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For three months now the Australian cricket team have been under siege from critics. In August they were humiliated 3-0 in the Tests in Sri Lanka, before last month suffering their first ever 5-0 ODI whitewash in South Africa.
There have been calls from fans for Steve Smith to be axed as skipper. We’ve had pundits and cricket followers question the positions of every player in the Test line-up bar Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, David Warner and Smith, although the latter pair still have been hammered for their batting performances in Sri Lanka.
Against this backdrop of ratcheting public pressure, Australia have fronted up for what shape as two very challenging Test series at home. For the first time in more than 20 years, Australia faced the very real possibility of losing two home series in one summer.
South Africa have won their past two Test series in Australia and own the best pace attack in the game. Meanwhile, Pakistan are arguably the world’s top Test team, fresh from drawing 2-2 with England on the road, a result which underscored their ability to prosper outside Asia.
Australia could not afford to have a poor opening day of the Test summer. Had the scoreboard for day one been reversed, and it was South Africa who trailed by only 137 runs with ten wickets in hand, Australia’s Test team would be getting butchered by all and sundry. The Roar would be flooded with readers demanding the entire team be forced to walk the plank.
Instead, Australia withstood the mounting pressure and produced a near-perfect day of Test cricket. Shy of grasping two half-chances in the field which went down, there is little more Australia could have wished for.
On a WACA pitch which offered fantastic pace and lift, Australia’s quicks found the right length far more often than their South African counterparts. Stephen Cook, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis each were caught behind after getting neither fully back nor properly forward to pace deliveries on a testing length.
Josh Hazlewood was the standout, maintaining his trademark suffocating line and length for all but a brief spell just after tea. Mitchell Starc could not find the same effective fuller length owned by Hazlewood and Siddle.
But Starc has become such a natural wicket taker that it mattered little he was well below his best. The left armer still finished with the wonderful figures of 4-71, taking his record to 69 wickets at an average of 21 from his past 14 Tests.
Nathan Lyon again did what so few other spinners are capable of in Australia – he contributed significantly on a day one pitch. Temba Bavuma and Quentin De Kock had constructed a rearguard stand of 71 when Lyon got a dipping delivery to leap off the pitch and kiss Bavuma’s inside edge.
The diminutive South African batsman had played a composed innings which showcased his tight technique. At the other end, De Kock compiled a gorgeous knock. The 23-year-old wicket-keeper batsman may just be the best player aged 25 or younger in world cricket.
He was finally undone on 84 by a surprisingly rapid bouncer from Hazlewood, which saw De Kock lob a miscued pull shot to midwicket. It was the easiest of catches, unlike the three stunning grabs pulled off earlier in the innings.
Australia’s fielding managed to eclipse its brilliant bowling. On just the fourth ball of the day, Mitch Marsh stretched high to his left at gully to reel in a fizzing edge off the blade of Stephen Cook.
Then first slip Adam Voges made a scorching edge from du Plessis appear like an elementary take.
Short leg Shaun Marsh capped off a magnificent fielding display by Australia when he flung himself to scoop up Bavuma’s arcing inside edge millimetres off the turf. Everything was falling Australia’s way. Having rolled South Africa for just 242 – at least 120 runs shy of a par score on this pitch – Australia cantered to 0-105 at stumps.
It wasn’t as easy as that scoreline makes it appear. Opener Marsh scratched around at the crease like an old chook for the first 45 minutes before gaining a modicum of fluency. Warner twice top edged attempted cross bat strokes to the boundary.
His biggest wedge of fortune came in the sixth over when he was found to have been trapped in front by Philander on review.
The replay also showed the Proteas seamer over stepping so Warner survived. At that stage Marsh was tied in knots and a wicket would have brought to the crease Usman Khawaja, who is under the spotlight after being dumped in Sri Lanka.
South Africa would have had 15 more overs to make further inroads into the Australian batting and add some balance to the contest. We may look back on Philander’s no ball as the most significant moment in this match. Already it has cost South Africa 56 runs, an enormous penalty when you’ve put up a poor first innings total.
Warner could almost put this Test out of South Africa’s grasp by lunch today if he plays with the same freedom as he did last night in reaching 73 from just 62 balls. The left hander adores the WACA – he has made 744 Test runs at 106 in Perth – and also owns a commanding record against the Proteas of 822 runs at 75.
South Africa’s pace attack boasts such quality that they could storm back into this Test in the first session. Or Warner could trample all over them and set Australia on course for a rousing victory after months of heavy scrutiny. Whatever the case, this wonderful WACA pitch should ensure we see more tremendous cricket today.