Nothing in it after day one of Durban Test
Aussie batsmen threaten to go big, but sharp Proteas reel them in to leave Test finely balanced
Durban Test matches are not complete without routine bad-light terminations and, this time, the fading light left the first day of the first Test between SA and Australia tantalisingly poised. Having won the toss and batted, Australia ended the day on 225/5 before the umpires ordered the players off the field with an hour remaining. Mitchell Marsh was un- beaten on 32 and Tim Paine on 21 for a 48-run stand. How well they bat on Friday will determine whether the wasted starts from their premier batsmen will be rued. Despite some occasional profligacy, the Proteas always found a way to reel in the visitors. After conceding 95 runs in 27 overs in the first session, 75 were conceded in the same number of overs in the afternoon session. The truncated evening session saw the addition of 50 runs in 20 overs. More importantly for the hosts, they took wickets in each session. Unconverted starts were the order of the day for the visitors. Steven Smith (56), David Warner (51) and Shaun Marsh (...
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