An extraordinary spell of old-ball bowling by Pat Cummins yesterday turned the third Test in Cape Town on its ear after Dean Elgar and AB de Villiers had threatened to bat Australia out of the match.
Batting first South Africa surely would be unhappy with anything less than 360 on this unusually flat Newlands pitch which offered minimal seam movement, barely any spin, and consistent pace and bounce.
At 8-266 they finished day one at risk of squandering a gilded opportunity to build a big total in batting-friendly conditions.
South Africa were in a dominant position at 2-220 early in the last session, with Elgar anchoring the innings on 106no and de Villiers in ominous touch on 64no.
Cummins had laboured to that point, having taken 0-52 from 13 overs as he continually bled boundaries through the off side by over pitching. Then, all of a sudden, the young Australian found his length and ran amok.
In an eight-over spell of remarkable quality Cummins took 4-12. His momentum was started by a rare false stroke from de Villiers who punched a full delivery to David Warner who completed a simple catch at mid-off.
Cummins must have felt relieved given the ease with which the SA champion had handled him until then.
He made the most of that lucky break by aiming a series of searching deliveries at SA skipper Faf du Plessis, drawing him wider and wider away from the stumps.
This set-up culminated in du Plessis edging to second slip from a Cummins delivery which bounced sharply from a length.
Cummins’ third wicket was a carbon copy as he had Bavuma feeding the slips cordon once more. That brought to the crease the ever-dangerous Quinton de Kock, boasting an average of 43 in his six Tests against Australia.
Cummins owns arguably the best bouncer in Test cricket and he surprised the SA wicketkeeper-batsman with a searing delivery.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
De Kock tried to hook the bouncer but succeeded only in feathering it through to Tim Paine to cap off a phenomenal burst from Cummins.
In the first two sessions, he, Starc and Lyon had all bowled poorly, struggling to find the correct length on a true pitch.
While Cummins and Starc overpitched too often, Lyon had erred on the short side, when he needed to be drawing the South African batsmen forward.
It was Josh Hazlewood who was the stand out in the first two sessions of the day. Early on he regularly located a perfect length which caught the batsmen on the crease and earned him the wicket of opener Aiden Markram, who edged to second slip.
Then after lunch he launched into a nasty spell of bowling in which he broke Elgar’s helmet and had him weaving, ducking and swaying.
It was a rearing Hazlewood delivery which dislodged Hashim Amla who was late on the bouncer and skied it to fine leg.
Then de Villiers and Elgar cantered to a stand of 128 in 30 overs, looking as though they could bat unhindered for the rest of the day.
Instead, Cummins intervened, producing what could yet turn out to be the most valuable spell of his Test career.
The 24-year-old quick has put Australia in a strong position in the pivotal third Test of this deadlocked series.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Lyon very rarely threatens right handers. He needs the pitch doing plenty to ask those questions. He appears to bowl flatter and shorter when right handers are at the crease. He can also fall into the trap of not landing the ball wide enough of off stump, leaking runs through the leg side. Perhaps, its a lack of building pressure which costs him when left handers are not plentiful?
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
The Warner/Rabada show was brutal, albeit far too short for Australia's series hopes.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
A strength Cummins is repeatedly displaying is his ability to get something to happen on a pitch offering very little.
Andrew
Roar Guru
The batting technique display by England yesterday was beyond belief. Looked like they could't be bothered being there. If any of the sub-continent teams batted like that there'd be cries of match-fixing!
Andrew
Roar Guru
So true - he's great on Sky in the English summers.
Savage
Roar Rookie
Yes Wagner has a brilliant bouncer and is one of the most underrated bowler going around.
felix
Guest
. . . . . . . . . . . . .???? tears Australia apart,this pitch is nowhere close to bieng flat,amazing how you lot have convinced yourselfs that this is a flat wicket.
Guy
Guest
Yea but look at all his wickets he took in the ashes i dont know exact stats but its fair to say 80% of his wickets were left handers. Malan, Stoneman, Ali,Cook.
Guy
Guest
Regardless of stats i just enjoy watching Cummins the most. He has such a good runup and action as well as his general energy is amazing the way he just strides in believing each ball will bring him a wicket.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Cummins is remarkable in that he never looks "flat" - he can be wayward, like he was in the first two sessions yesterday, but he's always got strong intensity about his efforts, no matter how much the conditions or circumstances are stacked against him.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I'm tipping a Smith ton, I think he'll be extremely difficult to dislodge on a pitch like this, which is just like the hard, flat pitches on which he dominates at home.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I'm a big fan of Agar and think he has huge potential in all 3 formats but I don't think he'd do any better with the ball than Lyon on a pitch like this. I don't think Lyon has bowled that badly this series, he's been very unlucky I reckon, things just haven't quite gone his way. If he stays patient that tide will turn.
Guy
Guest
It was also later in the day after alot of bowling and no reward and can just somehow muster up alot of energy and pace i dont know how he does it.
Guy
Guest
Big call but maybey Agar could be more effective then Lyon. Lyon is a better spinner but he is not as effevtive against right hand batsman. 5 of the top 7 RSA batsman are right handers. Agars will spin the ball away from right handers and has been in great form recently in the shield taking wickets in very unfavorable Perth conditions. He will also be able to add more runs which will definitely help Australia's batting woes.
Guy
Guest
Biggest moment in this game was Elgar getting dropped on 50 and it was a strait forward catch for lyon of all people.
mickey of mo$man
Guest
completely agree, there was very little sideways movement, 400 was par score given yesterdays track
Justin
Guest
Given how we have struggled with Rabada and Smith with left arm spinners, I think on this deck, they have more than enough.
vrx
Guest
SA's senior guys (ABDV, Hash, Faf, Verne and Morne) are desperate to win at home against the Aussies. I reckon winning this series ranks second in their list of the "holy grail' (World Cup 2019 being numero uno). If Aus can achieve a first innings lead here, I feel the pressure will get to SA and they won't be able to handle it.
Matt H
Roar Guru
The Bavuma question is one of quota's. With Ngidi out injured, replaced by Morkel they had to bring Bavuma in.
Ouch
Guest
The SA commentators were grumbling about foreign umpires not understanding the local conditions.