Australia dispatch of South Africa in under two days, take 1-0 series lead

It took less than six full sessions for Australia to wrap up a six-wicket victory over South Africa in the first Test on a lush, green Gabba pitch over the weekend with many taking aim at the playing conditions.

It was just the second Test match on Australian soil to conclude within two days and the first since 1931.

Not only was it a faceoff between the teams sitting and first and second in the ICC World Test Championship standings, it was also first clash between the rivals since Australia’s infamous ball-tampering saga in Cape Town.

Pat Cummins, who made his return to the side after sitting out Australia’s second Test against the West Indies with a quad complaint, won the toss and elected to send the visitors in to bat on markedly grassy wicket.

The Australian quicks got straight to work with South Africa four down within 11 overs.

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Starc claimed Proteas skipper Dean Elgar first up before Cummins did the same to Rassie van der Dussen.

Scott Boland dismissed opener Sarel Erwee in just the second over of his spell before one quickly became two, as it often does for the big Victorian, with Khaya Zondo caught in front of his stumps for a second-ball duck.

At 4-for-27 in the opening session and in a world of danger, Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne did a superb job steadying things for the South Africans seeing out the Australian bombardment until lunch.

As their partnership neared triple-figures, an inside edge from Bavuma off Starc cannoned into the stumps as Australia found their breakthrough.

Marco Jansen added just two before Nathan Lyon got his name in the wickets column whilst Keshav Maharaj also fell for just two off Starc’s bowling.

Verreynne eventually edged one off Lyon to Steve Smith at first slip to bring an end to an impressive and much-needed 64 off 96.

Lyon and Cummins each picked up one more to finish off the tail as the visitors were bowled out for 152.

South Africa made it known from early on, however, that Australia would not waltz to a massive total.

Kagiso Rabada hit David Warner with short ball first up that bounced off the top of the bat to Zondo at short leg as the veteran opener was dismissed on the first ball of the innings.

Marnus Labuschagne was unable to continue his golden run with Jansen claiming his wicket for just 11 before Usman Khawaja fell off the bowling of Anrich Nortje the following over.

At 3-for-27, it was up to Smith and Travis Head to play the role of ship-steadiers and they did a sound job pouring on a 117-run partnership before a Nortje peach knocked Smith over for 36.

Head motored along finishing reaching stumps with 78 as night watchman Boland was dismissed on the final ball of the day.

Entering the second day and trailing by just seven, Australia looked to build a sizeable lead and unleash their attack back on the visitors.

Head and Cameron Green put together a quickfire 36-run partnership before Green fell for 18 to Jansen, who has made an uncanny habit of picking up wickets in the opening over of his spells.

Head was dismissed by Jansen two balls later for 92 – his second dismissal in the nineties this summer.

Alex Carey finished 22 not-out and Starc added 14 as the tail was cleaned up rather effortlessly as Rabada finished with four wickets.

66 runs in arrears and at the mercy of a difficult Gabba wicket, South Africa’s second innings looked frustratingly similar to their first.

Cummins dismissed Elgar on just the 10th ball of the innings leg-before and Starc followed the captain’s lead the next over knocking over van der Dussen with a trademark inswinger as he became just the seventh Australian in Test history to reach 300 wickets.

Erwee attempted to get out of the way of a Cummins short ball but edged it to Green at gully as South Africa found themselves in a world of bother at 3-for-5 in the eighth over.

Bavuma and Zondo restored the innings in some capacity with a 42-run partnership – the largest of the innings – before Lyon dismissed Bavuma LBW.

First-innings star Verreynne lasted just two balls before edging a Boland delivery to Smith in the slips with Jansen falling two balls later to another Boland peach.

Starc dismissed Maharaj to have the visitors at 7-for-64 before Cummins claimed the final three wickets to notch his eighth Test five-wicket haul and bowl the Proteas out for just 99.

Zondo – who finished with an unbeaten 36 after a disastrous first innings – and Lungi Ngidi put together a 30-run, 10th wicket stand to set Australia a target of 34 to win.

Australia’s fourth innings ended up far from ideal with the hosts losing four wickets in under eight overs.

19 South African extras got them over the line as Travis Head received his second consecutive Player of the Match award for his first innings 92.

Many critics took aim at the pitch conditions including Indian legend Virender Sehwag:

142 overs and not even lasting 2 days and they have the audacity to lecture on what kind of pitches are needed. Had it happened in India, it would have been labelled end of test cricket, ruining test cricket and what not. The Hypocrisy is mind-boggling . #AUSvSA

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) December 18, 2022

There will be some pressure on the curators in Melbourne to craft a more balanced pitch.

The second Test begins on Boxing Day at the MCG with South Africa desperate to even things up and set up a decisive final Test in Sydney.