An aggressive Travis Head put Australia in cost after the primary day of the opening Test towards South Africa on the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday. After bowling out the guests for 152 on the stroke of tea, Head got here to the crease with the Australian rating a precarious 27-3. But on a wicket that each one batters discovered tough to attain on, Head appeared a special class, smashing an unbeaten 78 from simply 77 deliveries. At the shut Australia have been 145-5 after nightwatchman Scott Boland was dismissed final ball of the day, trailing by simply seven runs.
“It was an entertaining day of cricket,” Head mentioned.
“It’s disappointing to lose the two wickets at the end there but we fought hard.
“It was a tough wicket, so I feel we’ll take that — now we have to return out and have a superb couple of hours within the morning.”
Australian captain Pat Cummins earlier won the toss and chose to bowl on a green wicket under cloudy skies.
The decision was vindicated after a stunning start when South Africa were reduced to 27-4 after 11 overs, a position from which they never recovered.
The only batters to defy the Australian attack were wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, high scorer with 64, and quantity 4 Temba Bavuma, who rescued the visitors from complete annihilation.
But once Bavuma fell for 38 midway through the second session, South Africa lost steady wickets on a surface that got faster as the day wore on.
‘A bit behind’
Verreynne said getting the wickets of Steve Smith and Boland late in the day had given his side some hope of salvaging something from the match. “We’re in all probability nonetheless a bit behind the sport however these two wickets carry us again into it somewhat bit,” he said.
“There’s a window open for us now. If we begin off effectively I feel we’re in with an opportunity of setting one thing up hopefully.”
The morning conditions had looked ideal for Australia’s potent pace attack, but Mitchell Starc and Cummins were wayward early, causing no real problems for the batters.
Starc began the rout with the first ball of the third over when South African captain Dean Elgar tickled a ball down the leg facet to keeper Alex Carey.
Cummins began to find his line and length and was next to strike, with Rassie van der Dussen getting a faint edge to a ball that moved off the seam to leave South Africa 27-2.
That soon became 27-3 when Sarel Erwee obtained a thick edge off Boland for Cameron Green to take a brilliant catch in the gully, low and to his left.
Two balls later it was 27-4 when Boland trapped Khaya Zondo lbw for a duck.
But Verreynne decided to play his strokes, and with Bavuma grafting at the other end, they began a recovery.
Australia’s reply started disastrously when David Warner fell first ball of the innings after deflecting a brutal Kagiso Rabada brief ball to brief leg, the place Zondo took a spectacular catch.
The in-form Marnus Labuschagne was subsequent to fall, edging Marco Jansen‘s first ball to Elgar at second slip with the rating on 18.
Anrich Nortje changed opening bowler Lungi Ngidi and struck along with his second ball when Usman Khawaja was caught at third slip by substitute fielder Simon Harmer.
After reducing South Africa to 27-4 in 11 overs, Australia found themselves 27-3 after nine overs.
But whereas South Africa’s batting line-up looked vulnerable heading into the match, the Australians have been in great touch against the West Indies and Head and Steve Smith rarely looked in trouble.
But just when it looked as though they would see Australia to the close, Nortje got a ball through Smith’s defences to rattle the stumps.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
FIFA 2022: Morocco Reaches Semi-Final
Topics talked about on this article