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Daniel Gallan
Sadly the Sky broadcast has switched to highlights of the 2025 Champions Trophy semi-final.
Sometimes it’s a challenge loving Test cricket.
But love it we do. And that was a pretty entertaining day despite cruelly being cut short.
You’ve got to say it was South Africa’s day. Three wickets in the first session and three in the second put them on top as Australia were tilting at 124-4.
But Renshaw has been patient, showing some old school grit to reach 46. Cummins was in earlier than he’d have wanted at number eight, but he dug in for 33.
They’ll start tomorrow with Australia on 187-6.
Like every first session of the day, in every Test ever played, it’ll be a big one first up. Let’s hope a better crowd pulls in when things get going at 08:30 UK time, 05:30 AEST.
Stumps: Australia 187-6
After just 65.2 overs, that’ll do for day one.
Renshaw is not out on 46, Cummins with him on 33.
Still South Africa’s day having been ask to bowl.
Two-fors for Mulder, Jansen and Nortje.
Hopefully some reaction from the players to come.
The ground staff are gathering.
Look like it’ll be game over folks.
No news is not good news.
Looking darker and darker in Durban.
I’m going to take a breather.
Fingers crossed we’re back soon.
Actually fuming.
It was always a risk hosting a Test in Durban at this time of the year. But to be frank, even at the height of summer, Kingsmead struggles to get a full crowd and the light fades fast after five anyway. Its partly why the Boxing Day Test has been moved to Centurion.
So why oh why are they starting the most highly anticipated series in recent memory at this ground?
Baffling, and frustrating, for anyone who loves the game.
Bad lights halt play (Australia 187-6)
I apologise to all my friends and family in Durban, but this just sums it up and is another reason why your city shouldn’t host a Test again.
A vicious Nortje bouncer compels the umpires to take a look at the light meter and they decide it’s too dark. 66 overs into the day and they’re off.
65th over: Australia 187-6 (Renshaw 46, Cummins 33) Maharaj replaces Harmer. Just one single to start the over, a sweep behind sqaure from Renshaw. Cummins watches out the rest of the set without any trouble.
64th over: Australia 186-6 (Renshaw 45, Cummins 33) Renshaw is seeing it like a beachball. An attempted yorker is well guided into a gap in the covers for one. That brings on Cummins who rides the bounce of Nortje and steers it to the vacant deep third boundary for four. Northe didn’t like that and responds with a nasty bumper that forces Cummins to duck as the stacked cordon watch on. But the Aussie has some sand and he tickles another four down to fine leg. This is very impressive from the skipper.
63rd over: Australia 177-6 (Renshaw 44, Cummins 25) Renshaw gets a single but Harmer continues round the wicket to Cummins. I mean, what do I know, but I think he should be bowling from over the wicket to the right hander. Seems a little too comfortable for Cummins from this angle, and he underlines this point with a smeared sweep that’s worth two fine of the sweeper at deep square.
62nd over: Australia 174-6 (Renshaw 43, Cummins 23) Nortje returns. South Africa need to change the course of this innings and they’ve turned to their speed demon. He starts with bouncers that are misdirected and then sprays onto Renshaw’s pads and is duly clipped away for four, wide of the man at a short leg gully. Renshaw looks in great touch now as he drops and runs to bring up the 50-run stand with a single off the last ball.
61st over: Australia 169-6 (Renshaw 38, Cummins 23) Harmer flights one up and Cummins gets a big stride towards it and caresses a lovely drive through the covers for four. He can bat, make no mistake. South Africa need to break this partnership worth 45 from 114 balls.
60th over: Australia 165-6 (Renshaw 38, Cummins 19) Mulder nice and tight, but not very threatening. Renshaw lines him up well, even though one leave was perhaps a touch closer to that off stump. He reaches 100 balls faced. This has been an innings of real quality. Just as I type that, though, he goes for a booming drive at a ball pushed just a touch fuller. Nothing but air though lots of ooooohs from behind the stumps. Proper Test battle.
59th over: Australia 165-6 (Renshaw 38, Cummins 19) This pair have now put on 40 for the seventh wicket and navigated 17 overs. Harmer can’t get the breakthrough with some looping teasers that Cummins watches carefully. No rash shots from the skipper here. Just one Renshaw single off the set.
58th over: Australia 164-6 (Renshaw 37, Cummins 19) Mulder finds his radar and lands a beauty outside Renshaw’s off stump. It’s a teasingly full length that brings him forward and only just misses the outside edge. No real movement through the air or off the deck, just good areas. He then over pitches on Renshaw’s pads and the delicious clip is hauled just short of the rope at deep midwicket by Bavuma, keeping it down to three.
57th over: Australia 161-6 (Renshaw 34, Cummins 19) Harmer is round the wicket to the right-handed Cummins. I think that’s the wrong ploy. He’s a little too tight, too close to the pads. There is a short leg and a leg slip, but I’d like to see him try rag one through the gate from outside off. Cummins goes for a sweep and gets a top edge. It would have been a gimme for the man at 45, but he was moved to leg slip. Bavuma chases the ball and moves cover to 45, but its too late.
56th over: Australia 158-6 (Renshaw 33, Cummins 17) Cummins is in the groove now. Sure, it’s short and wide from Mulder, but the Aussie skipper is back and across and throwing his hands at it, getting a big piece of the ball to send it screaming to the backward point boundary. The next ball is met with a well struck cut shot as well, but it’s straight to the fielder. Mulder is a bit all over the place and the lefty and righty are able to pick up three more runs as the ball strays onto their pads.
55th over: Australia 152-6 (Renshaw 32, Cummins 12) Cummins steers Harmer for a couple beyond point to bring up the 150. Having won the toss he’d have wanted a lot more from his batters, but he’s done well here to combine with Renshaw for a partnership of 27 runs from 13 overs. Definitely helped halt South Africa’s charge towards the Aussie lower order. Cummins will keep the strike with a drive past the bowler for one.
54th over: Australia 149-6 (Renshaw 32, Cummins 9) Mulder round the wicket to Renshaw, looking to hit a fifth stump line and either get it to hold its line or jag in towards the stumps. Renshaw is watchful, letting it go safely. Both batter and bowler need to show patience. Who will blink first? Neither in this set as Renshaw doesn’t go searching for it and Mulder resists the temptation to search for the miracle ball. Just good, sensible Test cricket to start this final session of the day.
Righto, we’re back.
Renshaw holds the balance of this match in his hands. If he can hang about, reach his fifty and go beyond, then Australia might feel justified in batting first.
If he goes early in this session, well, all then the opposite of the above.
Mulder will kick things off for us. Will he find that movement through the air with a ball that is 53 overs old?
Tea: Australia 149-6
South Africa’s session having picked up three wickets, but the Australians are fighting back.
Harmer bowls the last over before they head into the shed for a cuppa. One balls was a yuck drag down that Cummins easily steered to the cover-point fence for four. Renshaw continued his good work with a dinked single.
But the Saffs will be the happier of the two teams having been asked to bowl.
53rd over: Australia 149-6 (Renshaw 32, Cummins 9)
52nd over: Australia 144-6 (Renshaw 31, Cummins 5) Spin from both ends now. What!? In South Africa on day one? Yes. Maharaj is into the attack, replacing a lacklustre Jansen. Renshaw is reverse sweeping. One is hit particularly well but is stopped by a tumbling Markram at slip. The partnership has now chewed up 10 overs worth 20 runs. Hard graft there, but the two Australians are battling.
John Starbuck has some praise for the Aussie skipper:
Pat Cummins is probably a bit high in the order but one feels that, as captain, he’s showing leadership by taking on a more difficult task. Well done, him.
I agree. Seven too high for a man averaging in the teens. But yes, could have easily been blown away by Nortje first up and then the Aussies would be in proper trouble. This rebuild is starting to, er, build.
51st over: Australia 142-6 (Renshaw 30, Cummins 4) Two singles off this Harmer over. Feels like we’re in the breath before the plunge period in this Test as tea approaches.
50th over: Australia 140-6 (Renshaw 29, Cummins 3) Jansen delivers some proper dross on Renshaw’s legs and is rightly swatted down to the wide fine leg fence. Then a scampered single off the next ball for the purists. ‘Good cricket’ is what someone in the crowd would say, if there was anyone there. Jansen hasn’t looked sharp in this third spell.
49th over: Australia 135-6 (Renshaw 24, Cummins 3) Tidy from Harmer to Cummins. A lone slip and a catcher at an old school silly mid-off. Perhaps he’s a little too straight with those catchers but there is a close-ish midwicket hovering. Where’s the short leg? There he is, stationed for the last ball of the maiden.
48th over: Australia 135-6 (Renshaw 24, Cummins 3) Cummins is playing Jansen away from his body, backing away down leg. Now he might suggest he’s giving himself room. I reckon he just doesn’t fancy it. But fair play to him, when Jansen drifts onto his hips he’s tucked down to fine leg for one. Two more singles from that set as the partnership reaches double figures.
47th over: Australia 132-6 (Renshaw 23, Cummins 1) A jaffa from Harmer, one that drifts and spits off a teasingly full length, beats Renshaw’s outside edge. The last ball is clipped in front of a fini-ish backward square leg, so Renshaw calls Cummins back for a second. No farming the strike. Cummins has a amodest average of 16.32 wit the bat, but you feel he’s better than that.
Goes without saying – though I’ll say it anyway – that so much depends on Renshaw here.
If he goes soon, that could prove decisive in the match, in the series, too. Massive partnership, this.
46th over: Australia 130-6 (Renshaw 21, Cummins 1) Nortje takes a breather. Smart from Bavuma. No need to burn all that rocket fuel on day one. So in comes Jansen who has gone at just 1.8 an over while picking up two scalps. Renshaw scampers a single before Cummins, with four slips in place, gets off strike himself. Renshaw clips well, but the fielding is sharp at midwicket, before riding the bounce and nudging a single to fine leg to keep the strike.
45th over: Australia 127-6 (Renshaw 19, Cummins 0) This is good from Harmer. The drift and turn away from him means Renshaw needs to hit against the spin if he wants to milk a single. Once he’s beaten on the outside edge. Can Harmer keep him on strike so Cummins faces Nortje. No, Renshaw drops and runs and takes on Bavuma, who does well to fire the ball back to the keeper’s end, but Cummins was quicker and gets in safe. A direct hit might have been interesting.
44th over: Australia 126-6 (Renshaw 18, Cummins 0) Nortje from round the wicket into Renshaw finds a thick outside edge, but it’s played with very soft hands so lands well short of the cordon. Renshaw then drops and runs. Not sure his skipper will be pleased with that. He has two balls to navigate here against uber quick bowling. Cummins back away, almost taking out the square leg umpire, but manages to get his bat down in time to keep it out. Even elite cricketers show fear at times! He backs away again, meeting it with an inside edge that thwacks his pads. But he survives.
Gary Naylor writes in:
Hi Daniel. I saw the first hour, which was pretty ordinary, Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder not finding a consistent line and Maddinson looking unsure as to which end of the bat to hold. Tuning in later (do people still say that?) it’s been marvellous stuff, Carey and Renshaw fighting hard, but this bowling is superb. Sure there’s a bit in the surface, but lines, lengths and seam position are perfect. as is the hard, professional aura that clings to every Saffer.
Well, as a Saffer myself, I couldn’t agree more with the above.
43rd over: Australia 125-6 (Renshaw 17, Cummins 0) Harmer needs to hold a tight line as Nortje causes chaos at the other end. He does so. Renshaw takes a single off the first ball which gives Harmer five to new man Cummins. He’s mixing up his pace and the flight, and even the angle as he closes the set by going over the wicket. Cummins keeps him out.
WICKET! Webster c Verreynne b Nortje 4 (Australia 124-6)
Ultra edge spikes and that’s a double for the big quick! Wow, what a comeback! Three years out of the team he has bagged two wickets in three balls to leave Australia reeling. The ball before was on Webster’s pads and was clipped to the boundary. The second was outside the off stump and slightly shorter. Webster wasn’t in position to play it and the tame prod caught the merest of edges. Verrynne was convinced so Bavuma went upstairs and was vindicated.
42nd over: Australia 124-6 (Renshaw 16, Cummins 0)
Has Nortje bagged a second in the over?
The South Africans are convinced. The umpire is not so Webster, the new man, holds his breath as Bavuma reviews…
WICKET! Carey c Markram b Nortje 14 (Australia 120-4)
Nortje deserves this! Brilliant, brilliant pace bowling. The classic combo of banging in some bouncers before sending in the fuller one. Carey doesn’t move his feet as he prods at it. Nortje, from over the wicket across the left-hander, moves it just enough at serious pace, and it flies off the edge to Markram who makes a sharp catch look routine at second slip.
41st over: Australia 120-4 (Renshaw 16, Carey 14) Harmer has settled into a nice rhythm here against the lef-handers. There’s a shout for lbw against Renshaw but it was sliding down leg on the angle from round the wicket. He’s targeting the stumps, hoping to get one to rag back to the top of off, but Renshaw is watchful. Just one run off that over, a driven single down the ground from Carey.
40th over: Australia 119-4 (Renshaw 16, Carey 13) Nortje from round the wicket into the left-hander digs one in and turns Renshaw into an S. File that under R for ripsnorter. The next one is also dug in but this time Renshaw ducks. What will the follow up be? It’s a gem. Fuller around fourth stump, it just about misses the prodding edge. There’s another nasty bouncer before a wayward one that’s called wide, but that was brilliant fast bowling.
39th over: Australia 118-4 (Renshaw 1pm 6, Carey 13) Harmer brings his length back a touch as he tries to avoid being swept. Renshaw adds three runs to his tally, first with a two flicked off his legs and then with a single down to deep cover.
Thanks Martin.
Hi everyone, I’ll be your guide to the close.
Is this delicately poised? Like all hours of cricket, this one has the potential to be a big one.
Harmer to continue against the just about settled pair.
Martin Pegan
That’s drinks in the middle session as Australia slowly rebuild after losing Steve Smith from the third ball after lunch. Daniel Gallen is in the hot seat and ready to guide us through the second half of the day. Thanks a lot for following along so far and enjoy the rest of the day’s play …
38th over: Australia 115-4 (Renshaw 13, Carey 13) Carey swings hard at a fuller ball from Nortje and is fortunate not to have connected. But he makes amends with the next ball to pick up two runs behind point.
Australia might working their way back off the ropes in Durban. But in Queensland their women’s team has sealed a commanding victory in an ODI against Bangladesh. Phoebe Litchfield smashed 77 off 57 deliveries as Australia raced to the 167-run target set by Bangladesh.
37th over: Australia 113-4 (Renshaw 13, Carey 11) Simon Harmer is called into the attack for the first time today. Australia will be happy to have two of their better players against spin now at the crease. Renshaw immediately sweeps a fuller delivery fine and to the rope. Then has his heart in his mouth as he takes a big stride forward to sweep again. The ball crashes into the front pad and Verreynne leads the appeals. But South Africa are down to their last review and decide not to risk losing it now.
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