Nine balls of pure genius: Starc spell that shredded South Africa
When most Australians called it a night at lunch on day one of the Cape Town Test, South Africa was 0-140 after being sent in and many were bracing to wake up to a grim scoreline.
What you would not have anticipated, was South Africa getting bowled out by stumps.
Mitchell Starc celebrates the wicket of Kagiso Rabada of South Africa. Getty Images
Thanks to the efforts of Mitchell Starc, however, that was indeed the case.
Starc took six wickets after lunch, starting with the removal of the Proteas’ dangerous No.3 David Bedingham for 50, and Wiaan Mulder for a duck.
But it was his work with the second new ball from there that thrust Australia back into the Test match.
The Aussies turned to their strike bowler late on day one, hoping to break a partnership that was establishing itself.
Starc took the new ball with figures of 2-70. South Africa was 6-325, Ryan Rickelton (41 off 80) and Marco Jansen (51 off 69) were ready to push South Africa’s innings into day two and towards a daunting total.
It would have broken the backs of the Aussies, who oddly elected to bowl first.
What happened next? Here’s every ball of Starc’s magical new ball spell.
Ball 1: Three slips and a gully, but the ball is short of a length, wide outside off stump and driven square to deep point for one by Rickelton … warm-up delivery, don’t worry.
Ball 2: Short length and straight, but no steep bounce. Comfortably punched by Jansen to deep point for one. Not full enough to get any swing.
Ball 3: Wide and short. Seams away sharply through to Carey. Rickelton flashes the bat at it and misses. Wayward delivery.
Ball 4: WICKET. Full and straight. Any fuller and he might have hit him on the toes. Starts at leg stump and swings right into the pad. Could not have been any more plum lbw. Rickelton thought it was going down leg side and was trying to guide it into the deep, but was beaten completely by the swing. Vintage Starc delivery.
Ball 5: Simon Harmer the next man in. Starc short of a length again, hits Harmer on the thigh pad, they scurry through for one.
Ball 6: WICKET. Full delivery, swings away from Jansen and nips back to kiss his off stump and remove the bail. Perfect ball from Starc. Pace, swing and seam. An absolute peach. He’s removed both established batters in an over.
Ball 7: WICKET. Start of Starc’s second over with the second new ball. Knocks over Gerald Coetzee for a golden duck. Full and cramps him for space. It swings late and back at his pads, crashes into them and then ricochets into his stumps. He got nowhere near it. A bit of bad luck that it has bounced into the stumps, but he was completely beaten by the swing and pace. Leg stump cartwheels away.
Starc rips through Coetzee. Fox Cricket
Ball 8: Out comes Kagiso Rabada for the hat-trick ball. Slightly shorter length delivery, not much swing. It hits the pitch and jags hard away from the outside edge of Rabada’s likely premeditated, back foot defence and straight to Carey behind the stumps. Didn’t quite get it full enough to give it a chance to grab an edge.
Ball 9: WICKET. Gets it fuller again, and it swings leg side before straightening and crashing into Rabada’s back pad, below his knee. Plum lbw again. Rabada tried the same back foot defence, but it beat his outside edge and hit the pad. Four wickets in six balls. Day over.
From 6-325 and cruising to the end of play, South Africa was bowled out for 329.
And while you would likely still give them the points on day one, given they were sent in, Starc ensured that the Test remains in the balance.
The spell typified what has been an incredible run for the 36-year-old, coming off his Player of the Series performance in the Ashes, taking 31 wickets at an average of 19.93.
Pat Cummins’ decision to bowl first still looks like the wrong one, but Starc has saved his bacon to an extent.
Now it’s over to the Aussie batters to make something of this Test match.
