Australia, Australia, Australia - they just seem to always find a way back from the trenches in big games and in ICC events. It is one good habit of theirs which continues to provide heartbreaks to the opposition and make their happiness short-lived and something similar happened yet again on the opening day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday, June 11.
The ball kept seaming and wobbling around all day long and bowlers from both teams utilised it. So why are Australia ahead, you ask? Well, because they have some sort of a score on the board and had the opposition four down before the stumps. As many as 14 wickets fell on the first day as the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Mitchell Starc had a field day but in the competition between some of the top bowlers in the world, it was always about who bats better and for the first day, the honours went to Australia.
Just when it looked like South Africa were on top, Australia would fight back marvellously well, a couple of times rather. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen had Australia four down in the first session and a wicket or two from thereon, things might have been different as Steve Smith, the best Test batter of this generation, came to the fore for Australia. On a pitch where everyone was hopping and skipping while trying to negotiate some outstanding bowling, Smith ensured that Australia didn't succumb under pressure.
The Smith-Webster partnership
Smith found an ideal ally in Beau Webster, who definitely had a fair share of luck with a missed LBW call, a couple of close shouts and balls landing just short of the fielder but he made sure he stayed in the middle. Webster and Smith's 79-run partnership gave Australia a platform to possibly get to 250 to put pressure on the Proteas, who will bat fourth on this wicket. And given how the pitch played, that partnership might prove to be very critical in the overall context of the game.
Australia lost their last five wickets for just 20 runs and Kagiso Rabada registered his 17th five-wicket haul in Tests and second at Lord's as he went past Allan Donald's 330 wickets for South Africa. Australia would have felt that they left some runs out there, maybe 30-40 and hence, the bowlers were right up to the task.
The fall of South Africa's inexperienced batting order
The wicket in the first over did more damage for South Africa than they anticipated as the whole batting line-up went on the backfoot, waiting for things to happen. The ultra-cautious approach eventually cost the first-time WTC finalists as Australia kept chipping away at the wickets and the Proteas didn't even cross 50 after playing 22 overs on the first day.
David Bedingham hit a couple of boundaries in the last over of the day to finish it off, but South Africa were rendered requiring a massive batting effort to be able to firstly, come close to Australia's total and then maybe if possible, take a lead. On the other hand, Australia will be keen to fold South Africa under 150 and take a handy first-innings lead.