Australia fight back as 14 wickets fall in World Test final

World Test Championship final, Lord’s (day one of five)

Australia 212 all out: Webster 72, Smith 66; Rabada 5-51, Jansen 3-49

South Africa 43-4: Rickelton 16; Starc 2-10

South Africa trail by 169 runs

Australia’s bowlers fought back after they were bowled out for a modest total by South Africa as 14 wickets fell on an engrossing first day of the World Test Championship final.

Proteas quick bowler Kagiso Rabada claimed five of them after he helped skittle Australia for 212 shortly after the tea interval.

Steve Smith and Beau Webster, who made 66 and 72 respectively, had rescued Australia from a parlous 67-4 with a 79-run stand for the fifth wicket.

But Australia’s last five wickets went down for a paltry 18 runs as Rabada spearheaded South Africa’s pace attack with discipline and skill.

The fast bowler had come into the match with something of a cloud hanging over him having recently served a short ban for recreational drug use.

However, his haul here moved him past the legendary Allan Donald and up to fourth on South Africa’s all-time Test wicket-takers list.

Left the best part of the evening session to bat, and with Lord’s bathed in sunshine, the South Africans wilted in the face of an Aussie barrage.

Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc charged in to remove openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton cheaply.

Markram departed for a duck, undone by an inswinging yorker, while Rickelton tentatively edged to Usman Khawaja in the slips.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins then bowled Wiaan Mulder through the gate before Josh Hazlewood snuck one past the defence of Tristan Stubbs.

Under leaden skies in St John’s Wood, South Africa exploited favourable bowling conditions after Bavuma had won the toss.

Their early penetration owed much to Rabada, who teased and tormented the left-handed Khawaja outside his off stump during a intriguing opening passage.

After 20 deliveries – 19 from Rabada – Khawaja was squared up by a rasping ball which angled in at him on a fourth-stump line. The Aussie opener had little choice but to play, and was snared by a sharp catch by Bedingham at first slip.

Rabada had a second wicket three deliveries later when Cameron Green strayed across the line and, slightly off balance, attempted to work a full-ish ball into the leg side. Instead, it took a thick edge and flew to Aiden Markram in the cordon.

Rabada punched the air in triumph. Australia are the favourites here, but this was a baring of teeth – the Proteas are not going to roll over and have their tummies tickled.

Who would open with Khawaja has been a source of national debate Down Under. Nathan McSweeney, Travis Head, Sam Konstas and Smith have all been through the revolving door and it was Marnus Labuschagne thrust into the breach here.

After a rather fortuitous 56-ball 17 he was removed by Marco Jansen, who drew a think thin edge from Labuschagne into the gloves of wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.

The sun burst through after lunch and that adage about looking up to the sky, rather than down at the pitch, rang true as Smith and Webster patiently steadied the ship for Australia.

Since his last Test at Lord’s during the 2023 Ashes – when he made 110 – Smith has endured a slightly fallow period by his standards.

Against India at the Gabba last December he ended a run of 24 innings without a Test century, and since then has reeled off three more.

He looked a good bet here: holding his focus until a scoring opportunity presented itself then expertly finding the gaps to the boundary, with that familiar idiosyncratic strokeplay, to reach a half-century.

No overseas player has more than the 591 Test runs, at an average of 59.10, Smith has scored at Lord’s.

His kryptonite at the venue is spin – against pace bowling Smith averages 112.75 at the home of cricket, but that figure plummets to 23.33 against the tweakers.

Still, it felt more like hubris which brought about Smith’s downfall when he looked almost certain to go on to three figures.

Instead he became Markram’s fourth Test wicket when he slashed the part-time off-spinner to Jansen at slip, who juggled it before clinging on.

That cast Webster, who had earlier had a let-off when Bavuma declined to review a plumb lbw when on eight, as the man to perform the rescue act.

He played diligently until a slightly lazy waft off Rabada gave Bedingham a second grab in the slips. Given what would come later in the day, his and Smith’s contribution could prove decisive.

Australia’s uncharacteristically tail failed to wag with Rabada providing the coup de grace to Australia’s innings when he pinned back Starc’s leg stump to claim his fifth wicket.

However, Starc wrestled back a sizable portion of the momentum with two later wickets before Cummins and Hazlewood both struck.