Riding a wave of emotion set off by a celebratory crowd at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Cameron Green claimed his best bowling figures of his burgeoning international career when Australia bowled out South Africa for 189 on the opening day of the second Test.
Pace bowler Green (5-27) gave the eager fans something to cheer on by triggering a late-order collapse of five wickets for 10 runs as the 23-year-old claimed his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket on Monday .
Australia led the three game series with one clean sheet to go 45-1 on stumps in front of a crowd of 64,876.
David Warner were unbeaten on 32 with Marnus Labuschagne on five, leaving the home side 144 runs with nine wickets in hand after Usman Khawaja fell behind from Kagiso Rabada.
A good day of Test Cricket comes to an end on Boxing Day! South Africa lead by 144 runs in what has been a great game so far.
See you tomorrow for day 2! pic.twitter.com/2srGlbSgEU
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) December 26, 2022
Australia opted to bowl first and topped shortly after lunch as South Africa struggled 67-5 before Kyle Verreynne (52) and Marco Jansen (59) added 112 for the sixth wicket.
On a green-tinted field, South Africa’s batsmen had moved cautiously to 58 shortly before lunch due to the loss of Sarel Erwee (18) and Theunis de Bruyn (12).
Captain Dean Elgar (26) attempted a risky single to mid-off in the penultimate over before the break and was taken out by a direct hit from Marnus Labuschagne. Mitchell Starc removed Temba Bavuma who was behind for one of the next deliveries to stagger the tourists during lunch.
In the fifth over after lunch, Khaya Zondo took aim for five on a powerful drive to the halfway mark where Labuschagne had an excellent diving catch at 67-5, while Starc (2-39) claimed his second wicket of the innings. South Africa had lost four wickets for 11 runs.
Jansen fell short leg on 22 and on the leg-side boundary on 37, Jansen helped steady South Africa’s innings and reached his first half-century with an increased boundary to long-on, after Starc failed to get a difficult catch to hold. Starc briefly left the field for treatment on a sore middle finger.
Still “pinching himself” after last week’s decision by Indian Premier League team Mumbai Indians to pay more than $2 million at auction for his services in 2023, sent all-rounder Green Verreynne caught at first slip was gone at 179-6.
Green struck twice in his next over, leaving Jansen behind for 59 and Rabada to bowl for four. Green struck again in his third consecutive over, working his way through Lungi Ngidi’s defense to end the innings in the 69th over.
As well as cheering for Green off the pitch, fans on Monday also paid tribute to Test Cricket’s second leading wicket taker Shane Warne, who died in March 2022 aged 52. The Great Southern Stand at Melbourne Cricket Ground was renamed The Shane Warne Stand on 31 March. .
Fans were encouraged to wear floppy hats to honor the champion spin bowler. Warne reached the 700 wicket mark at his home ground in Melbourne in December 2006.
Both teams wore white floppy hats as they took to the field for the national anthem on Monday.
A huge sign reading “Warnie 350” was painted on the outfield to mark Warne’s test cap number. Play was briefly halted at 3:50 p.m. on Monday, prompting applause from fans and players. The Australian men’s test player of the year trophy will be renamed the Shane Warne Men’s Test Player of the Year, Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association announced on Monday.