- Published
First Test, Durban (day three of five)
Australia 390 & 33-0: Maddinson 17*
South Africa 284: Bedingham 49; Cummins 3-54
Australia lead by 139 runs
Australia's modern Test side remain a fascinating one to unpick.
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side → publish → runs
Viewed by many in England as there for the taking in last winter's Ashes despite a 4-1 win, they are also labelled too old by many observers at home.
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they → view → home
But while their struggling batting line-up was bailed out by Matt Renshaw across the first two days of the first Test in Durban, they took control over South Africa on day three in an all-too familiar way.
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they → struggle → way
Nine years after they first appeared together as Australia's bowling quartet, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon produced their latest relentless performance to dismiss South Africa for 284.
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Starc → appear → 284
Cummins took three wickets, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon two apiece, in doing so brushing off any doubts about their effectiveness at the start of a run of Tests against the world Test champions, in-form New Zealand, India and England.
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Starc → take → form
How Australia's quartet turned the screw on South Africa
At 82-1 in response to Australia's 390, South Africa appeared well in the Test.
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Africa → turn → Test
Australia's bowlers searched for early swing and Aiden Markram and David Bedingham countered with a second-wicket partnership which progressed at almost 4.5 runs per over.
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which → search → over
It was then, at the 20-over mark, captain Cummins reverted to Australia's tried and tested - Lyon one end, the quicks rotating at the other.
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quicks → revert → other
Having bowled 34% of their deliveries full in the first 20 overs, Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins dragged back their lengths.
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Starc → bowl → lengths
With deliveries easy to hit scarce, Markram and Bedingham attempted forced back-foot drives and edged to slip for 37 and 49 respectively.
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Markram → hit → 37
Wiaan Mulder was caught in two minds and bounced out by Cummins.
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Mulder → catch → Cummins
Tristan Stubbs top-edged the Australia captain to fine leg.
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Stubbs → edge → leg
In Australia's first innings, Renshaw, who ground out a superb 190, faced 52 deliveries pitched as short and played a pull or hook shot to four of them.
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who → grind → them
He scored runs with only one of those shots - when he had 176 runs to his name and had faced 368 balls.
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he → score → balls
Six overs after Stubbs was caught, Marco Jansen, who had struck six fours in quickly reaching 26, also tried to pull Hazlewood off a fuller length and was tamely caught at mid-off.
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who → catch → off
The quality of the bowling and fact the Proteas are playing their first Test since November were other factors in South Africa's slide.
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Proteas → play → slide
Smith soars back to number one
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Smith → soar → number
At the other end, off-spinner Lyon bowled 19 overs at less than three runs per over.
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Lyon → bowl → over
The 39-year-old had a more worn pitch to utilise than South Africa's spinners and found significantly more turn and threat.
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old → have → turn
He also had the sprawling Steve Smith to his advantage.
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He → have → advantage
Both of Smith's catches off Lyon, first to dismiss Temba Bavuma and then Kyle Verreynne, were feats of anticipation.
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Both → dismiss → anticipation
He saw both right-handers shape to reverse sweep, gambled and clung on at close range.
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handers → see → range
In between, Smith's leaping catch at second slip after Cummins found Bedingham's edge took the 37-year-old back above Joe Root as the non-wicketkeeper with the most catches in Test history on 223.
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Cummins → leap → 223
While he ended the day with three more catches than Root, he still has a catch percentage about 77%, which sits below the format average.
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which → end → average
He creates, and occasionally drops, chances such as these - chances others would not have created.
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others → create → these
Pace cartel appears as good as ever
The result is Australia's fabled foursome now have 607 wickets in Tests in which they have played as a quartet.
The next most successful bowling four-pronged attack is James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, who took 415 wickets in their 31 Tests together for England.
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who → appear → England
Much has been made of Australia's ageing side and a perceived lack of succession planning.
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Much → make → planning
He is also averaging his most swing in a calendar year since 2015.
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He → average → 2015
The concern for Australia comes when they are not fit, with Hazlewood having missed all five of last winter's Ashes Tests and Cummins four.
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Cummins → come → Tests
Australia's issue right now is keeping each of their quartet on the field, because they appear as good as ever.
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they → keep → field
At 33-0, Australia lead South Africa by 139 runs.
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Australia → lead → runs
Even with bad light halting play early again, they should have the time to press home an advantage across the Test's final two days.
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they → halt → days
The Aporia
