Lunch South Africa 1 for 90 (Petersen 45*, Amla 29*) v Australia
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South Africa reached a contented 1 for 90 at lunch after Australia's
bowlers fluffed their lines somewhat on the opening morning of the first
Test at the Gabba.
On a tacky pitch that offered some initial movement but will get get
quicker as it dries a little more, Alviro Petersen and Hashim Amla
established a firm foundation for the visitors despite the loss of the
captain Graeme Smith to James Pattinson.
Apart from a brief spell either side of Smith's wicket in which
Pattinson and Peter Siddle found the ideal length and line to cause
discomfort, neither batsman was particularly troubled, Ben Hilfenhaus
lacking the incisiveness he showed last summer, despite tidy figures.
Nathan Lyon found bounce and spin but was not allowed to settle by Amla,
leaving the prospect of a long day ahead for Michael Clarke's team
unless some wickets can be found on resumption.
Hoping to find some early movement after Smith chose to bat first,
Australia's bowlers made an indifferent start. Hilfenhaus and Pattinson
were too short and too straight in the early overs, allowing Smith and
Petersen the chance to tuck several deliveries away to the legside.
The home side's nerves were conveyed by a frivolous decision referral
when a Hilfenhaus delivery brushed Smith's pad on the way through to
Matthew Wade down the legside, leaving them with only one more for the
remainder of the innings.
As he also did at times last summer, Siddle showed the way by bowling a
little fuller and extracting some more deviation from the surface. With
the last ball of the innings' 10th over he fizzed one past Petersen's
bat on the ideal length, and Pattinson paid attention.
Swung around to the end from which he nipped out five New Zealand
batsmen in the second innings of the corresponding Test last year,
Pattinson's first ball of a new spell straightened on off stump to
Smith, who looked palpably lbw. The umpire Billy Bowden was unconvinced,
but an incandescent Pattinson encouraged a referral that had Bowden's
finger belatedly raised.
Amla was greeted initially by a round the wicket line of attack, but was
desperately close to another lbw when Pattinson returned to more
conventional tactics. Petersen was meanwhile playing unobtrusively and
well, making use of the pull shot whenever the bowlers dropped short and
rotating strike intelligently.
Lyon's introduction revealed plenty of bounce and some turn on the first
morning, but Petersen and Amla showed plenty of attacking intent to
keep the spinner from settling. Amla advanced to crash a straight six,
and by the interval was looking ominous in the way familiar to England.
The tourists had gone against expectations by leaving out the legspinner
Imran Tahir, instead handing a debut to the seamer Rory Kleinveldt.
Smith explained that the allrounder Jacques Kallis was carrying a niggle
and may not be able to bowl his usual quota.
Australia chose to go in with three quicks and the spin of Lyon, the
left-armer Mitchell Starc missing out. They too have a debutant, the No.
3 batsman Rob Quiney, who was presented with his baggy green cap by the
former Australia captain Allan Border.
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here
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