Australia will take a 1-0 series lead over South Africa to Melbourne after one of the most bizarre Tests seen on these shores.
For the first time on these shores in 91 years, a Test was completed inside two days with Australia beating the Proteas by six wickets at the Gabba.
Thirty-four wickets fell inside two days and, with only 867 balls bowled, it was the second-fastest Test ever completed in Australia.
Needless to say, the Gabba wicket is under fire — but it’s not the only thing to face questions ahead of the Boxing Day Test.
These are the Talking Points from the first Test between Australia and South Africa!
Watch Australia v South Africa. Every test match live and ad-break in play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
READ MORE
PLAYER RATINGS: Unsung hero in Test rampage as Warner cops all-time grim score
MATCH REPORT: Bizarre Test scenes as wobbling Aussies down Proteas in less than TWO days
‘THEY CAN EAT HUMBLE PIE’: How ‘literally impossible’ moment made Starc a legend
GABBA WICKET ‘UNFAIR’ — BUT PITCH NOT THE ONLY THING TO BLAME
Few will argue that the Test spectacle isn’t far more entertaining when the pitch favours the bowlers — but surely not by this much.
The Gabba has never looked so green, and Pat Cummins’ bowl-first decision at the toss was the right one with 15 wickets falling on the first day.
Cummins said at the toss that the Gabba normally gets better to bat on as the Test goes on, and yet, this time, it has only got harder.
Australia’s quicks couldn’t bowl a straight ball if they tried in the early stages of South Africa’s second innings, as Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc tore out the top-order.
Balls were cutting in, out, and rearing up on the batters during a period of bowling that was virtually unplayable.
South Africa captain Dean Elgar was left filthy, saying: “You’ve gotta ask yourself it that’s a good advertisement for Test cricket.
“I did ask the umpires … how long does it go on for until it potentially is unsafe.”
Just a few years ago, the overwhelming trend in world cricket — particularly in Australia — were pitches becoming too friendly for the batters.
Starc joins the 300 club! | 01:08
Groundskeepers in Australia moved to combat the issue and provide a better contest with more green wickets. Last year’s Ashes saw both the Melbourne and Hobart Tests end on day three after unplayable stretches of fast bowling.
Now this year’s Gabba Test finished on day two — the first time in 91 years a Test has finished inside two days on these shores — opening the wicket up to intense scrutiny.
“I guess you’ve got to question, has this pitch got too much grass on it? I think the groundsmen will have a look at that,” Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket.
“We know the Gabba does have grass but, I don’t know, it looks a bit unfair for the batsmen at the moment.”
Asked it the wicket was geared too heavily towards the bowlers, he said: “I’d have to say yes, on face value.
“It’s hard to bowl a straight ball. Everything is doing something.”
With South Africa in all sorts, Kerry O’Keeffe agreed, saying: “The pitch is winning this game, isn’t it?
“It will come under scrutiny if the game is decided this afternoon or before lunch tomorrow.
“Is it too bowler friendly? you’d have to say yes on what we’ve seen.”
Mike Hussey said the Gabba wicket is reminiscent of those prepared at the venue for four-day Sheffield Shield games.
He noted that the big mistake in this instance, however, is that this wicket has been prepared for two far superior pace attacks to anything seen in the Shield.
Jansen strikes TWICE in same over! | 01:31
Australia has arguably the best pace attack in world cricket, while South Africa is also in the discussion with the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear that these bowlers didn’t need anywhere near this much assistance.
“The difference is this is a big jump in the level (compared to the Shield),” Hussey said. “So you’re facing higher quality bowling. You’ve got two excellent bowling attacks here.
“To try and get runs on that type of pitch is really, really difficult.”
He added: “I think a few years ago there was a bit of criticism about world pitches getting too flat, so we weren’t seeing that real good contest.
“I guess they’re maybe just trying to find the balance but maybe this Test match has gone a little bit too far … maybe it needs to come back just a little bit to find a better balance between bat and ball.”
There were other factors at play, however. The batting certainly left plenty to be desired, with ESPNCricinfo’s Firdose Moonda saying: “There’s going to be a lot said about the pitch – and yes, it’s unfortunate that SA have to bat on surfaces like this a lot – but more should be said about the batting.”
What will raise eyebrows further is the fact that CricViz had the Gabba pitch ranked only 11/87 for sideways movement in Tests in Australia since 2006.
Former Test opener and Queensland native Joe Burns also directed some blame away from the pitch.
He said that changes made to the Kookaburra recently has made the ball behave differently on pitches that carry a healthy layer of green grass.
“I also think it’s underrated the impact that the new Kookaburra ball which they introduced a few years ago has on wickets like this,” Burns tweeted.
“Extra layer of lacquer but mainly the bigger pronounced seam on the ball definitely makes it seam around more than previously on the green tops.”
WARNER TEST FUTURE ‘IN DOUBT’
David Warner will play his 100th Test match at the MCG next week, but all the discussion among pundits and commentators will be about his form with the bat.
The left-hander has averaged 26.07 in Tests since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, failing to reach triple figures in 27 consecutive knocks in Australian whites.
Whispers about Warner’s Test future were growing in volume ahead of the Brisbane Test, and scores of 0 and 3 against the Proteas certainly won’t stop the speculation.
The veteran opener was thrown into a horror situation on Sunday afternoon, tasked with chasing 34 to guide Australia to victory against South Africa.
Curiously, Warner was at the non-striker’s end for the opening delivery of the second innings, allowing Usman Khawaja to face the music.
A chorus of jeers echoed around the Gabba as Warner successfully defended his first ball of the day, already bettering his performance from 24 hours earlier.
But he didn’t last much longer in the middle.
Warner was the second of Kagiso Rabada’s four victims in the evening session, edging a length delivery towards the slip cordon.
The 36-year-old could only smile as he waltzed back towards the sheds. He just can’t catch a break.
“The signs weren’t good there with the technique. I do think the quicker bowlers worry him,” Waugh told Fox Cricket ahead of day two at the Gabba.
“I think he’s lacking in confidence… he needs some runs in the next couple of Test matches to keep being picked in the Test team.
“It doesn’t matter who you are: your job as a batsman is to make runs. He’ll be given a bit of leeway because of his record and who he is, but how much leeway do you keep giving a batsman?
“The selectors would want to see him make some runs in the next couple of Test matches otherwise his Test future would have to be in doubt.”
Warner has two Tests against South Africa to silence his doubters and book his ticket for India, otherwise national selectors could be forced into making some tough decisions.
‘WINGSPAN OF DEATH’: GREEN MIGHT BE THE GULLY GOAT
Having someone of Cameron Green’s stature and catching ability at gully is unfair.
Green is swiftly becoming one of the greatest gully fielders the game has seen with almost nothing going to ground when it flies his way.
The two-metre all-rounder claimed three catches in the first innings including a sharp, diving catch to his left that dismissed Sarel Erwee.
In the second innings, the same batter perished after Green took a screamer over his head that no one else in the Australian team would have been able to lay a finger on.
“Only one man on the field is getting that, and one man alone,” Adam Gilchrist said in commentary while watching the replay.
Waugh said: “He’s covering about four spots there, Cameron Green.”
It was said as a joke, but Waugh is not far from the truth.
Green genuinely covers a massive amount of ground with his wingspan making him the perfect man to have at gully.
Often the drawback with tall fielders is that they don’t have the same explosiveness to leap for sharp chances, but that hasn’t been the case with Green who has pounced on virtually everything, including those that have flown low.
According to cricket.com.au’s Josh Schönafinger, Green has now taken 15 catches in gully, while only dropping two.
And that says nothing of the fact that many of those 14 catches have been genuinely tough chances that Green has done brilliantly to take.
Furthermore, Green had never fielded at gully before making his Test debut against India in December 2020, according to Schönafinger.
BOLAND FORCES ANOTHER SELECTION CONUNDRUM
Scott Boland didn’t make all the headlines like he did done in Adelaide last week, but he was once again devastating with the ball at the Gabba.
How are selectors going to be able to drop him when everyone is fit again?
Boland’s laser-like precision and his incredible consistency makes him so hard for opposition batters to face. He was hit for just 2.21 runs an over in Brisbane, slightly less than both Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
But the 32-year-old has an uncanny ability to be able to take wickets in bunches.
He took two wickets in each innings in Brisbane, and on both occasions the wickets came within the same over.
It follows on from him taking three wickets in one over in Adelaide, while he also enjoyed multi-wicket overs on two occasions during last summer’s Ashes.
Being able to strike so quickly changes games. Exactly how Boland keeps managing to do so is one for the cricket gods but, either way, his Test strike rate now sits at an unbelievable 30.2, and his average 10.36.
The sample size isn’t that small now either. It includes five Tests against three separate opponents across two summers.
It now poses an awfully difficult puzzle for selectors to solve once Josh Hazlewood is fit.
How long can Boland be forced out by Hazlewood, Cummins and Starc based on their previous exploits?
Hazlewood has only played two Tests in Australia in the past two summers compared to Boland’s five. And it’s the former who has to this point been the far more likely starter between the pair when fit.
Boland now has the more recent form and it’s clear his performances are far from a fluke. What more does he have to do be safe from the axe?
CUMMINS’ SETS WILD NEW AUSSIE MARK
The Australian skipper just loves bowling at the Gabba.
Pat Cummins was far from his best on day one of the series opener against South Africa, but you couldn’t fault the paceman’s performance on Sunday afternoon.
Cummins only needed four deliveries to snare his first victim in the second innings, trapping rival captain Dean Elgar on the front pad for 2.
The Kookaburra beat the inside edge and struck Elgar on the knee-roll. The South African called for a review, but Hawkeye suggested the ball would have clipped the top of the stumps.
Cummins removed the other Proteas opener after the lunch interval, with Sarel Erwee failing to get his bat out of the way of a delivery that caught the outside edge and flew towards Cameron Green at gully.
It probably would have raced towards the boundary rope if anyone else was fielding there, but Green lunged into the air and snared the chance three metres above the turf.
Cummins returned to clean up the Proteas tail and clinch the eighth five-wicket haul of his Test career, finishing with figures of 5-42.
It continued a remarkable run of form for Cummins in the Queensland capital. The 28-year-old has taken 39 wickets at 15.74 in six matches at the Gabba, headlined by a six-wicket haul against Sri Lanka with the pink ball in 2019.
No pace bowler has taken more wickets at an Australian venue with a lower average in Test history.
Cummins has undeniably been assisted by some green wickets in Brisbane, including during last year’s Ashes Test against England, where he claimed 5/38 on a bowler-friendly deck in the first innings.
But since the start of 2017, nobody has come close to matching Cummins’ tally of 39 wickets at the Gabba.
“It’s a funny one the Gabba – even if it has got grass on it, you do really need to bowl well,” Cummins told reporters on Friday.
“It’s got a bit of bounce normally here. You can get carried away with the seam but you still need to hit the stumps.”
Most Test wickets at the Gabba since 2017
39 – Pat Cummins
25 – Mitchell Starc
20 – Nathan Lyon
19 – Josh Hazlewood
