Aussies fight after batting capitulation

A bleak day in Hobart descended into a dark day for Australian cricket that witnessed one of its most lamentable batting efforts on home turf and the reality that a fifth consecutive Test match is rapidly and prematurely slipping from its failing grasp.

After the days of critiques and consternation that followed their 177-run loss in Perth, Australia succumbed for 85 in just 32.5 overs against South Africa's meticulous bowling.

Then found the thick overhead cloud and green-tinged pitch that their batters enjoyed about as much as the Antarctic breeze whipping off the adjacent Derwent River offered disturbingly little comfort to their own bowlers.

As the Proteas survived a brief stumble to finish the first day holding a lead already in excess of Australia's innings with five wickets intact.

And the persistent rain forecast for tomorrow looming as Australia's best hope of pushing the three-match series into a decisive final Test.

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In an effort that will only compound the scrutiny the team has endured in the wake of the series whitewash in Sri Lanka and this week's loss in Perth, the Australians were humbled for their lowest score since last year's Ashes defeat at Nottingham.

Their poorest innings on home soil since they were knocked over for 76 at the WACA Ground 32 years ago to the day.

By a West Indian team that boasted one of the most feared attacks of all time, as opposed to a South African line-up lacking two of its most potent weapons (Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel).

And which required only six overs from the first Test's man of the match Kagiso Rabada, whose 1-20 was dwarfed by Vernon Philander's exemplary 5-21 and a handy 3-21 from Kyle Abbott who was drafted in as Steyn's replacement.

Australia captain Steve Smith – who lamented losing another toss that consigned his batters to confronting a pitch that was often challenging, occasionally maddening but rarely threatening – was the sole member of his XI to make it beyond 10.

The only Australian batter who looked even vaguely likely to survive long enough to make it that far on a day that the team can't forget quickly enough but which is likely to haunt them for quite some time to come.

And the only time Australia looked like they were legitimately in the hunt was the 10-ball spell from Mitchell Starc immediately after tea when he blasted out Proteas' openers Dean Elgar and Stephen Cook as well as last weekend's century-maker JP Duminy at a personal cost of three runs.

But no sooner had the fired-up left-armer kicked the door ajar than South Africa's former Test skipper Hashim Amla gently nudged it back into place via a timely 56-run partnership with Temba Bavuma (38no).

Who resumes the battle with wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock (28no) tomorrow morning, weather permitting.

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The ghosts of Australia's previous low ebb, the tragi-comedy of Trent Bridge that heralded the end of Michael Clarke's captaincy, were apparent well before Philander took the ball and started the procession.

The decision by Australia's selectors to axe seam-bowling allrounder Mitchell Marsh on his diminishing batting returns at number six and replace him with uncapped Callum Ferguson was not without recent precedent.

In that infamous fixture at Nottingham 15 months earlier, the sight of a bowler-friendly pitch and the previous frailties of a misfiring top-order led to the younger Marsh being replaced by his batsman brother, Shaun.

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With the end result being a first-innings humiliation that lasted less than a session and yielded 60 runs, with the additional batter contributing precisely none of those.

At least this time Ferguson was able to lift the final tally by three, and he looked as comfortable as anyone save his skipper during his 22-minute debut innings.

Although, the fact that the four who perished before him had managed 1, 1, 4 and a first-ball duck meant that comparison was about as meaningful as Smith's concession he would have bowled first had he won the coin toss.

Something he's not managed in his past five Tests, four of which have ended in hefty defeats and the fifth that seemed headed at speed in that direction as his team capitulated around him.

At Trent Bridge, Australia's torment came at the right hand of Stuart Broad who finished with a barely believable 8-15.

Today it was another right-arm seamer, Philander, who rarely threatened to push beyond the 130kph benchmark that notionally separates quicks from medium pacers, posing repeated questions to which the Australians had no answers.

Although the wicket that began the rout, the final delivery of Philander's first over, was something of a Dorothy Dix-er that Warner did well to reach with the far edge of his massive bat.

After that, Philander was as impeccable as he was economical with his fifth over proving the one that pushed an innings teetering on the edge over the precipice, and into free-fall.

In successive balls he squared up Usman Khawaja who edged low to the left of slip, and then produced the perfect delivery to Adam Voges whose streak of Bradman-esque batting now seems as distant as a summer's day in Hobart.

Compelled to play the peach from Philander that landed on a probing length around middle and off and nibbled away sufficiently to kiss the edge of his confident defensive stroke that, in the productive months past, would have invariably been met flush in the middle.

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Voges' past nine Test innings stretching back to the whitewash in Sri Lanka have produced 146 runs at an average of 16 without a half century, the sorts of numbers that led to Mitchell Marsh's demise a rung below him in the batting order.

But unless the selectors decide that now is the time to invoke generational change and blood another untried player ahead of upcoming campaigns against Pakistan (at home) and India (away) then the 37-year-old seems likely to earn a reprieve for the upcoming pink ball Test in Adelaide.

Largely because there is not yet others in the domestic ranks demanding to be picked on sheer volume of runs.

Ferguson's three has hardly vindicated his call-up, though he could not have dared script a more soul-destroying manner in which to surrender his wicket.

Defying the cricket truism to never run on a misfield, compounding the error by slipping on the verdant grass at the non-striker's end in attempting to turn it into two runs, and then seeing his forlorn dive for the batting crease fail by a matter of centimetres.

Run out by a direct hit from more than halfway to the backward point boundary by South Africa's reserve wicketkeeper Dane Vilas – someone who was not supposed to possess a throwing arm, and who wouldn't have been on the field but for a bizarre mishap three balls earlier.

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When Smith, struck on the pad as he walked across his stumps to defend Philander, took off for leg bye while watching the ball only to find Philander running backwards at him while launching a plaintive appeal for lbw.

The Australia captain only became aware of his opponent's presence at the final moment and, in bracing for the unavoidable contact, he inflicted sufficient damage on the bowler's shoulder that he was forced from the field having writhed on the ground for several minutes.

During which the review that was demanded of the incident had cleared Smith of an lbw, if not total culpability for the clash.

As it turned out, it was the most telling blow landed by an Australian in the first two sessions until Starc emerged from tea breathing fire.

Smith's innings of defiance (48no in 136 minutes – just 11 minutes less than his team's entire innings) was a contrast in more than the scoreboard contribution.

While his top-order batters looked intimidated and his lower-order colleagues (with the exception of debutant Joe Mennie) blithely without care, Smith was – for the most part – untroubled.

He defended astutely and hit the rare loose balls unerringly into the gaps and on five occasions – as many as the rest of his team combined – he defied the lush outfield to find the boundary.

The only thing he was unable to manage was a partnership with a teammate willing and able to place sufficient price on their wicket to hang in with him.

Which is rapidly becoming the defining characteristic of the current Australia outfit, as bereft of answers as it is out of form.

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