Rain rules in Hobart as South Africa’s progress is delayed

Smith and wicketkeeper Neville spared their team the unenviable record for the lowest innings in test cricket, surpassing New Zealand’s 26 against England in 1955.

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland has put the test team’s struggles firmly at the door of the players, rejecting suggestions they were unprepared.

Lets talk about the hosts first who will be vary of the fact that anything less than a ideal show by their bowlers will mean the end of the Test for them.

It took South Africa just eight more overs in the final session to dismiss the remaining four wickets of Australia and have them bowled out at 85 runs in their first innings with Philander returning back to complete a five-wicket haul.

South Africa, without the injured AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn, already lead the three-Test series 1-0.

Temba Bavuma, who became Joe Mennie’s first Test wicket when he lashed at a ball on an awkward length, also went close to bettering Australia’s first innings total.

Smith’s team have been under vast scrutiny after their emphatic 177-run loss to South Africa in the Perth Test, and the latest batting collapse has only added to the mounting pressure on the players.

Critics pointed to other recent dark days in Australian cricket and the nightmares of their miserable 47 in Cape Town in 2011 and England’s demolition for 60 at Trent Bridge past year.

“Looking at the scoreboard I think we are a little bit ahead. We lost 10-86 in the last Test”, Lehmann said.

“From our point of view, it is disappointing and disconcerting because this is not the first act of racial vilification we have received while touring Australia over the years. I appreciate the pressure comes on Rod, he knows that this comes with the role, but there are people in that situation all the time and every time you say someone is not going to stay and you exit them straight away it doesn’t respect the work that they are doing at the time”.

Summing up the conditions, Lehmann said he had been reminded very much of Nottingham past year, when the Australians were shot out for 60 before lunch on day one of a match they had to win to avoid losing the Ashes.

“It’s a big step up and it’s a real challenge and even more so if you don’t have the players around you that are performing”.

Speaking to BT Sport, the Tasmanian felt, “He (Philander) is probably the hardest I faced in world cricket with those type of conditions because you don’t get any visual clues with the swinging ball”. “I think, I’m a better cricketer now for Test cricket than I was when I played my five (Tests)”.