Philander 'hardest I faced' says Ponting

Champion Australia batsman Ricky Ponting faced some of the world's finest fast bowlers in his illustrious career, from Wasim and Waqar to Ambrose and Anderson, but he says Proteas paceman Vernon Philander is the hardest bowler he ever faced when conditions suited.

Philander was mesmerising on day one of the second Commonwealth Bank Test in Hobart, blowing away Australia's top order with the new ball before returning to finish off the tail and collect 5-21.

In between the bouts of brilliance, Philander spent a stint on the sidelines after a heavy mid-pitch collision with Steve Smith left him with an injured left shoulder, but he returned after lunch with seemingly no ill effects.

Quick Single: Philander puts Smith tangle behind him

The 31-year-old's 10th five-wicket haul in Test cricket was the cornerstone of South Africa's demolition job of Australia, who were bowled out for 85 inside 33 overs, their lowest score on home soil in more than 30 years.

South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl under overcast skies and on a pitch that had more than a tinge of green in conditions more akin to Headingley than Hobart.

Quick Single: Wickets galore in topsy-turvy Hobart

After watching Philander torment Australia and at a venue with a stand named after him, Ponting revealed it was the Proteas right-armer who troubled him the most when the wicket and weather assisted seam bowling.

"He is probably the hardest I faced in world cricket with those type of conditions because you don't get any visual clues with the swinging ball," Ponting told BT Sport.

"Most other guys when there's movement, the ball actually swings in the air first and you have some sort of idea of which way the ball is going to go.

"He doesn't swing the ball at all. It comes out of his hand dead straight and he doesn't know which way it's going to go off the pitch either.

"So you sort of end up trying to find and feel ... for which way the ball is going to go.

"We saw a couple of replays today; the release was exactly the same on two balls in a row, they landed in almost exactly the same spot, one seamed away and the other one seamed in.

"He's just a class act when the ball is seaming."

Ponting was dismissed twice by Philander in the four Tests he played against the South African – on both occasions leg before wicket – with the first coming in Australia's horrific innings of 47 at Newlands in November 2011.

There is no bowler in the history of Test cricket with at least 40 wickets who has a better average (11.88) or strike rate (24.1) than Philander when his side wins the toss and elects to bowl first.

In those six matches when his captain sends the opposition in, the right-armer has taken 43 wickets with a better mean than some of the all-time great Test bowlers, including Imran Khan, Allan Donald, Muthiah Muralitharan, Sir Richard Hadlee, Malcom Marshall, Dennis Lillee and Glenn McGrath.

While it might appear like magic to those watching on in the Ricky Ponting Stand at Blundstone Arena or the Australia batsmen out in the middle, Philander says fast bowlers must back themselves and be patient in order to have success when the situation is in their favour.

"You have to have confidence in your ability to execute your skills," Philander said after play on Saturday. "This wicket, together with the overhead conditions this morning, suited us to a tee."

"Whenever there's assistance around for the bowlers I think sometimes batters need to feel a bit more positive show a bit more intent.

"Sometimes that can lead to their downfall, where I think when there's a bit (of movement) around you've got to be a bit more patient, leave a few more good balls.

"Everyone bowled pretty well today, I don't think there were a lot of soft dismissals, a lot of good balls being bowled."

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