After winning the toss and choosing to bat, they were soon reeling as Starc, Hazlewood and later Peter Siddle illustrated the WACA pitch was going to offer the traditional pace and bounce noticeably absent a year ago when West Indies visited.
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If not for Hazlewood and Starc, the pair could have been sinking the boots into a tiring Australian attack rather than launching a rescue mission.
But it looked far from respectable at stumps, when David Warner had rocketed the hosts to 0-105.
To understand the extent of Australian domination, this will be a good explanation.
Opener Stephen Cook fell for a fourth-ball duck while Hashim Amla survived five deliveries before being sent back without troubling the scorers.
Starc finished South Africa’s innings by skittling the stumps of Dale Steyn, having also accounted for Philander and skipper Faf du Plessis.
The comments were in reference to Australia’s over-reliance on star batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner.
Captain Steve Smith today confirmed his XI for the first Commonwealth Bank Test against South Africa that begins at the WACA Ground tomorrow, which features two changes from the team that took the field in the final match of the disastrous Sri Lanka tour last August. Warner punished South Africa for that Philander error with a typically free-flowing unbeaten 73, off just 62 deliveries with 13 fours and a six as Australia scored at five an over.
“To bowl South Africa out, with their pretty experienced line-up, and then be none for 100 at the end of the day, we are pretty happy with that”. Bowls out Steyn to claim his 4th wicket of the day. Warner’s innings was studded with strokes which were both confident and risky, but at the same time, South African bowlers failed to beat the bat on a regular basis.
“I’m still trying to get some of that rhythm and smoothness back”, he said, “but to get through 18-and-a-half overs for the day felt good”. At the same time, if batsmen get in and want to take the game on, like Davey did tonight, there’s plenty of runs out there. The dismissal was down to some acrobatic fielding by Shaun Marsh at Forward Short Leg, who dived full length to his right to hold on to the bat-thigh pad offering.
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The WACA served up a wicket without its notorious pace and bounce last year, Hobart has often offered up greentops, while last year’s first day-night test at Adelaide Oval was something of a lottery for Australian and New Zealand batsmen alike.
