First Test LIVE updates: Australia bowl first against South Africa at The Gabba
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Toss: Australia opt to bowl
Pat Cummins wins the toss and opts to bowl – “good to be back” as he comes into the line-up and Michael Neser drops out. Just quietly, tipping Scott Boland’s movement to be a factor on this pitch.
South African skipper Dean Elgar concedes the visitors “batting has been a little under par” as their weakest link goes under the microscope. It’s a short batting order too, keeper Verreynne is in at six with five bowlers – the four seamers and underrated left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
South Africa: Dean Elgar (captain), Sarel Erwee, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi
All out for 15, England debut teen record-holder
Around the grounds before we get underway, Sydney Thunder set an unwanted record overnight falling to 15 all out against the Adelaide Strikers.
It’s the world’s lowest completed men’s T20 batting innings, trumping luminaries including Turkey (all out for 21 against Czech Republic in 2019) and Mali (twice dismissed for 30 against Kenya and Rwanda this year).
Henry Thornton (5-3) and Wes Agar (4-6) doing the damage for Strikers.
And the final England-Pakistan Test kicks off later today with the youngest ever English debutant stepping out in 18-year-old leggie Rehan Ahmed.
He’s only played three first-class games but was tipped for greatness early on by greatness personified, Shane Warne himself backing Ahmed in as a teen.
Pakistani opener Azhar Ali has also announced this is his last Test after a fine 96-game career.
Poll: How does this Test play out?
The state of play
As we said, it’s 1 v 2 in the world as far as the Test Championship next June is concerned. A series win for Australia will all but seal their spot at Lord’s next year after bottling a rails run in the previous edition.
As it stands it’s effectively that top four that includes Sri Lanka and India as well that can secure the top two positions, England’s stunning form of late won’t be enough.
If Australia go down to South Africa in this series it ramps up an already tantalising four-Test tour of India in February, while the South Africans turn around and face the Windies at home. If they can jag a Test against the Aussies and then presumably dismantle the West Indies, you’d expect them to finish top two.
Welcome one, welcome all – is this a bowl first pitch?
Morning sports fans,
Bit of rain about here in the Maroubra Bureau but looks a treat at the Gabba where it’s 1 v 2 in the world as Australia host South Africa in the first Test.
She’s a green old deck up north and with a touch of cloud cover and both sides boasting top class pace attacks, will there be a thought to bowling first for the winner of the toss?
Those cries of ‘nooooooo’ you can hear are Nasser Hussain from 2003, the last visiting captain to bowl first and win a Test at the Gabba was New Zealand’s Jeremy Coney back in 1985.
We’ve got Malcolm Conn and Daniel Brettig on the ground as usual and we’ll have the toss and confirmed XIs when they land. First ball at 11.20am AEDT.
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