SA vs AUS WTC Final, Day 1: Too Much Defence Ruins the Day for South Africa

 
By Shah Faisal
 

The World Test Championship Final saw a bowlers' day at Lord's with 14 wickets falling for 255 runs. At the end of the day South Africa were 43/4 in response to Australia's 212 all out. Rabada's efforts saw South Africa close the gates on Australia cheaply as he moved to 4th position on the leading wicket-takers for South Africa list. 

Toss
Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bowl first. 

Australia Playing XI
Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood 

South Africa Playing XI
Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi 

After winning the toss it was evident that Bavuma would choose to bowl. Opting to bowl was not just a choice it was the demand of overcast conditions and Australian bowling capacity. 

Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen bowled good lengths, trying to take the edges of Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne. 

Rabada, who already knew about the responsibility on his shoulders, bowled good lengths and hit the deck hard, trying to extract seam movement off the wicket. 

He was fired up, but on the inside, not apparently. He waited for things to happen and didn't push for it. However, the rewards came soon as he won the waiting game against Khawaja and dismissed him, edged to slip, owing to a very sensible catch from Bedingham. The breakthrough gave heart to South Africa and some confidence to Bavuma for making the right decision. Next in, Cameron Green got going, the second ball playing a full-ish outswing ball to the leg side. This time a great catch from Markram. 

Smith joined Labuschagne to recover Australia from the pressure that was exerted. Smith played freely and was the first one to think of runs rather than survival. He lashed onto every opportunity that was provided. 

On the other end, Labuschagne fell to Marco Jansen, leaving Australia in a disarray 3/46. The wicket of Head followed soon as he was caught brilliantly by the keeper Verreynne. At lunch Australia were 4/67, with a solitary Smith on the crease. 

The post-lunch session saw a free-flowing Smith and a highly entangled Webster. Rabada bowled with great accuracy and best rhythm to him, produced certain chances but an untaken review spilled all his efforts. After Rabada, Smith and Webster opened up and scored quickly. 

Smith brought up his half-century and was determined to keep going. His presence at the crease gave great comfort to Australian fans and a good century from him was evident but too much risk against spin brought him to mortality as he was caught in slip — again a great juggling catch — off Markram.

Alex Carey batted a bit swiftly and his partnership with Webster was ominous but his failed reverse sweep attempt off Maharaj opened the gates for South Africa and once he was gone, Australia were invaded again by Rabada. He tore through the tail claiming a five-wicket haul, his second at Lord's, and Australia were all out for 212.


For South Africa, Rabada and catches were the key factors. While for Australia, Webster's 72 and Smith's 66 were the highlight of their innings. 

South Africa were happy with the way they bowled, but their batting was not a happy sight for them.
Markram got out early in the first over of a fiery Mitchell Starc who bowled with a lot of ambition and heat. Mulder the No. 3 got an early reprieve when Carey failed to hold on to a regulation catch.

However, Starc's persistence without swinging deliveries to Rickelton paid off as he nicked one to slip into the safe hands of Khawaja. 

South Africa went into a hibernation after Rickelton's wicket. Bavuma and Mulder kept defending every delivery and didn't show any intent to score runs — the same thing that happened to many Australian batters. In the next seven overs they only managed to score 6 runs, which allowed Australian bowlers to bowl in the areas where they wanted to bowl. Mulder got out to a huge in-dipper from Pat Cummins. 

The newcomer Tristan Stubbs also kept defending balls without bothering to hit them and thus eventually fell to a Hazlewood delivery, leaving South Africa at 4/30 in 20 overs. At the end of the day South Africa were 43/4 with their four major players already in the hut. Starc was the pick of the bowlers with 2/10 in 7 overs. 

This was a good chance shed by South Africa, a day that belonged to them now belongs to Australia. Their bowlers bowled very well but their batters let them down by persisting to defend rather than attack. Australia would go back as a happy team who did well to stay in a game in which they had no great chance at the start of South Africa's innings.