Category: Cricket

If Mitchell Starc had his way, Australia would wipe out everything that happened before lunch in an extraordinary opening day of the series decider against South Africa in Cape Town. But his finale will feature on highlights for a long time to come.

• Decision to bowl first looked like backfiring

• But hosts all out for 329 after being 140-0 at lunch

For a time, it was heading up there with the worst. David Gower at Leeds in 1989, when Australia topped 600 and declared. Nasser Hussain in Brisbane, 2002, when Australia were 364 for two by the end of the day. Edgbaston 2005, where England lamped 407 from 80 overs. Those were the looming comparisons for captains deciding to bowl at the toss, after Pat Cummins did the same in the third Test at Cape Town, only for South Africa’s openers to smash 140 by lunch. Yet, by day’s end, Australia had taken 10 for a further 189, Mitchell Starc destroying the tail with four wickets in six balls, 329 all out constituting a serious Australian comeback.

What a rollercoaster. The Australian setup has looked frazzled on this tour: confused player selections for the squad, then for the XIs, confused shot selection in the middle, players bouncing around the order with nightwatch duties and injury absences. Here they chose to leave out their best player from the second Test, Scott Boland, for Nathan Lyon, and were forced to leave out their best player of the last decade, Steve Smith, for Josh Inglis, as well as dropping Nic Maddinson and Beau Webster for Cameron Green and Cooper Connolly. The last time a touring Australian side made four non-disciplinary changes was in the West Indies in 1984.

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Australia were on the ropes halfway through day one against South Africa in Cape Town, but punched their way back into the fight to bring the third and deciding Test to life.

Indian opener Abhishek Sharma crunched a 35-ball century to make light work of a hefty New Zealand run chase and secure the visitors a series victory in Wellington.

Steve Smith’s return to South Africa for a Test series for the first time since Sandpapergate in 2018 came to a bizarre end with the neck issue he sustained in Gqeberha ruling him out of the deciding third Test in Cape Town.

Former greats David Warner and Mark Waugh have questioned the make-up of Australia’s Test team, after Pat Cummins confirmed a whopping four changes at the toss in Cape Town.

Mitchell Starc’s six-wicket haul capped off a much-needed Australian fightback on day one after a horror start to the deciding third Test in Cape Town.

Fans of Australian cricket had a decision to make last Thursday evening.

Selections questions are once again on everyone’s tongue as Australia appears set to ring the changes for the deciding Test against South Africa in Cape Town, starting Tuesday night.

• Batter aiming for Newlands return after injuring neck in second Test

• Marnus Labuschagne set to keep place; Nic Maddinson dropped

Australia will give key batter Steve Smith as much time as possible to ⁠prove his fitness ahead of the third and final Test against South Africa at Newlands, captain Pat Cummins said.

Smith ⁠injured his neck in ⁠South Africa’s ​innings and 31-run victory in the second Test in Gqeberha which levelled the series at 1-1 going into the decider in ⁠Cape Town starting on Tuesday.

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As Marnus Labuschagne was dreaming about a South African homecoming that has become a nightmare, he was asked about Steve Smith during a chat at the SCG last month.

Steve Smith showed discomfort while batting for the best part of an hour in the nets on the eve of the series-deciding Test against South Africa but the Australians are confident the champion will be fit to play on Tuesday in Cape Town.

Three changes have been tipped for the Test series decider against South Africa, with Nic Maddinson, Beau Webster and Scott Boland dropped, and Cameron Green, Cooper Connolly and Nathan Lyon brought in.