Green puts Australia in control in Boxing Day Test

Right-arm fast bowler Cameron Green grabbed his first ever Test five-wicket haul to put Australia right on top on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at the MCG yesterday.

The 23-year-old all-rounder returned splendid bowling figures of five wickets for 27 in 10.4 overs as South Africa were bundled out for 189 in 68.4 overs after they were invited to bat first.

In reply, Australia reached 45 for one at stumps with David Warner playing in his 100th Test unbeaten on 32 and the home side trailing by 144 runs. Green’s previous best bowling figures were three for 21 against England at Hobart in January 2022.

Wicket-keeper batsman Kyle Verreynne (52) and bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen (59) however, rescued the Proteas with a fighting 112-run stand for the sixth wicket after they had collapsed to 58 for four at one stage. Marnus Labuschagne put down a tough chance off Jansen at short leg, before the Proteas number seven then smashed Nathan Lyon for back-to-back boundaries.

Jansen received another life in the last over of the second session, with Usman Khawaja dropping a catch in the deep off Pat Cummins. Earlier, South Africa made an encouraging start after being beaten in record time in the first Test at Brisbane, but they lost three wickets – including Captain Dean Elgar – in the last half hour of the first session.

Australia players celebrate a dismissal

After crawling to 56 for one, the Proteas lost two more wickets for just three runs to vindicate Cummins’ decision to bowl first for the second consecutive match after winning the toss.

Prolific quick Scott Boland (1/34) claimed the opening wicket of the second Test, removing opener Sarel Erwee (18) as Khawaja hung on to a catch at second slip.

Number three bat Theunis de Bruyn, who was promoted into the Proteas team for this match, was out to all-rounder Green after badly mistiming a pull shot to be caught by wicket-keeper Alex Carey for 12. Elgar endured nervous moments after playing onto his stumps from a Boland delivery as the ball rolled so slowly that the bails did not dislodge. The left-handed opener, who passed 5,000 Test runs during the session, was dropped when Lyon put down a tough chance off Green’s bowling. But Elgar failed to capitalise on his good fortune and was run out for 26 by some brilliance in the field from Labuschagne.

Chief scores

South Africa: 189 (Dean Elgar 26, Kyle Verreynne 52, Marco Jansen 59, Mitchell Starc 2/39, Cameron Green 5/27)

Australia: 45/1 (David Warner 32 n.o). (C.D)