Proteas let a good start slip as they look to skipper Bavuma for a fightback

South Africa are in a world of trouble on 43 for four at stumps despite performing superbly to bowl out Australia for 212 on the first day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s in England.

Nine wickets fell for 65 runs in an hour and 50 minutes of mayhem after tea, which included an Australian collapse from 190 for five at tea to 212 all out.

The talk pre-match was about the quality of both sides’ bowling attacks and on day one, both delivered a clinic.

South Africa’s best in Kagiso Rabada and to a lesser degree left-arm seamer Marco Jansen led the way for South Africa, while the trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, in particular, offered a stern examination of the Proteas’ batting techniques.

South Africa has one of the best fast bowlers in Test cricket in Rabada, who led the cleanup of the tail with three wickets in his third spell, to go with two earlier in the day, to take his 17th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. It was an incredible day of bowling for the big quick. Rabada finished with five wickets for 51 to get his name on the Lord’s honours board for a second time.

In the process, he went past Allan Donald on the South African all-time wicket-taking standings, moving to 332.

Australia, though, have three pace bowlers of a similar quality to Rabada, who provided no let-up from the other end, on a Lord’s wicket that was not easy for batting throughout the first day.

Conversely, Rabada’s support cast on day one was Jansen for short periods and very little else by way of fast-bowling.

It was for that reason that Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma elected to bowl after winning the toss, with the cloudy overhead conditions also playing a role.

The Proteas will need David Bedingham and skipper Bavuma to dig deep on day two for any chance of a positive result in the WTC final.

Catches win matches

Rabada started the day exceptionally, dismissing Usman Khawaja (nought off 20) and Cameron Green (four off three) in his fourth over of the day. The first three were maidens.

Jansen largely held the pressure from the other end and was eventually rewarded with the wicket of first-time opener Marnus Labuschagne (17 off 56).

Jansen claimed a second scalp six overs later when he strangled Travis Head down the leg side. Three of the first four wickets were from exceptional catches behind the wicket.

Bedingham held on to Khawaja’s edge that flew to his left, Aiden Markram caught Green with a brilliant low grab despite Wiaan Mulder diving across him, and Kyle Verreynne moved quickly and was outstretched when he caught Head.

Steve Smith held firm from the other end, seemingly batting on a different surface to everyone else. Australia’s star batter hit the ball late and square as he marched to 66 off 112 deliveries.

Missed opportunities

Beau Webster was at the other end, scratching his way through his innings. Rabada, in his second spell, had the all-rounder dancing, playing and missing nearly every ball.

Two overs before lunch, Jansen rapped Smith (26 off 46 at that stage) on the pads. Smith shuffled across his stumps, the delivery angled towards him from around the wicket and thudded into his front pad just above the knee roll with the leg stump visible on impact.

Loud appeals were repelled by umpire Chris Gaffaney, but Bavuma, after long consultation, requested a review with a second left on the clock.

There were two reds, pitching outside off-stump and hitting in line, but one orange, Hawkeye projecting the delivery to only be clipping the leg stump bail.

Had Gaffaney raised his finger, Australia’s best batter would have been in the sheds regardless of whether he reviewed the decision.

Webster then survived two LBW appeals from Jansen in the same over, after lunch. The second was reviewed. Again, two reds and one orange: impact the deciding factor this time. The umpire’s call prevailed again for Australia.

An over later, Rabada delivered a vicious in-swinger that struck Webster’s front pad and then ricocheted into his back pad — the two noises sounding like impact on the bat. There was a stifled appeal from the South Africans that was rejected, but replays proved that Webster should have been given out; this time three reds, but not reviewed.

Webster was on eight at that stage and Australia on 94 for four in the 29th over. The sizeable all-rounder went on to top-score with 72 off 92 deliveries.

“We thought 160 is what we should have had them at,” Rabada said after the match.

The part-time off-spin of Markram eventually broke the 79-run stand by Smith and Webster after a terrific juggling catch at slip by Jansen off a ball that whistled off the edge.

Batting calamity

South Africa batted for 107 minutes, facing 22 overs. In that time, they scored only 43 runs and lost four wickets in that period of mayhem.

Markram (nought off six) was worked over in the first over by Starc, who had the Dukes ball swinging around corners from the outset.

Mulder (six off 44) looked like he could have been out on every delivery he faced in a painful period of batting against a relentless Aussie pace attack.

The No 3 was eventually cleaned up by Cummins off a straight delivery on a good length that he tried to drive. Ryan Rickelton (16 off 23) looked the most comfortable South African batter at the crease, striking three boundaries, but he was lured into playing a cover drive off a looping Starc outswinger, which caught the edge of his blade and was pouched by Khawaja at slip.

Tristan Stubbs was the fourth Protea batter dismissed in the session, by the best delivery of the lot, beaten between bat and pad by a Cummins ball that nipped towards him and kissed the bails.

Skipper Bavuma (three off 37) spent the session absorbing pressure while Bedingham (eight off nine) had been at the crease for less than two overs when play was called off for the first day of enthralling action. DM