Cameron Green cracks South Africa as Australia take over the MCG | Australian cricket team

Three million bucks, five gates, zero problems. It was Cameron Greens week after the big all-rounder followed his Indian Premier League auction success bagging 5-27 in the Boxing Day Test in front of over 64,000 people. His contribution saw South Africa bowled out for 189 after Australian captain Patrick Cummins sent him in to bat again. He has confidently applied the squeeze to a team that has now gone seven innings without reaching 200. In reply, Australia had moved to 45-1. stumps.

All out for 152 and 99 to start the series in Brisbane, South Africa, they made just one change, bringing in all-rounder Theunis de Bruyn to bat at No.3 in place of Rassie van der Dussen. Australia continued unscathed, with Scott Boland given the chance to repeat last year’s Boxing Day heroics after Josh Hazlewood told the medical staff he was not fully confident about his recovery from the side strain.

On a relatively cool morning around the cloud, Cummins was happy to bowl first to the theory that if there was any bounce or movement in the yeast, it would probably happen on day one. In the end, the play worked perfectly, dismissing South Africa late in the day and ensuring the visitors take to the pitch on day two in what was forecast to be 37 degrees.

Things started well for South Africa, at least compared to the collapse in Brisbane, with Dean Elgar and Sarel Erwee batting in the first 10 overs and Elgar surviving what should have been a return to Cummins. Predictably, Boland was the agent of change. He beat Erwee with a perfect delivery before he edged a wider ball to slip. Moments later he dug a ball through Elgar who rolled inside the stumps but didn’t clear the bails.

A score of 56 for one was reasonable in the 20th over and then South Africa self-destructed when de Bruyn produced a smeared pull shot to a ball that was too full and outside off. It went high in the air to the wicketkeeper. Elgar achieved the niche distinction of becoming the third player to score 5,000 Test runs without ever being run out, then immediately ran out, hit Labuschagne straight at cover and set off. Temba Bavuma goes after Starc on the next ball, was bowled with a mixed seam and movement. In short, it was 58-4, and no lunch yet.

It was 67-5 when Khaya Zondo hit Starc to a diving Labuschagne catch at cover, and it was left to bowler Marco Jansen and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreyne to make amends. Batting cautiously before expanding, they scored a half-century each and batted well after the tea break. Jansen bats too high at No.7, looks shaky in defence, and is beaten by a difficult chance for Starc and a simple one for Usman Khawaja, but at times he was good in attack, driving pace and picking up the spin of Nathan Lyons. and to sweep. Verreyne hit square boundaries to follow up an excellent 64 from Brisbane.

It was Green who intervened, edging out Verreyne for 52 and Jansen for 59 inside three balls, then bowled Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi to record the first five-wicket innings of a nascent but increasingly formidable Test career. Lyon caught rival Keshav Maharaj for a splash and the single-digit tail went all the way. The first five overs fell for 67 runs, the last five for 10, and the familiar story of just one partnership in the middle: a crucial 112. A score of 189 was far less than South Africa needed and more than they could have hoped for. at some points.

Khawaja capped off a poor day by pushing Rabada towards Verreyne for one run, but David Warner shrugged off any worries about his recent comeback and the attention surrounding his 100th Test match after 32 when he met Rabadas’ short-ball pull shot and Anrich Nortje’s cut to the fence. He continues on Tuesday at Labuschagne with five, with the temperature rising and Australia once again on top.