Key Points

On a day when 14 wickets fell, Kagiso Rabada claimed 5-51 in 15.4 overs as Australia were bowled out for 212. For Australia, Beau Webster top-scored with 72 while Steve Smith hit 66, as they shared a 79-run fifth-wicket stand before the side lost five wickets for 22 runs after tea.

After that, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood struck in the final session to leave South Africa four down, with them trailing Australia by 169 runs. South Africa would need big runs from skipper Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham, unbeaten on three and eight respectively, to make a fightback on day two.

After being bowled out for 212, Australia needed to respond strongly, and Starc provided the breakthrough in the opening over when Aiden Markram chopped onto his stumps. Starc could have got his second wicket if Alex Carey hadn’t dropped a regulation catch of Wiaan Mulder. But four overs later, Starc got his second scalp when Ryan Rickelton nicked on a drive to first slip.

Mulder struggled to get going and made just six off 44 balls before a full, straight, and nipping back in from Cummins castled him through the gate. It was Hazlewood’s turn to join the wicket-taker’s list when his slightly fuller delivery nipped back in and hit Tristan Stubbs’ top of the off-stump.

Though Bavuma got off the mark on his 31st delivery and Bedingham hit some boundaries to end the day, Australia’s awe-inspiring fast-bowling trio ensured that the total of 212 did not look under-par.

Previously, Bavuma’s decision to bowl first under overcast skies was justified when South Africa reduced Australia to 67/4 in 23.2 overs at lunch.

Rabada and Jansen nailed their lengths from the word go to keep Australia on a tight leash. Rabada rattled Australia in the seventh over by claiming Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in the span of four balls. He first came in from round the wicket to extract Khawaja’s edge and have him caught at first slip, as the batter fell for a 20-ball duck.

Rabada then got one to shape away from Green, and the edge was caught by a low-diving third slip, as the batter fell for four on his return to Tests after nearly a year. Lungi Ngidi, back in Test match action after 10 months, and Mulder continued to be tight in their lines and lengths to keep Smith and Labuschagne on a tight leash.

With Smith found some boundaries, South Africa continued to strike as Labuschagne poked at one from Jansen and nicked behind to the keeper. At the stroke of lunch, Jansen produced another huge moment by having Travis Head strangled down the leg to make it a really good first session of Test cricket for South Africa.

In the second session, Smith, batting with an outside the leg-stump stance and a trademark exaggerated back-and-across movement, stole three quick boundaries off Rabada and Jansen. But Webster was all at sea, struggling to survive in tough conditions. With luck on his side, Webster survived twice in as many overs.

On four, was first beaten on the outside edge and trapped lbw by Jansen, but ball tracking showed the umpire's call on impact. Then, against Rabada on eight, Webster was clearly lbw, but with South Africa fearing it was an inside edge, they didn’t take the review. To their dismay, replays showed the ball hitting stumps and that it would have been out if South Africa had taken the review.

Smith eventually got his fifty in 76 balls by slashing Rabada through backward point for four, before he and a now-settled Webster took boundaries off Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj. But in a bid to smack Aiden Markram through covers, Smith could only get a healthy outside edge and was caught by first slip on his third attempt.

Though Webster was living dangerously, he got his second Test fifty off 69 deliveries and ensured Australia had a bright second session after a gloomy first session. But in the post-tea session, Alex Carey fell straightaway as his attempt to reverse-sweep off Keshav Maharaj resulted in him being castled for 23.

Rabada then came in to knock off Cummins, before having Webster edge to first slip. After Jansen castled Nathan Lyon through the gate, Rabada burst through Starc’s defences to end Australia’s innings, before the reigning mace holders hit back in an engrossing day of seeing who would be the winner of the Ultimate Test.

Brief scores:

Australia 212 in 56.4 overs (Beau Webster 72, Steve Smith 66; Kagiso Rabada 5-51, Marco Jansen 3-49) lead South Africa 43/4 in 22 overs (Ryan Rickelton 16; Mitchell Starc 2-10, Josh Hazlewood 1-10) by 169 runs

- IANS