Australia’s shorter lengths broke South Africa in Durban

The first Test in Durban turned on one tactical change. South Africa had started their reply to Australia’s 390 with real assurance, and what followed shows how a bowling attack can win a session by restricting the batters’ options rather than by finding more movement.

Renshaw’s 190 and the lead it created

Australia’s batting line-up struggled across the first two days, and Matt Renshaw bailed it out with an innings of 190. In that innings he faced 52 deliveries pitched short and went for a pull or hook against four of them. Only one of those shots brought him runs, when he had reached 176 from 368 balls.

On day three the Australian bowlers dismissed South Africa for 284. Australia then batted again and reached 33 without loss before bad light halted play early, which left them 139 runs ahead with two days of the Test remaining. The Proteas were playing their first Test since November. Australia, for their part, are unbeaten in their past nine Test series, despite recent defeats by West Indies and Bangladesh.

From 82-1 to 214-8

South Africa looked settled on a relatively good surface. Aiden Markram and David Bedingham shared a second-wicket partnership that moved along at almost 4.5 runs per over while Australia searched for early swing.

At the 20-over mark, captain Pat Cummins went back to a proven formula, with Nathan Lyon at one end and the quicks rotating at the other. Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins had pitched 34% of their deliveries full in the first 20 overs. They then pulled their lengths back, and between the 20th and 60th overs only 19 deliveries were pitched fuller than six metres.

With little to drive, Markram and Bedingham tried forced back-foot drives and edged to slip, for 37 and 49 respectively. Wiaan Mulder was bounced out by Cummins, and Tristan Stubbs top-edged the captain to fine leg. Six overs later Marco Jansen, who had hit six fours in reaching 26, tried to pull Hazlewood off a fuller length and was caught at mid-off. South Africa were 214-8 after the 60th over, compared with 82-1 after 20.

Cummins finished with 3-54, while Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon took two wickets each. Bedingham’s 49 was the highest score for South Africa.

Smith’s catches and Lyon’s control

Lyon, 39, bowled 19 overs at fewer than three runs per over. He used a more worn pitch than the one South Africa’s spinners had, and found significantly more turn.

Steve Smith helped him twice. Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne both shaped to reverse sweep, and Smith gambled on it each time, holding the catch at close range. The second was one-handed. Lyon said of his team-mate: “He’s an absolute freak,” adding that Smith practises such catches in training.

Smith’s leaping catch at second slip to remove Bedingham, off Cummins, took him to 223 Test catches. That puts him three clear of Joe Root, who is second among non-wicketkeepers. His catch percentage, about 77%, sits below the format average, as BBC reported in its analysis of the day.

The quartet in context

Nine years after they first appeared together as Australia’s bowling quartet, Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon have 607 wickets in Tests in which all four played. England’s Anderson, Broad, Stokes and Moeen Ali are next on the list with 415 wickets in 31 Tests.

Australia won that Ashes series 4-1. Former Australia bowler Jason Gillespie said on ABC Radio: “Each of these players will go down as a legend of Australian cricket,” and he described Cummins as hostile and looking fresh.

The schedule that follows

Perceptions of an ageing side and a lack of succession planning surround this Australian team. The pace trio’s availability is the concern the BBC highlights, since the quartet appear as good as ever when fit. Durban is the start of a sequence of Tests against the world Test champions South Africa, followed by in-form New Zealand, India and England.

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