Australian captain Pat Cummins has gone towards custom and opted to bowl first after profitable the toss on the Gabba this morning.
And he’s accomplished so due to the green-tinged Gabba deck which has the quick bowlers from each Australia and South Africa licking their lips on the prospect of a bowler-friendly wicket.
But will probably be Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland who will get first use below cloudy skies in Brisbane.
11.50AM: WATCH: STARC SNARES KEY WICKET
11.44AM: STARC BLOWS AWAY PROTEAS SKIPPER
Mitchell Starc has the very early breakthrough – with the primary ball of his third over.
And it’s an enormous wicket, persevering with the large fast’s stranglehold over South African captain Dean Elgar.
Starc angles one into the physique and Elgar makes an attempt to work it down the legside, solely to strangle it a contact – and he feathers a catch to Alex Carey.
He departs for simply 3, and South Africa are 1-12 on a wicket that appears prefer it has loads of demons in it.
“That’s a bonus… Yes he’s got the wicket but you wouldn’t call it good bowling. But you’ll take it,” says Allan Border.
It brings Rassie van der Dussen to the center.
11.35AM: CUMMINS’ WILD FIRST OVER, STARC DENIED
Pat Cummins took the brand new ball alongside Mitchell Starc – regardless of the temptation to offer Scott Boland an early have a look at the juicy Gabba deck.
Cummins will get off to a rocky begin, with two leg-side deliveries making their solution to the boundary by way of 4 leg byes.
There’s a lure you’ll be able to fall into on the Gabba, particularly when the wicket seems like it’s going to do all of the be just right for you… as a result of the secret’s to stay to the strategies that be just right for you on a traditional day of cricket.
“He’ll be disappointed with that over, Pat Cummins. A pretty loose over. Un-Pat Cummins-like,” says Mark Waugh on Fox Cricket, who suggests Boland might need been the higher early possibility.
“Scott Boland is one guy who can land it on a handkerchief and does bowl a fuller length.”
Luckily there’s no higher bowler on this planet to make these little changes than Cummins.
Starc thought he might need grabbed the early breakthrough with a caught-behind likelihood off Dean Elgar, however was turned down.
A muted enchantment from Australia was despatched upstairs, however replays affirm it was a bump ball from the South African skipper that was despatched by way of to Alex Carey.
11.10AM: WEATHER AND PREDICTIONS
We are moments away from the primary ball of the morning, so take a look at how our consultants count on issues will play out – and what to anticipate from the subsequent 5 days.
WEATHER
Day one – 27 and sunny
Day two – 26 and sunny
Day three – 28 and sunny
Day 4 – 27 and sunny
Day 5 – 27 and sunny
KEY MAN
AUSTRALIA
MARNUS LABUSCHAGNE – If he can preserve his unbelievable type rolling from the West Indies run-fest, it’s going to soften up an impressive however underprepared South African assault.
SOUTH AFRICA
DEAN ELGAR – If the South African captain doesn’t rating runs, the Proteas’ gamble to select 5 specialist bowlers is in grave hazard of exploding on the tarmac.
PREDICTIONS
ROBERT CRADDOCK: Australia will win a low-scoring Test sequence 2-0 with a well-known theme being Australia wriggling from 4-90 to 300, which can be sufficient to see them residence towards a reasonable South African batting workforce.
BEN HORNE: Australia will win 3-0 inside 11 days throughout all three Tests. The South African batting line-up merely received’t give their bowlers an opportunity to compete.
10.50AM: AUSSIES BOWL FIRST ON GREEN GABBA DECK
Australia has received the toss and elected to bowl first on the Gabba’s inexperienced mamba pitch.
The Brisbane wicket seems virtually the identical color because the outfield and with cloudy skies additionally overhead, Australia will again its tempo assault led by Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland to trigger injury to South Africa’s inexperienced batting order.
Australia received final yr’s Gabba Test bowling first – albeit England had elected to bat – with Starc famously taking a wicket off the very first ball of the match.
“Looks like there’s a little bit of colour in the wicket,” mentioned Cummins, who comes into the XI after lacking final week’s West Indies demolition by way of harm.
“It might be a bit misleading the colour, but it feels hard. No matter what happens today hopefully it’s a good batting wicket.”
The final visiting captain to win the toss, bowl first and win on the Gabba was New Zealand’s Jeremy Coney again in 1985, in keeping with cricket.com professional Louis Cameron.
England skipper Nasser Hussain famously bought sucked into pondering there may be a little bit of nip within the inexperienced wicket and was fretting about taking 20 wickets with the Kookaburra ball when he made his ill-fated determination to bowl first on the Gabba.
Cummins replaces Michael Neser in the one change for the Australians, whereas South African skipper Dean Elgar mentioned he would’ve opted to bat first regardless.
CONFIRMED TEAMS
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
South Africa: Dean Elgar (capt), Sarel Erwee, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi
10.30AM: TEST GREATS’ BOLD CALL OVER GABBA SHOCK
Bowl first on the Gabba? Surely not… Nasser Hussain nonetheless has nightmares about making that improper determination 20 years in the past.
But Australian greats Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer reckon it’s the best way to go at the moment, having considered a Gabba wicket that’s greener than any they’ve seen earlier than.
“It is very rare as a team playing here to think about bowling first but whoever wins the toss will definitely bowl first,” Ponting mentioned on Channel 7 forward of the toss.
“Now there is even a little more cloud cover which will make it harder for the batters.”
Added Langer: “I’d very be surprised whichever captain wins the toss doesn’t bowl first. We say that but I’d be very, very tempted to bowl first on the greenest Test wicket ever.”
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Australian fast Mitchell Starc instructed the primary session was prone to be harmful, however poured a little bit of chilly water on the plan to bowl first.
“From all reports it’s been green to start with but it gets better,” Starc instructed Seven.
“If you get through the first session as a batting unit, it gets better, you can cash in.
“It doesn’t really deteriorate, the forecast isn’t overly hot. Likewise if you get the balls in the right areas it can certainly do a bit. Certainly got that tinge but it is quite firm. You don’t read into the colour of it.”
10AM: PROTEAS PREDICT GABBA ‘GREEN MONSTER’ PAIN FOR AUSSIES
South Africa imagine Australia has performed into their fingers as they plot a bang or bust mission on an eye-popping inexperienced prime on the Gabba.
The fiery Proteas will danger shedding to win by unleashing a four-pronged tempo assault on Australia and will even tempt cracking the Nasser Hussain curse and select to bowl first if given the prospect.
Australia are prepared for an onslaught and the likes of Marnus Labuschagne even practiced for the combat for survival on Friday, dealing with further bouncy indoor cricket balls designed to mimic the best way the South Africans would possibly slingshot them by way of within the anticipated first rematch since Sandpapergate.
For the Proteas’ 150km/h cartel, the Gabba has made them really feel they’re residence on the Kingsmead wicket at Durban, nicknamed ‘The Green mamba’ after the extremely venomous placing snake.
“It looks like this grass we’re standing on at the moment,” a delighted South African captain, Dean Elgar mentioned from the outfield.
“The green colour doesn’t scare us. This is one of the wickets where if you get in you can really capitalise. But from a bowling point of view you know there’s a length you really need to hit and you can get some rich rewards.
“The wicket does look a little friendly for our bowling unit which is nice. We come from South Africa where the wickets are pretty green and juicy. From a personal point of view, I don’t really shy away from that and I know our batters don’t away from that either. It should be interesting. “
South Africa will play five specialist bowlers including quicks Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and 22-year-old left-arm destroyer, Marco Jansen.
Australia know the quality of a rapid left-armer, with Mitchell Starc only four scalps away from 300 Test wickets, and have put extra preparation into facing Jansen – who represents a major point of difference from any fast man they’ve faced over recent summers.
– BEN HORNE
GREEN SET TO LAUNCH AFTER SECRET INJURY BATTLE
Pat Cummins has revealed Cameron Green took minor hamstring soreness into the start of the Test summer, but is now ready to launch into top gear against South Africa.
Green looked slightly out of sync with bat and ball against the West Indies.
The lack of game time he received on account of Australia’s dominance is some cause for concern heading into a clash against the heavy-duty Proteas, who possess the firepower to expose the home side’s top order.
But Cummins declared he is set to make a point of upping Green’s involvement as a go-to wicket-taking option against South Africa to match the quality Australia are expecting to face, and the fact the young all-rounder now has more miles in his legs.
“Somewhere (at a ground like) here I’ll probably rotate the bowlers around to get him a shot with a swinging ball,” Cummins mentioned.
“He bowled beautifully here last year. He got the big wicket of Joe Root (in the Ashes).
“Coming into the series (against the Windies) he wasn’t under any restrictions but he’s still coming off a hamstring injury.
“We don’t really want to burn him in the first couple of games. So any overs he didn’t bowl in the first two Tests hopefully means he can bowl a few more here.”
In Perth, Green bowled 23 overs to show the hamstring soreness picked up within the first ODI towards England final month was extraordinarily minor.
But in Adelaide, he was solely required to bowl six first innings overs, and struggled for rhythm with the bat as nicely, scoring 9 off 42 balls having been compelled to look at his teammates bat for 300 straight overs while not having to place the pads on himself.
The Australians are assured the Windies’ sequence is simply one other essential a part of Green’s growth as a prodigy who’s studying his craft on the run at Test degree.
Green shapes as an enormous level of distinction on this sequence, given South Africa are taking part in 5 bowlers and don’t have an all-rounder to stability the line-up.
“He’s great, he’s had really good preparation like everyone else,” mentioned Cummins.
“Everyone is so eager to perform which is how you want everyone to be.
“Two Tests matches into the summer and it feels like he’s hardly got a bat.
“He’s got a huge role to play this series, like he does every series. We’ll probably get more overs into him than the first two Test matches as well. He’ll be a huge part of the summer.”
Originally printed as Australia v South Africa: Follow all of the motion on Day 1 of the primary Test on the Gabba
