Australia beat South Africa inside two days of wicket-laden first Test in Brisbane
Australia beat South Africa inside two days of first Test in Brisbane after skittling Proteas for 99 on a Gabba green-top and then stuttering to victory target of 24; Australia skipper Pat Cummins takes five-wicket haul as team-mate Mitchell Starc claims 300th Test wicket
Sunday 18 December 2022 10:16, UK
Australia completed a remarkable six-wicket victory over South Africa on a 19-wicket day two of the first Test as the Proteas crumbled on a green pitch in Brisbane.
South Africa followed being skittled for 152 on day one at The Gabba by collapsing to 99 all out a day later, leaving Australia 34 runs to win and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The hosts were reduced to 24-4 as Kagiso Rabada claimed four quick wickets - Usman Khawaja (2), David Warner (3), Steve Smith (6) and Travis Head (0) - with Marnus Labuschagne (5no) and Cameron Green (0no) the unbeaten batters as Australia won in eight overs.
Australia's top-scorer was extras (19) with the five wides they picked up off Anrich Nortje's wild bouncer clinching victory ahead of the second Test in Melbourne from Boxing Day.
The triumph at Brisbane was only Australia's second two-day win in Tests, with their first coming against West Indies in Melbourne during the 1930/31 series.
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Australia captain Pat Cummins took 5-42 in South Africa's second innings, while Mitchell Starc claimed 2-26 and made Rassie van der Dussen his 300th Test scalp when bowled him for a duck with a gorgeous in-swinging yorker.
South Africa captain Elgar: Was the pitch unsafe?
At just 144.3 overs long, the game was the eighth shortest completed match in Test history and the second shortest since 1935.
With 34 wickets falling inside two days, questions will be asked of the pitch, with South Africa skipper Dean Elgar saying he asked the umpires if it was safe for the game to continue.
South Africa captain Dean Elgar said: "You've got to ask yourself if that's a good advertisement for Test cricket. It was a pretty one-sided affair I would say. I don't think it was a very good Test wicket.
"I did ask the umpires how long does it go on for until it's potentially unsafe? I know the game was dead and buried, it was never to try and change or put a halt to the game.
"I'm still trying to wrap my brain around what's happened the last two days. It was challenging for the batters, no doubt, which is okay if it's a good contest between bat and ball - but I don't see it as a fair contest."
Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon said: "Everyone's probably saying the wicket is probably too much but it just shows the quality of bowlers that are running around out here out here."
Australia had turned their overnight 145-5 to 218 all out on Sunday morning, with Head making 92 from 96 deliveries.
Batting second time around, South Africa tumbled to 5-3 as Elgar (2), Sarel Erwee (3) and Van der Dussen departed and they were 69-9 after 32 overs, before Keshav Maharaj (16) and Lungi Ngidi (9) took their side just shy of three figures.
