SERIES SETBACK: Proteas point to ‘soft dismissals’ after batting collapse hands Australia first Test
Australia 390 and 314-6 declared (Matt Renshaw 190 and 82, Wiaan Mulder 4-68) beat South Africa 284 and 206 (Aiden Markram 75, Josh Hazlewood 6-49) by 214 runs.
South Africa suffered a significant setback in the opening Test match against Australia, conceding 214 runs following a batting collapse. The Proteas ended Day 5 on 86 for four, trailing the Australians by 319 runs. The Australians, led by captain Pat Cummins and featuring experienced bowlers like Matt Renshaw and Josh Hazlewood, won the match by 214 runs.
South Africa's Aiden Markram attempted to delay the inevitable defeat with a stubborn 75, but he could only hold on for 75 balls. Markram was the ninth man to be dismissed, prompting the Australians to seal the match. Hazlewood's best bowling figures of six for 49 in the second innings further contributed to the Australian victory.
While spinner Keshav Maharaj attributed the team's poor performance to rustiness after a year-long absence from Test cricket, he acknowledged the need for improvement and the return of key bowler Kagiso Rabada for the second Test.
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Also reported by 3 other outlets
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- Bethell returns as England name white-ball squads for Australia series channelnewsasia.com
