Proteas skittle Australia before lunch for innings win

Trailing by 241 runs in second innings, after they were all out for 85 in the first innings, Australia were bundled out at 161 in 60.1 overs as the match finished on the fourth day itself.

When a team fails to turn the proceeding in their favour everything seems wrong.

Seemingly only pacemen Hazlewood and Starc, opener David Warner and captain Steve Smith are assured of spots. While Smith was fielding at slip Warner was at on-field.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said on Sunday that preparation could not have been an issue.

In the team rankings, South Africa are eyeing fourth position after taking a 2-0 lead. Australia won the limited over series.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re going in the right direction for Australian cricket because at the moment we haven’t been”, Lehmann told a news conference.

“We now wish them everything of the best for our historic day/night Test match in Adelaide”.

It was unbelievable because it was more dominant than a South African side has ever been in Australia.

Morale has not been so low since 2013, when the homeworkgate affair prompted Mickey Arthur’s sacking and Australia dropped six straight Tests.

“Embarrassed” skipper Steve Smith said Australia needed a shake-up but backed under-fire coach Darren Lehmann after the hosts slumped to a humiliating series defeat to South Africa on Tuesday.

It is South Africa’s third successive Test series win Down Under and Smith pulled no punches in his assessment of the situation. This is their three consecutive series victory Down Under.

“People expect it to be hard for the Australian cricket team away from home, but this has happened in our backyard, our fortress”.

Surely Cricket Australia could have had the vision to realise that potential Test aspirants and the current XI for the final match of the South African series and the first match of the Pakistan series in Brisbane next month would need the best possible adjustment to the pink ball. So it proved that Proteas reserve bench is ready to serve whenever required.

Rabada jumped four places to take 16th slot in the rankings for Test Bowlers. We are not willing to tough it out and get through tough periods.

Smith went on to say that South Africa’s bowling attack was sublimely accurate and consistent throughout the respective spells. “It’s just about being able to spend enough time out there, grind it out”, he said. His personal score reads 0, 34, 48*, 31. Chaos compounded as No. 3 Usman Khawaja and No. 5 Adam Voges were dismissed and Australia was four wickets down for eight runs.

While the Australian bowlers will be granted a rest ahead of the third Test, the batsmen will be seen in action in the Sheffield Shield tournament in order to regain form.

“Philander and Abbott and Rabada, on a wicket that’s got a little bit in it, they just keep coming back and hitting that 10-cent piece and not giving you any freebies”.