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MELBOURNE. — Cameron Green took a maiden five as South Africa was bundled out for 189 as Australia ended on 45-1 at the close of play on day one of the second Test cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday.
Kagiso Rabada got the early breakthrough as he got Usman Khawaja to edge behind for 1, but it was the only Australian wicket that fell in the final session.
Australia trail by 144 runs and require a win in this test to clinch the three-match Test series.
It was a fine day out at the MCG where fans got to honour the memory of Shane Warne — with floppy hats and a tribute video. Australia gave their fans more by taking early control of the Boxing Day Test.
Green picked his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests as South Africa endured another ordinary batting performance in the first innings to fold for just 189. This wasn’t a complete implosion like in Gabba as, momentarily, there was hope for revival through a stubborn sixth-wicket stand between Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen. But Green ran riot in the final session when he dismissed both and triggered South Africa’s collapse. Rabada then struggled with his lengths against David Warner, but ended Usman Khawaja’s stay early. Jansen troubled Warner briefly but the Aussie opener – batting in his 100th Test match — escaped unscathed as he and Marnus Labuschagne took Australia to stumps at 45 for 1. South Africa began the final session having arrested the early slide through a defiant stand. Verreynne and Jansen looked set to keep their endeavour going as they got a fifty each after Tea. Australia were further hampered by Mitchell Starc walking off the field with an injury to his middle finger on the left-hand.
However, 23-year-old Green stepped up to nip South Africa’s revival in the bud by dismissing the two half-centurions in quick succession. Green tested Verreynne’s patience with a consistent outside the offstump line and finally got the latter to budge and nick one to Smith at slips. Jansen got a similar delivery which he feathered to Alex Carey behind the stumps.
Once the pair fell, South Africa’s lower-order collapsed in a jiffy. The visitors went from 179 for 5 to 189 all out, with Green walking off with figures of 5 for 27 in 10.4 overs.
Green’s exploits came when the pendulum swung violently in Australia’s favour after South Africa had done well for the majority of the second session to emerge from their shaky start. Jansen and Verreynne led the recovery, even as they fended off a barrage of short-pitched bowling and the lure of Nathan Lyon’s flight to put together a strong partnership.
It came down to the sixth-wicket pair to perform the repair job after Australia’s sustained pressure through the opening session earned them late dividends. Though Scott Boland saw the back of Sarel Erwee early, Dean Elgar played a typically dogged hand in the company of Theunis de Bruyn to frustrate the home side. Green then stepped in to shatter any thoughts of going to Lunch without further dents.
The first of his five wickets came, however, through De Bruyn’s error in judgment as he tried to pull a ball that wasn’t too short and ended up top-edging to the keeper. — Cricbuzz In the space of the next 12 deliveries, Elgar (run out) and Temba Bavuma (caught behind) were sent packing, as South Africa headed to lunch at 58 for 4. Then the Verreynne-Jansen sponsored recovery followed, but eventually counted for precious little as Australia walked off at stumps having grabbed early honours at the MCG. — Reuters
Online Reporter