Key events
WICKET! Green c Mulder b Rabada 0 (Australia 28-2)
Green has a pair! For the second innings in a row, Rabada has dismissed both Khawaja and Green in the same over. Fullish ball, around a fourth stump, Green prodded with hard hands and edged to third slip. Mulder did the business. They check for a no-ball but it’s clean. Well then…
WICKET! Khawaja c Verreynne b Rabada 6 (Australia 28-1)
Right on cue! Rabada, from round the wicket into Khawaja, gets one to hold its line and finds the edge of Khawaja who has a little nibble away from his body. That’s excellent from South Africa’s pace supremo who is just a class above his mates. Khawaja was looking set. He’ll be fuming at that prod away from his body.
10th over: Australia 28-0 (Labuschagne 16, Khawaja 6) Wiaan Mulder is into the attack. That might seem like an innocuous thing, but it’s not. Look, he’s a handy seamer. A more than capable back-up, but when you consider Pat Cummins was Australia’s first change bowler then you start to get a sense of why this match has unfolded as it has. Mulder is operating around 135 km/h. Khawaja and Labuschagne have no problem picking him off for singles off their hips. It’s too easy for the Aussies who comfortably add three to the total and appear as if they’re batting against village trundlers. Rabada has to somehow win this on his own I feel.
9th over: Australia 24-0 (Labuschagne 15, Khawaja 4) Rabada sends down a jaffa but can’t found the edge of Labuschagne who holds his shape as he plays down the wrong line. That was a beauty, but Marnus survives. Khawaja ticks along with a single worked to backward square leg as Australia’s lead climbs to 98.
8th over: Australia 23-0 (Labuschagne 14, Khawaja 3) Jansen over pitches and Labuschagne leans into a glorious drive, creaming that through the covers for four. Bavuma sends a man back in the deep on the leg side. South Africa look so flat out there. Sure the pitch has become a road but where’s the spark? Where’s the grit? Where’s the fight? One way traffic at the minute.
7th over: Australia 20-0 (Labuschagne 10, Khawaja 4) South Africa look flat. They’ve already lost a slip and already have two men out on the boundary. You’d swear they’ve just given up. Sure it’s a flat deck but where is that so-called Protea fire? Labuschagne keeps things ticking with a single and Khawaja is untroubled by Rabada from round the wicket. Have they given up?
6th over: Australia 18-0 (Labuschagne 9, Khawaja 3) That’s a good set from the lanky Jansen. Banging a tricky length and causing some strife for the lefty Khawaja. There was enough for a review for a caught behind but replays showed the attempted pull never made contact with the ball. A couple was tickled off the pads by Khawaja before he played and missed at one around the fifth stump. Probing, but not yet penetrating.
They’ve reviewed for a caught behind. Khawaja on the pull to Jansen. Was there a feather?
Nope. Not even close. Bad to worse for South Africa who burn a review.
5th over: Australia 15-0 (Labuschagne 8, Khawaja 1) More no-balls from South Africa. That won’t help. Marnus collects a single after edging just short of the keeper. Rabada is toiling away but a drag down is clattered by Khawaja on the pull. Rickelton does well at midwicket to prevent the boundary.
Tim Ellis on X is reminded of a similarly one-sided affair:
This match reminds me of Lords 2005 when Eng skittled Aus for 190 got blown away for 155and ..they were never in the match after that. Shame.
Horrible when the game feels dead after a day and a bit….
4th over: Australia 12-0 (Labuschagne 7, Khawaja 1) Khawaja is off the mark and avoids a pair with a leading edge through the covers worth one. Janse then sends down a four deliveries that Labuschagne lets go until the right hander clips a single down to fine leg. A no-ball adds one to the tally.
Early days of course, but this just feels like it’s game over already.
3rd over: Australia 9-0 (Labuschagne 7, Khawaja 0) Rabada is finding some shape away from the right-handed Labuschagne. Not that he’s playing it. He’s back and across and leaving without any fuss. A no-ball at the start of the over means it’s not a maiden, but no runs off the bat from that set. South Africa need the Aussies playing at more deliveries.
Here’s a good question from Andrew Miles concerning team selections:
I was thinking about the nature of the WTC, and the final being the culmination of a 2 year cycle, and what this should mean about the players who play in the final.
For example, should a team be allowed to include a player in the final XI if they played no part in any of the games that led them to qualify? Maybe there should be an automatically selected squad of 15 based on the players who played most in all of the tests played during the WTC cycle, and the teams are only allowed to be selected from that?
It’s probably an insane idea, but maybe your other readers could come up with some more.
Well, go on readers. What do you reckon?
2nd over: Australia 8-0 (Labuschagne 7, Khawaja 0) Just a leg-bye off that Jansen over. His left arm zippers found some nice carry, but Khawaja was watchful throughout. Plenty of time to bat here, and with a flat deck underfoot, there’s no need to rush things.
Guy Hornsby has some love for Temba, who could do with positive vibes at the minute:
Morning to all at Lords and following in this place. I may not have any real skin in the game for the winner – though I’m sure many of my Australian friends would not feel the same were England playing today! – but I would like to add my name to the Temba Bavuma fan club please. I say this as I am smarting from him just being well and truly Marnused in the field, but he is such a likeable and humble guy, and a dogged and determined cricketer who’s flourished as captain in this attractive South African side. What other modern captains have a much better average leading the team than they did before? I know Virat did, and MS Dhoni, and before them Imran Khan and Inzamam, but it’s a rare thing. His interview with Donald MacRae was brilliant, as was the recent podcast with Ali Mitchell. I was hoping he could get an innings-anchoring ton, but we’ll have to wait until the second innings, when this may be all but done.
While you chew on that, Marco Jansen is getting ready to let rip from the Pavilion end.
1st over: Australia 6-0 (Labuschagne 7, Khawaja 0) Australia are up and running. Marnus clips a fine looking flick from Rabada for four and also picks up a two past gully. He keeps the strike with another flick for one down to fine leg. Pitch looks good. Marnus looks good. Australia look good. This could get messy for the South Africans who need early strikes and they need them now.
Daniel Gallan
Thanks Geoff. I was in a great mood this morning when I was in the Edrich Stand watching Bavuma and Bedingham show some fight. Now, not so much.
South Africa simply folded but take nothing away from Pat Cummins who was magnificent. He now has five-wicket hauls as skipper, tied with Richie Benaud and three behind Imran Khan on that list. He really is something.
So, is that game over already? South Africa are 74 runs behind and Australia have the best batting conditions ahead of them. This could get messy for the Saffas.
“Four before lunch,” says Rob Freeman, a Proteas die-hard. At least, is what I’d say if the underdogs have any hope here.
KG has the ball. Marnus is up first. Let’s get stuck in!
South Africa all out for 138, trailing by 74 runs on the first innings
Geoff Lemon
All sorts of trouble for South Africa. They might have suppressed Australia’s batting in the first innings, but their own batting is certainly the weaker on paper, so they needed to make that advantage count. Conceding 74 is a big deficit, and Australia now have an afternoon of bright sunshine to bat in. Can Rabada go back to the well, after watching a deflating performance from his teammates?
That’s it for me. We’ve found Daniel Gallan, and he’s found some degree of equanimity, so it’s over to him from here.
WICKET! Rabada c Webster b Cummins 1 (South Africa all out 138)
What a catch. The field is set for the short ball. Rabada takes it on. Gets a good piece to deep midwicket. Webster on the rope can’t spot it at first, shuffles his feet a few times, then runs forward a few paces, and a bit to the side, before diving forward to take it just above the ground.
That is 300 Test wickets for Pat Cummins, with 6 for 28.
It’s also a prediction masterclass from our Andy Roberts, who is now trying to mine his fortune by predicting that Essendon will win the flag this year. Dream on, Andy, it’s not 1993 any more.
57th over: South Africa 138-9: Rabada 1, Ngidi 0 Lungi Ngidi blocks his first ball, but he’s rarely out there for long.
WICKET! Maharaj run out 7 (South Africa 138-9)
Oh, South Africa. Starc comes on, to go full pace from both ends, and Maharaj immediately puts Rabada onto strike with a block and dash. Thanks. Rabada gets away again by driving his first run square. But they try too much a couple of balls later, Maharaj flicking off his pads behind square, taking the first and attempting a second. Head’s chase and throw is good, and Carey has time to settle an awkward bounce before flicking off the bails just in time.
56th over: South Africa 135-8: Maharaj 5, Rabada 0 So it’s down to Kagiso Rabada with bat as well as ball. Left-hander, loves a clout. And we’re straight to a bouncer field. Only two slips, with a short leg and a couple out leg side for the hook, plus a deep third. Cover point, mid off, mid on in the notional ring. Cummins goes short right away, up into the breadbasket, then hits Rabada on the shoulder as he bails out of an attempted duck. Gives the thumbs up to Cummins after a polite enquiry as to his health, only for the bowler to do the same thing again. This one bounces up to hit the grille, so as the over ends, here comes the physio. Got him in the jaw, by the looks.
WICKET! Bedingham c Carey b Cummins (South Africa 135-8)
The resistance ends. Just a classic bit of fast bowling, Cummins with a tight line to the stumps, getting some nibble, drawing the forward defensive shot, and with it the nick to the keeper. Bedingham has faced 111 balls, though it has felt like 311 today. Now the vigil is over.
Cummins has five in the innings, and 299 in his career.
55th over: South Africa 135-7: Bedingham 45, Maharaj 5 Normally you’d expect the set batter to up the ante here, but Bedingham knows that Maharaj will always attack, so he’s willing to let that be the dynamic. Tucks a single against Lyon, and Maharaj wallops four over cover.
54th over: South Africa 130-7: Bedingham 44, Maharaj 1 If there’s a player who loves a whack, it’s Maharaj. Goes after a big drive against Cummins, but it’s stopped in the covers.
“Wow!” Jeremy Boyce is excited. “People often talk about the pressure of captaincy and how it can affect a player’s level. Doesn’t seem to bother Captain Cummins, does it? Ball, bat, field and tactics, five day, one day, he’s a complete package. At 32 he’s still got plenty of future, especially if he can do a Jimmy.”
I suspect he’ll give away captaincy by 2027 at the latest, but he could play on after that.
53rd over: South Africa 129-7: Bedingham 43, Maharaj 1 Scrambled single as Bedingham hares off, Maharaj has another collision, this time with the keeper, trying to make his ground at the striker’s end. Maharaj opens his scoring with one to the off side, Bedingham flicks another square. That’s seven runs from Lyon in seven overs.
Andy Roberts (not that one) wrote this before the last two wickets, but he might be bang on with 140 now.
“Love that you are calling this, I’ve been a fan since listening to your The Greatest Season That Was 1993 podcast. I’m enjoying SA showing a bit of fight watching and following the OBO in Far North Queensland; I feel it was needed as I still reckon the odds are against the Saffas cracking 140 as a total. Great to see them making a contest of it, but I’m not sure how much resistance the rest of the batting order will provide if the Aussie cartel are on. Aussies for the win before lunch on day 4 for mine.”
52nd over: South Africa 126-7: Bedingham 41, Maharaj 0 So there was a no-ball from that over, and two wickets. South Africa in trouble, 86 runs behind.
WICKET! Jansen c&b Cummins 0 (South Africa 126-7)
Oh, calamity. South Africa needed Jansen to stick with Bedingham. Instead he lasts three balls, stretches forward way too early, and pops back a catch. Cummins has four.
WICKET! Verreyne lbw Cummins 13 (South Africa 126-6)
That is out! Australia review, as Cummins gets one to strike pad in line with leg stump. And to add injury to insult, the bowler absolutely flattens the batter who is heading off for a run. Never quite seen that one before. Cummins goes up in a huge appeal, turning the umpire and running backwards, as many bowlers do. Verreyne is called by Bedingham for a leg bye, and responds, but is ball-watching big time as the ball goes to backward square leg. Because he’s not looking, he runs straight into Cummins’ back and poleaxes himself. The two get up as the ball is thrown back in, and the Australians would be within their rights to knock off the bails at the non-striker’s end – the collision was the batter’s fault. But they don’t. No matter. Umpire says not out but the review says it wasn’t sliding enough to miss leg stump. Three reds.
51st over: South Africa 125-5: Bedingham 41, Verreyne 13 Lyon from the Nursery End, landing his length nicely in this first over. Verreyne with a funny little flat-bat whomp down to mid on for one.
50th over: South Africa 123-5: Bedingham 40, Verreyne 12 So that’s a 10-minute delay of the start of the second session. Cummins resumes after the longer break, and gives up a couple of singles.
We’re back on!
Rob Marriott has searched the Laws for me, thanks Rob. “To clarify, Law 37 explicitly says that you can only be out Obstructing the Field ‘while the ball is in play.’ And Law 20 states that the ball is dead ‘whether played or not it becomes trapped between the bat and person of a batter or between items of his/her clothing or equipment.’ And, of course, that the decision on this is up to the umpire alone. So, no controversy. I don’t think many of the Australian players took it particularly seriously anyway!”
They didn’t, that’s true. The dead ball bit was the line I remembered, but then I thought, what if a batter runs over and grabs a loose ball and damages it in some way, shouldn’t the bowling team have recourse? That might be a disciplinary matter rather than a dismissal, then.
Hello to David Reynolds, who emailed in. “As an Englishman, if I only cared about events in which my team were finalists, I would not care about very much. So I do not care at all that England are not in it – it is actually very pleasant watching a Test match as a neutral. And I have no problem with the format, which, as you say, cannot and should not be more orderly than what it is encapsulating. My only quibble remains the same – its very existence devalues Test cricket by suggesting that an added layer of competition is necessary in order to give Test cricket meaning, when, in fact, any Test match is a beautiful thing whether or not there is a table to be contributed towards or a final to be qualified for. Having said that, I am glad of it this week because this a terrific contest.”
Yes, I have a similar view instinctively: I’ve always hated the framing of ‘dead rubber’ and that sort of thing, because you’re still playing for your country. A century is still a century, a wicket is a wicket.
But I have been converted somewhat by the fact that there is, undoubtedly, more interest in some contests than there would otherwise have been, based on what the ramifications are, and not just interest from the competing teams’ supporters, but more broadly. Each Test still matters, but I think you can add context without implying devaluation.
I regret to inform that the hovercraft has arrived. There’s no visible rain from where I’m sitting, but perhaps it’s that delightfully light English variety, the meringue of rain.
Lunch – South Africa 121-5
So a pretty decent session for South Africa all up. They lost Bavuma, whose wicket is important, but they managed to keep the damage to that, and added 78 runs. It’ll still take a significant partnership from the current pair to build towards a lead, but that’s a chance. Gloomy and grey here at the lunch break.
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49th over: South Africa 121-5: Bedingham 39, Verreyne 11 What has happened to David Bedingham? He’s been a church mouse all morning, then he picks off Webster for two runs square, before lacing two boundaries in three balls, one through mid on, the next through cover. Confident shots, and unlikely ones just before the break.
Before the first of those boundaries, an odd little passage of play where the ball gets stuck in Bedingham’s pad flap, and he pulls it out and throws it on the ground. Carey is darting in to grab the ball, and a couple of the Australians make noises of enquiry to the umpire. Are they appealing for handled the ball? Seems unlikely. In any case, my recollection is that the ball becomes dead if lodged in the batter’s equipment, otherwise a keeper could pluck it out and claim a catch. So can a batter be dismissed handled the ball if the ball is dead? Mind you, handled the ball doesn’t exist anymore, it was rolled into obstructing the field, which should be possible even if the ball is dead, you would think.
I’ll leave that to somebody who wants to spend their lunch break perusing the Laws.
48th over: South Africa 111-5: Bedingham 29, Verreyne 11 The short ball has had no menace for Australia today, as Hazlewood tries again and is pulled for one. That gets Verreyne on strike, and an awkward bounce gets him two runs as the ball dodges Cummins at mid on.
47th over: South Africa 108-5: Bedingham 28, Verreyne 9 Webster not quite nailing it in his second over, and Verreyne is able to work him around: two through cover, two through midwicket, a single past gully. There’s a no ball in there as well, and a Bedingham single. An untidy seven-run over before the break.
46th over: South Africa 101-5: Bedingham 27, Verreyne 4 Lunch is looming, and South Africa just want to get through. Verreyne gets an accidental single as Hazlewood draws the inside half of the bat, Bedingham blots the rest.
45th over: South Africa 100-5: Bedingham 27, Verreyne 3 It’s Webster time. The tall all-rounder looks, at a glance, from a distance, a bit like Josh Hazlewood, running into bowl with his long solid shape and buzzcut head, though the resemblance diminishes when the ball comes out. Not as fast, not as fierce, but he nearly gets the wicket! Some shap, some bounce given his heigh, and Verreyne edges but the ball dies in front of Smith at slip, who applauds the bowler. Three singles from the over, and the South Africans inch up to triple figures.
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