South Africa vs Australia 2018: 2nd Test, day 1 - 5 things we learnt from the day
Buoyed by a spectacular spell from Kagiso Rabada, South Africa reduced Australia to 243 after the visitors had gotten off to a terrific start under cloudy skies after opting to bat first. David Warner and Cameron Bancroft put on 98 for the opening wicket before Vernon Philander, miserly as ever, struck at the stroke of lunch. He removed Usman Khawaja as well but it was Lungisani Ngidi's jaffa to David Warner that opened the flood gates.
A pumped-up Rabada, who had been mediocre in the first session, roared to form and nipped out the Aussie skipper, Steven Smith, before picking up three more wickets in the next over to pull the Aussies down. He completed a fifer but a late fightback from Tim Paine helped Australia add 61 for the last two wickets before Ngidi sealed the innings with two wickets.
South Africa lost Aiden Markram in the few overs before the close of play but a resolute Kagiso Rabada saw them through further unscathed.
#5 Australian openers ride their luck and make merry
Faf du Plessis admitted to being "50-50" about what to opt for if he had won the toss at Port Elizabeth after Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. With moisture present after the rains and some grass on the pitch, it really was a Vernon Philander kind of morning. He was relentless with his lines and forced the ball to miss the bat countless times, but the edge eluded.
David Warner and Cameron Bancroft stood firm as South Africa's seam bowlers extracted dangerous movement off the pitch. That said, Rabada was quite short and except for Vernon Philander, none of the others couldn't quite make the Aussies pay. The openers put on a 98 run stand to hurt South Africa's chances.