SA vs AUS, 1st Test, Day 1, Review: Honours shared on a near-perfect day of Test cricket

South Africa and Australia locked horns on what was expected to be a cracker of an opening day of Test cricket in Durban on Thursday. It lived up to the expectations as both the teams didn’t allow the other to take the honours. Finally, it was the light which had the final say as it deteriorated very quickly in the final session but not before the players from both the teams were involved in some great competitive cricket. It was just another day at the office for Steve Smith as he scored yet another half-century.

The visitors won the toss and opted to bat first at the Kingsmead track which tends to be on the slower side generally. They played the same side which defeated England in the fifth and final Test of the Ashes as South Africa bolstered their batting by including Theunis de Bruyn at the expense of Lungi Ngidi. Keshav Maharaj also came back into the side given his ability to keep the lid on the Aussie batsmen.

Philander strikes early as usual

The start to the Test match was rather flat as the new-ball bowlers failed to generate any swing from the wicket. Just when the openers Cameron Bancroft and David Warner were looking comfortable, Vernon Philander struck to remove the former. The string of low scores continued for Bancroft as he nicked the wide delivery to Quinton de Kock after walking down the track. Soon Usman Khawaja was sent packing by Kagiso Rabada by a perfect outswinger as de Kock held a superb catch to reduce the Aussies to 39/2.

Warner-Smith rebuild

The experienced duo of Warner and skipper Smith then rebuilt the innings and formed a partnership of 56 runs and were untroubled for the most part. But just at the stroke of the lunch, Philander bowled a peach of a delivery as the former edged the ball to slips where AB de Villiers took a brilliant catch. He scored 51 and looked completely assured during his stay in the middle.

Smith, however, was unperturbed by all the fuss at the other end and notched up yet another half-century. Just when everyone thought that he will smash a ton, Keshav Maharaj scalped him which started off wild celebrations in South African camp. Shaun Marsh had got set until then who took his brother Mitchell Marsh with him and added key runs to the total. But he too was undone by the left-arm spinner Maharaj and was caught in the slips which added to the woes of the visitors.

However, it was the duo of Tim Paine and Mitchell Marsh who denied any further wickets to South Africa and added an unbeaten stand of 48 runs in about 18 overs. The home side was waiting for the new ball to arrive but bad light stopped play after which the players never came out. It was an attritional day of Test cricket where the game ebbed and flowed and Australia somehow hung on despite Smith not scoring heavily on the day.

South Africa came out with a plan to each of their batsmen and executed those to almost perfection. The first session of the second day becomes hugely important now as the hosts would be eyeing to make further inroads with the new ball and restrict Australia under 300. The visitors, however, would want to score around 350 in the first innings to put pressure on the home side.

Brief Scores

Australia 225/5 after 76 overs (S Smith 56, D Warner 51; V Philander 2/36, K Maharaj 2/69)