South Africa dismiss Australia's Smith on opening day of WTC final
South Africa pacemen destroy Australia top order
LONDON: South Africa dismissed the dangerous Steve Smith to wrest back the initiative on the opening day of the World Test Championship final Wednesday but the defending champions recovered to reach 190-5 at tea.
Australia had earlier collapsed to 67-4 at Lord's after being sent in to bat by Proteas captain Temba Bavuma, with fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen taking two wickets apiece.
As conditions for batting eased at the increasingly sunny ground, Smith and all-rounder Beau Webster shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 79.
But Smith, having survived against South Africa's frontline quicks, fell to part-time spinner Aiden Markram for 66, leaving Australia struggling at 146-5.
At tea, they had moved on to 190-5, with Webster 55 not out and Alex Carey unbeaten on 22. Australia were in desperate trouble in overcast conditions in the early overs in London, reduced to 16-2 after losing Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in a single Rabada over.
Khawaja fell for a 20-ball duck in the seventh over, edging behind to David Bedingham at first slip.
Three balls later 12-1 became 16-2 when Green edged low to second slip, where Markram held a superb diving catch. Rabada had now taken two wickets for four runs in four balls.
The 30-year-old, who has more than 300 Test wickets, is playing his first Test after serving a one-month ban for cocaine use earlier this year.
Australia have struggled to find a regular opening partner for Khawaja since David Warner's retirement 17 months ago, with Marnus Labuschagne the latest batsman tried out.
The 30-year-old, without a Test century for nearly two years, battled hard but was undone by classic fast-bowling from towering left-armer Jansen, dismissed for 17 of 56 balls. Hit on the shoulder the previous ball when trying to duck a bouncer, Labuschagne pushed tentatively at a Jansen delivery from around the wicket and got a thin edge through to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, leaving Australia 46-3.
They had been in similar trouble in the 2023 final against India across London at the Oval, only for Smith and Travis Head to both score hundreds as they turned the match in Australia's favour.
Head, however, could only manage 11 before he glanced Jansen, with Verreynne holding an excellent diving one-handed catch. Smith, who survived a close lbw appeal on 26 against Jansen, went to fifty when he cut Rabada for a ninth four.
But he became only Markram's fourth Test victim in 46 matches when he edged a booming drive and Jansen, at slip, clung on at the third attempt.
Webster completed his fifty off 69 balls to underline the batting depth of Australia, who managed 123 runs for just the loss of Smith's wicket in the second session. – AFP
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