The quick and the furious dominate on a day of 14 wickets
Advantage Australia as Rabada fires, Webster smashes and Bavuma tries to anchor
ICC World Test Championship Final. Lord’s, London. Day One: June 11.
First innings: Australia: 212/10 (56.4 overs): Smith 66, Webster 72
South Africa: 43/4 (22 overs): Bavuma 3* Bedingham 8*
South Africa won the toss and chose to field
Lights, camera, action, cloud, sunshine and a perfectly flawed, fraught and feisty day of Test cricket. The first day of the final of the World Test Championship began under gloomy skies at a floodlit Lord’s on Wednesday and ended with Australia basking in the sunshine, slightly ahead, but only just, mind you.
It was a day for the bowlers, but few would have predicted that 14 wickets would fall on day one on a pitch that looked initially ripe for runs but had a bite and a swerve that required nerve, patience and luck. The day lived up to the pre-match hype. Fireworks were set off before the game had even started, which set the tone for the day. The first session was explosive, all South Africa and Kagiso Rabada. The second went to Australia and Beau Webster. The third was shared between the South African and Australian bowlers. What Thursday morning will bring is anyone’s guess. More of the same? More luck? Less trepidation? Some application with the bat?
The pitch’s beige looks were deceiving wrote Nagraj Gollapudi in ESPNcricinfo on Wednesday: “A bright, creamish carpet tinged with faint green – the Lord’s pitch is like a strip of band aid in the middle of a verdant green. But don’t let that fool you into thinking it could be flat. The groundsman Karl McDermott has been busy using the heavy roller in the week leading into the final. As a consequence, the grass has been padded in but the surface is likely to be hard and provide good bounce across the five days.”
Rabada will have his name up on the honour’s board at Lord’s yet again after bowling Mitchell Starc for his fifth wicket to end Australia’s innings. Rabada had shrugged off a cloud of his own making with the positive test that dare not speak its name and went bang-bang early on to lift the underdog gloom that has marked much of the build-up and predictions on South Africa’s chances of victory. He struck just before and after high noon, David Bedingham holding on at slip off Usman Khawaja despite Aiden Markram throwing in a little dummy. Australia were 12 for one as Khawaja trudged back through a relatively empty Long Room.
Three balls later in that seventh over and Rabada, coming in from the Nursery end, had Cameron Green trudging back, this time Markram holding on despite Wiaan Mulder almost getting in his way. Marco Jansen saw off the stubborn Marnus Labuschagne for 17, breaking a building and ominous partnership between himself and Steve Smith.
With lunch a minute away, Jansen induced a leg-side edge off the dangerous Travis Head and Kyle Verreynne obliged by taking an acrobatic, diving catch to his right. It was South Africa’s session. Temba Bavuma’s decision to bowl was proving to be a good one. From Lord’s, Stuart Hess of TimesLive messaged to tell me it was expected to clear up later. South Africa had to make the morning count and, lo, they did just that, but it then, well, it cleared up.
In the early afternoon session Steve Smith twitched and drove his way to a fine 66 before he fell trying to knock Markram into next week, Jansen taking the catch at slip at the third attempt. Webster, big and strong, helped himself to Lungi Ngidi’s rustiness and Mulder’s penchant for no balls. He survived a DRS review and a plumb LBW that was not reviewed. His and Smith’s partnership may just turn out to be where this final is won or lost.
Rabada ended with 5-51, Jansen took three wickets and Keshav Maharaj started the post-tea session collapse by bowling Alex Carey as he attempted a premeditated and daft reverse sweep. Australia were 192 for five at the beginning of the third session. Thirty-six minutes later they were all out for 212.
Starc was demonic with the new ball for Australia. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were unplayable at times. There was fear in the air and the smell of blood on the ground. Markram dragged on an inswinger from Starc. Ryan Rickelton played wide at Starc and edged behind despite earlier showing he could play with patience and guile. Mulder was bowled driving at Cummins, while Tristan Stubbs was knocked over by Hazelwood by a ball that seamed in. Bavuma took an age to get off the mark, but perhaps that is because he nor anyone watching knew exactly were the mark is and will be in this match.
TEAMS
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey +, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickleton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (captain), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne +, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
