth most successful wicket taker in Tests with 331 scalps. Webster played well but his luck ran out. How many can Australia’s tail cobble together?
WICKET! Webster c Bedingham b Rabada 72 (Australia 210-8)
Rabada finally has his man! After surviving a non-review for a plumb lbw when he was on 8, and having survived multiple edges either side of the wicket, Webster finally goes. Rabada lands one on a good length and moves it away from Webster who follows it with his hands. A thick edge flies to first slip where Bedingham pouches it. They’ve caught everything today. That might have been streaky at times, but it was an important knock from Webster who played some great shots.
54th over: Australia 202-7 (Webster 64, Starc 1) Maharaj continues. Might have been a temptation to bring on Jansen to Starc, but the spinner is finding turn away from the right hander. Webster follows one with his hands but he’s seeing it well so dabs it away for a single.
53rd over: Australia 199-7 (Webster 62, Starc 0) Two wickets in two overs. South Africa’s sharks are circling. Webster continues to resist and picks up four with an edge past the slips before getting a single. Cummins was not up to it, though he can’t be blamed for missing a Rabada jaffa. New man Starc plays and misses.
WICKET! Cummins b Rabada 1 (Australia 199-7)
That’s a peach! That would have removed better batters than Cummins. No shame getting castled by that one. Rabada, angling it in, got it to move down the slope away from the right-hander from a full length and Cummins played down the wrong line.
52nd over: Australia 194-6 (Webster 57, Cummins 1) Success for Maharaj thanks to Carey’s recklessness. Cummins is out there and off the mark, prodding just past the man at silly mid-on. Was uppish. Maharaj oohs and aaahs. Webster, now with a lot to carry, stiffs a single down the ground. Maharaj is up to 199 Test wickets.
WICKET! Carey b Maharaj 23 (Australia 192-6)
Carey has missed a reverse sweep! My goodness, he’s chucked it away. Maharaj flighted it up and it took an age to get to Carey who committed to the shot prematurely. But he missed it all ends up and it rattled the stumps behind him. I think he was beaten in the air and on length, it was much fuller than he thought it would be. South Africa are into the bowlers.
51st over: Australia 192-5 (Webster 56, Carey 23) Rabada is on the money, hitting a good length. Just two singles off that first over of the session.
And we’re back. Some sessions just feel more important than others. This is one of them. If Australia, and Webster, can see out til the close they’ll no doubt have a healthy score. If South Africa can skittle them soon, they could put a dent in things.
Lot’s of ifs.
Kagiso Rabada will take the ball from the Nursery End where he bowled so well in the morning. On we go.
Tea: Australia 190-5 (Webster 55, Carey 22)
Australia’s session, but only just. The wicket of Steve Smith means South Africa will still be pleased with that, despite the lack of control from the possibly injured Ngidi.
This final over was delivered by Maharaj from the Pavilion End. The incorrect end for the left arm finger spinner, according to Simon Mann on TMS. Webster cracked a single off the back foot and Carey swept without beating the man at short fine leg.
Off for a quick cuppa.
49th over: Australia 189-5 (Webster 54, Carey 22) Webster gets three as he opens the face on Mulder and steers one down to deep third – he’s really batted well. Mulder then goes round the wicket to Carey. Still three slips in place. Mulder changes his mind and switches back over the wicket, perhaps looking for one that can angle across the left-hander. Carey flicks a couple to the right of Stubbs at deep midwicket. Maybe just one more over til tea.
48th over: Australia 183-5 (Webster 51, Carey 20) Twice Jansen finds Carey’s outside edge. Twice the ball flies down to the boundary. The Aussie keeper is playing his shots, flashing at even the suggestion of width.
47th over: Australia 174-5 (Webster 50, Carey 12) Webster has 50! With South Africa placing two men in the covers – one catching, one a little further back – Webster has some trouble piercing the gap. But when Mulder drags down and offers width, Webster lashes a cut to the man at deep point and comes through for a well-played half-century. A reminder that he was plumb lbw when he was on 8 but South Africa did not review the umpire’s call.
46th over: Australia 172-5 (Webster 49, Carey 11) Jansen returns from the Nursery End but Carey is playing his shots. A swivelling pull is nailed in front of square for four and a firm flick flies down to fine leg for a single. Jansen does find his edge, but it bobbles along the ground to the man at gully.
45th over: Australia 167-5 (Webster 49, Carey 6) Webster almost chops on as he eyes a bit of width from Mulder. He’s batted well but also had a bit of luck. A clip off the pads takes closer to a second Test fifty. Mulder shifts to round the wicket to the left-handed Carey. He’s got three slips in place but they can only watch as Carey throws his hands at some loose dross and creams a drive through the covers for four before nudging a single into the gap at point.
44th over: Australia 161-5 (Webster 48, Carey 1) Markram continues, and why not? He was only into the attack to allow Mulder a change of ends, but when you get the wicket of Steve Smith I suppose you’ve earned the right to have another over. He’s into the left-handed Carey who stoops to sweep his first ball. Oh, it’s hit the pad and Markram fancies this… they review. A little spike on the ultra edge off the glove saves the Aussie ‘keeper. Wow, that would have been some way to bag a golden duck. South Africa have lost their second review having not reviewed when Webster was plumb lbw.
Carey gets off the mark with a prod past point. Webster sweeps, too, and almost gets four down to fine leg but Rabada’s long slide hauled it in just before the rope.
43rd over: Australia 157-5 (Webster 45, Carey 0) Beau Webster, in only his fourth Test, must now take the lead and steer Australia to a hefty total. He looks in good touch as he leans back and thwacks Mulder – who has changed ends – off the back foot for four in front of square. The big unit gets some luck as an inside edge flies past his stumps and down to fine leg for another boundary. A flash outside off stump is missed but a forward press is firmly bunted into the covers. It’s a messy set from Mulder that included three no-balls.
WICKET! Smith c Jansen b Markram 66 (Australia 146-5)
I don’t believe it! Aiden Markram has come into the attack which seemed like a sign of South Africa’s desperation. Smith wanted to crunch the part-timer with a booming drive but caught a thick outside edge that flew to the beanpole Jansen in the slips. A juggle, another fumble and then the catch. What a moment! Australia were cruising and now Smith is gone!
42nd over: Australia 146-5 (Webster 37, Carey 0)
41st over: Australia 145-4 (Smith 66, Webster 36) South Africa need to put the skids on Australia’s run scoring. Webster picks up a single to deep cover as Maharaj drags one down. Smith paddles for a single of his own. Ngidi is off the field. Just a breather after a tough spell or is that a niggle? If he is injured that’ll be big problems ahead for South Africa.
40th over: Australia 142-4 (Smith 65, Webster 34). No surprise to see Mulder replace Ngidi from the Pavilion End. Before lunch he delivered three consecutive maidens that helped put the squeeze on Labuschagne. Mulder moves the man from backward point to midwicket and, wouldn’t you know it, Webster leans onto a short ball and steers the ball through the freshly created gap for four. Mulder then moves the midwicket and, wouldn’t you know it, Webster picks up a single in the freshly created gap. Bavuma is chasing the ball at the minute.
39th over: Australia 137-4 (Smith 65, Webster 29) Maharaj continues from the Nursery End and Smith flashes a drive out to deep point for a single. Smudge looks in the mood today. A silly mid-off comes in for Webster but a single into the covers gets him off strike. Maharaj not controlling things as Bavuma would like.
We’ve got a letter from southern Africa from Trevor Tutu:
Holed up in Swaziland (eSwathini) with my wife and her family, and forced to go shopping! I have not even been allowed to use the tv remote to the cricket.
You can imagine my joy and elation when I saw the lunchtime score. I am going to slope off to the pub, and trust that are doing the decent thing and showing the match.
38th over: Australia 133-4 (Smith 63, Webster 27) Hello everyone. Thanks Martin. Well Australia have fought back brilliantly, haven’t they? South Africa burn a review after going upstaiurs after Webster met Ngidi’s ball with the middle of the bat. Then the big unit crunched a cover drive to the boundary having whipped a ball down to fine leg earlier in the set. Ngidi really hasn’t been at his best. South Africa, having dominated the first session, are chasing leather currently.
37th over: Australia 123-4 (Smith 62, Webster 18) South Africa turn to spin for the first time in the Test with Keshav Maharaj called into action for the last over before drinks. Smith begins with a confident drive through cover for two and ends the over with a controlled pull over midwicket to punish a half-volley. Australia head to the break after putting on 56 runs without losing a wicket in the hour since lunch.
Thanks a lot for following along so far. Dan Gallan will guide you through the rest of what has already been a gripping day one.
36th over: Australia 117-4 (Smith 56, Webster 18) Webster smacks Ngidi straight back over his head with a pull shot that turns into a forehand as the ball sits up in the surface. Smith hammers a cut to deep point for a single that brings up the 50-run stand. It has been hard-earned for Webster in particular, but just the sort of fighting partnership that Australia needed.
