Proteas strike back in dramatic first day at the Gabba

Fifteen wickets fell for 297 runs in a dramatic first day of test cricket as Australia replied with 145 for five to South Africa’s total of 152 all out in the first test at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday.

After winning the toss and putting South Africa into bat, Australia bowled out the tourists in 48.2 overs before edging close to that total thanks to a thrilling century partnership between Steve Smith and Travis Head.

Smith fell in the penultimate over of the day, bowled through the gate by Anrich Nortje, before Kagiso Rabada ended the day on a happy note for Dean Elgar’s men by having nightwatchman Scott Boland caught behind.

Rabada had begun the Australian innings in sensational style, having David Warner brilliantly caught at short-leg by Khaya Zondo off the first ball of the innings, no doubt reigniting local speculation about the opener’s place in the team.

And when Marco Jansen had the No 1 test batsman Marnus Labuschagne caught at slip with his first ball and Anrich Nortje had Usman Khawaja splendidly caught at third slip by substitute fielder Simon Harmer, Australia had slipped to a potentially damaging 27 for three.

After their easy win over the West Indies, the Australian public wanted a sterner test against the South Africans, and that is what they seemed to be getting.

But then Steve Smith was joined by Travis Head and the left-hander from South Australia ignited a sensational counter-attack. After collecting a couple of singles in his first 16 balls, Head then tore into the South African attack, slamming 13 fours and a six in his unbeaten 78 in only 77 balls. He and a more sedate Smith put together a fourth-wicket stand of 117 in 138 balls as the Australians took the match by the scruff of the neck.

But just when the initially rampaging Proteas looked to have had the life sucked out of them by Head, the final two overs changed that narrative once again, although Australia will still be hoping to gain a significant first-innings lead on Sunday.

TOUGH WICKET

Speaking afterwards, Head said: “It was an entertaining day of cricket. We fought hard, lost a couple of wickets at the end but we will take that on a very tough wicket that was a bit up and down. We tried to be as positive as we could, and just hung in. It’ll be a very important morning tomorrow.

Nortje was South Africa’s best bowler with 2-37 in eight overs while Rabada’s two wickets cost him 50 runs.

Earlier, Australia began the game in the ascendency when, led by cult figure Boland, they claimed four South African wickets in 11 overs to reduce the Proteas to a calamitous 27 for four.

Pat Cummins had taken the unusual decision (for Australia) of putting the Proteas in to bat after winning the toss on what former Australian captain Allan Border described as “the greenest test pitch I’ve ever seen at the Gabba”.

For the first half-an-hour, however, pacemen Cummins and Mitchell Starc struggled for rhythm and accuracy, bowling too short and on both sides of the wicket. Dean Elgar, the first man to go, could count himself unlucky to be “strangled” down the leg side off Starc to a delivery that just bounced a little more than usual, brushing his glove before rising sharply into the gloves of wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Cummins began to settle into his work soon enough, however, and he snared the wicket of Rassie van der Dussen in the 10th over with a beauty that straightened, inducing a whisper of an edge.

DOUBLE BLOW

The Proteas were then hit a double blow in the next over when Boland – who had immediately settled into the full length needed on this pitch – dismissed Sarel Erwee and Khaya Zondo in his second over.

Erwee, who had struck two sweetly driven boundaries, was tempted to add a third to his list but was not quite to the pitch and Cameron Green took a nice catch in the gulley, low to his left. Zondo survived one delivery but the second proved too good for him, trapping him on the crease before striking his pad in front. He reviewed the umpire’s positive decision but the ball was shown to be clipping the bail.

Things improved for South Africa in the second hour of the morning as Kyle Verreynne led a brave counter-attack. He pulled and cut Cameron Green for four and six in the big allrounder’s first over and was always on the lookout for runs, particularly off the back foot. Bavuma played more cautiously but was sound in defence and left well.

The biggest danger to the batsmen was their sometimes frantic running between the wickets with Australia missing two opportunities to run them out, the most palpable being Head’s miss when Verreynne slipped and fell on the moist, grassy surface after being sent back.

The two men saw things through to lunch on 84 for four and continued fluently after the break, defending solidly and putting away the bad ball. Verreynne remained the more aggressive of the two, particularly off the back foot on both sides of the wicket, while Bavuma looked increasingly comfortable, advancing his score with some glorious drives. They had taken their partnership to 98 in 141 balls when Starc speared one across Bavuma who pushed away from his body, inside-edging the ball onto his leg stump. It was probably Bavuma’s sole mistake, and he was unlucky to be punished so harshly for it.

Bavuma’s dismissal triggered a collapse, with the last six wickets falling for just 27 runs with offspinner Nathan Lyon making a significant contribution to take 3-14 in eight overs of superbly controlled spin. His most important scalp was that of Verreynne who went back when he should have gone forward to a full delivery, edging to Steve Smith at slip. The man from Cape Town had played a defiant innings, always looking to attack the bad ball and profiting from a series of square cuts and pulls. His 64 in 96 balls included eight fours and a square cut for six off Cameron Green.

Starc was left hanging on 299 test wickets with 3-41 in 14 overs while Boland and Cummins claimed two wickets apiece.

AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

AUSTRALIA: Dean Elgar (capt), Sarel Erwee, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi