Day 1
Australia 85
South Africa 171/5
South Africa lead by 86 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Australia have become used to humiliating collapses in recent years. There was 47 all out in Cape Town in 2011. There was 60 all out in Nottingham last year. But, at least those debacles occurred halfway around the world, not in front of a home crowd. On the first day in Hobart, Australia found a new way to embarrass themselves, folding for 85 against South Africa, lasting only 32.5 overs as Vernon Philander led the perfect bowling display for the conditions.
Only one other time in the post-war era had Australia survived so few deliveries in a Test innings at home. That was in 1984, against Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Michael Holding at the WACA of old, mitigating circumstances if ever there were. The innings was over so quickly on that occasion that Courtney Walsh, on debut, didn't even get a bowl. In any case, Australia's captain Kim Hughes lasted only one more Test before resigning in tears.
Such context is important in understanding just how disastrous Australia's performance truly was on the first day in Hobart. Steven Smith was the only batsman capable of fighting, and he finished unbeaten on 48. Only one other man reached double figures: the debutant Joe Mennie, a bowler who came in at No.8 and struck a couple of boundaries in reaching 10. Australia's scorecard featured more single figures than a dating website.
But to focus entirely on Australia's batting is to unfairly devalue the efforts of South Africa's bowlers and fielders. Faf du Plessis won the toss and sent Australia in - Smith conceded he would also have fielded if he had the choice - and although there was cloud overhead and moisture in the pitch, the bowlers still needed to make the most of those advantages. With Philander their leader, they did that most brilliantly.
The ball moved off the seam, sharply at times, and it swung, and South Africa's bowlers found the perfect lengths and lines to make Australia's batsmen play. Philander finished with 5 for 21, remarkable considering he left the field mid-innings with what appeared at the time to be a nasty shoulder injury, and Kyle Abbott picked up 3 for 41. The catching and throwing - a direct hit from 12th man Dane Vilas especially - backed up the bowlers.
By stumps, Australia's bowlers had tried to fight back as best they could. Mitchell Starc was briefly at his fearsome best in a post-tea spell that brought him three wickets in 10 balls, and Josh Hazlewood backed him up with two breakthroughs, but Australia's miserable batting meant they had still given up a significant advantage by stumps. South Africa finished the day on 5 for 171 and were 86 runs in front, with Temba Bavuma on 38 and Quinton de Kock on 28.
Their partnership had reached 39, which meant that South Africa had already managed four stands of greater value than any put up by an Australian pair earlier in the day. Heavy falls had been expected in Hobart on Saturday, but it turned out to be wickets rather than rain. And it all began early, with both of Australia's openers back in the dressing room by the end of the second over of the match.
In the first over, David Warner flashed wildly and widely outside off and edged Philander behind. In the second over, the recalled Joe Burns was lbw to an Abbott delivery that jagged back so sharply, it was as if Abbott was bowling fast offspin. In the ninth over, Philander had Usman Khawaja caught at slip from another seamer, and next ball, he drew Adam Voges forward and nipped one away, which was edged behind to Quinton de Kock for a golden duck.
Australia were 4 for 8, which was their lowest four-down total in a Test innings for nearly 80 years. It was into this environment that debutant Callum Ferguson walked, needing also to survive his first ball in Test cricket in order to prevent a Philander hat-trick. He did that, but the chaos was far from over.
Ferguson was run out for 3 when he pushed Abbott through backward point, where Vilas misfielded. Ferguson came back for a second run but his dive was beaten by a stunning direct hit from the recovering Vilas, who had only been on the field for three balls after Philander left with a shoulder injury. Philander, who had 3 for 3 at the time, had collided painfully with Smith, but was able to return after lunch to help run through Australia's tail.
Australia lost a sixth wicket before lunch when Peter Nevill was lbw to Kagiso Rabada, and they went to the break on 6 for 43. After lunch, Philander bowled Mennie, before Abbott had both Starc and Hazlewood caught in the cordon, Hazlewood to a brilliant take by the diving Hashim Amla. Australia's humiliation - and Philander's five-for - was complete when Nathan Lyon edged behind for 2. Nobody had managed to stick around with Smith for any significant stay. He didn't even have time for a fifty.
If Australia hoped the conditions would make life equally difficult for South Africa's top order, they were to be initially disappointed. By tea, South Africa's openers had moved to 43 without loss, but after the resumption, Starc found a little of his best as a searing yorker trapped Dean Elgar lbw for 17 with the first ball of the session. Later that over, Starc also had Stephen Cook caught behind for 23, and in his next over, JP Duminy edged to slip on 1.
But South Africa moved along to 76 before losing a fourth wicket - du Plessis lbw for 7 to a Hazlewood delivery that seamed in - and all the while, Amla was frustrating Australia at the other end. Amla compiled 47 and put on 56 for the fifth wicket with Bavuma, before he edged behind off Hazlewood.
It meant 15 wickets had fallen in the day, although Australia lost twice as many as South Africa. And by stumps, South Africa had scored more than twice as many runs as Australia. As far as humiliations go, this day was right up there for Australia. Or, perhaps more accurately, down there.
Day 2
Australia 85
South Africa 171/5
South Africa lead by 86 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Persistent rain in Hobart forced the abandonment of the second day's play between Australia and South Africa without a ball being bowled.
It means that South Africa will resume on the third morning at 5 for 171, with Temba Bavuma on 38 and Quinton de Kock on 28, with a lead of 86 runs after Australia were skittled for 85 in seaming and swinging conditions on the first day.
However, the forecast for the remainder of the Test is much better, with the possibility of a small amount of rain on day three but the likelihood that the fourth and fifth days should be largely free of rain.
Play will start half an hour early on each of the remaining days, with the first ball due to be bowled at 10am.
Day 3
Australia 85 & 121/2
South Africa 326
Australia trail by 120 runs with 8 wickets remaining
On the first day, this Test was on some sort of stimulant. On the second day, it swallowed a sedative. And on the third day, it took a mood-stabiliser, as a degree normality resumed. There was neither the chaos of Saturday's 15 wickets, nor the dreariness of Sunday's wash-out, but rather something in between: seven wickets, a couple of rain delays, a Quinton de Kock century, and a fightback of sorts from Australia's batsmen. But still South Africa remained in control.
The situation at stumps was this: Australia had reached 2 for 121 in their second innings, with Usman Khawaja on 56 and Steven Smith on 18. David Warner had made 45 and Joe Burns a duck, and each would consider themselves unfortunate in their modes of dismissal. South Africa's fast men asked searching questions of Australia's top-order batsmen, who at last had a few answers. But they were still a long way from climbing out of the hole they dug on day one.
At the close of play Australia still needed 120 more runs to make South Africa bat again. That will be their first goal on day four. Only then can they consider building a target, and thus have any hope of salvaging a positive result from the Test. And although South Africa showed hints of frustration late on day three, as Vernon Philander convinced Faf du Plessis to chance a couple of fruitless reviews, there remained plenty in the pitch for Philander and his colleagues.
After South Africa had been dismissed for 326, with a lead of 241 runs, Australia's second innings started miserably as Burns fell for a duck in the first over when he tickled an attempted leg-glance off a wide Kyle Abbott delivery through to de Kock. It creates a precarious position for Burns, who was dropped in Sri Lanka, recalled for this Test to replace the injured Shaun Marsh, and will fly out of Hobart with 1 and 0 to his name.
Warner and Khawaja were watchful during a 79-run partnership, though they were often tested by Philander, Abbott and Kagiso Rabada. Balls seamed and swung, whizzed past edges or narrowly missed the stumps. But for 21 overs the pair survived, even when Warner's edge off Abbott flew towards third slip, where Dean Elgar ducked under the flying ball, perhaps having lost sight of it, to the astonishment of the rest of the cordon.
Abbott eventually had his man when Warner was tucked up by a shortish delivery at his ribs, and tried to work it behind square on the leg side. The ball bounced off Warner's hip and then ricocheted off his elbow and back into the stumps. But if Warner felt he was unlucky, Abbott had at least had reward for South Africa's plan to tuck Warner up in that region.
Khawaja, who was particularly strong through the cover and point regions, brought up his half-century from his 91st delivery and for the first time in the match, an Australian had reason to raise his bat. There had been a nervous moment early in Khawaja's innings when Warner pushed to point and took off for a single, and Khawaja gave up on making his ground as Temba Bavuma threw - and missed.
Earlier, Josh Hazlewood had completed the second six-wicket haul of his Test career as South Africa were bowled out for 326 shortly after lunch. De Kock and Bavuma were the key batsmen on the third day, compiling a 144-run sixth-wicket stand that added to Australia's frustration after the entire second day was lost to Hobart's rain.
South Africa started the morning five down and added a further 117 runs to their total in the first session for the loss only of de Kock. And even that took until the fourth-last over before lunch, when on 104 de Kock played a tired-looking drive against Hazlewood and missed a ball that moved back in, and was bowled.
Already de Kock had done more than enough damage. His fifth consecutive Test innings of fifty or more placed him in elite company: only Hashim Amla, Alan Melville, Hansie Cronje and Jacques Kallis (three times) among South Africans had achieved that feat before. He brought up his century from his 139th delivery with a single worked through square leg, and he was strong through the leg side right throughout his innings.
De Kock's poise during this series has been notable, as has Bavuma's patience and ability to halt any momentum Australia's bowlers might have thought they were getting. Here, Bavuma occupied the crease for 204 deliveries, more than the 197 balls that comprised Australia's entire first innings. Bavuma was calm at the crease and struck eight fours on his way to 74, before extra bounce and a leading edge to the off side belatedly gave Joe Mennie his maiden Test wicket.
Once Bavuma departed the end came relatively quickly. Hazlewood had Keshav Maharaj bowled for 1, Abbott lbw for 3, and then finished the innings with Philander caught behind for 32. South Africa had been dismissed for 326, a total that might not hint at domination of the match. But the story of this game was Australia's 85 on the first day, and an enormous task remained ahead of them to undo the damage caused by that collapse.
Day 4
Australia 85 & 161
South Africa 326
South Africa won by an innings and 80 runs
Take a bow, Kyle Abbott. Take a bow, Kagiso Rabada. Take a bow, Faf du Plessis and the entire South Africa squad. A month ago, this team arrived in Australia without its captain and best batsman, AB de Villiers, who is at home injured. They lost their best bowler, Dale Steyn, to a serious injury barely a day into the campaign. And yet they have not only beaten Australia in the series, they have crushed them. Humiliated them.
When this series schedule was announced, South Africa were worried that it might be decided by a pink-ball, day-night Test in Adelaide. They need not have feared. In Hobart, they have destroyed Australia by an innings and 80 runs to follow their hefty victory in Perth, and thus have secured a third consecutive series win in Australia. This was a total annihilation, Australia failing even to take the Test to lunch on day four - with a whole day having been lost to rain.
Australia faced only 558 deliveries in this Test, their fourth-lowest tally in a home Test loss, and their lowest since Don Bradman's debut match in 1928. In the first innings they collapsed for 85; at stumps on day three it seemed like they might have found some fight, having reached 2 for 121. But they were about to fold again. From the moment Usman Khawaja edged Abbott behind for 64, Australia lost 8 for 32 in less than 20 overs.
Australia have now lost their past five Tests and their past five ODIs. There will be recriminations and there will be consequences. It was hard to imagine Australia slipping further after the Perth Test, but when they travelled to Hobart they were in every way heading south. There are nine days until the Adelaide Test, and Australia will need every one of them. It is entirely possible significant changes will have been made by the next Test.
On the fourth morning, Australia's batsmen were completely unable to handle the swing, seam and bounce of Abbott and Rabada. In the first innings it was Vernon Philander who claimed a five-wicket haul, but in the second Abbott collected 6 for 77 and Rabada took 4 for 34. The fast bowlers have all stepped up in the most magnificent way since Steyn left the field in Perth with a serious shoulder injury.
They bowled so tightly on day four that Australia added only 40 to their overnight total in 24.1 overs. Philander might not have taken a wicket, but the pressure he built should not be underestimated. Philander bowled 30 dot balls on the fourth morning before Australia finally got a run off him. Steven Smith took 40 minutes to score his first runs of the day. When the wickets started to come, with Khawaja the first to go on 64, they came quickly.
Adam Voges was next, and it is now difficult to imagine him retaining his place for the Adelaide Test. In his past five Tests - against Sri Lanka and South Africa - he has averaged 14.8. In the five before that - against West Indies and New Zealand - he averaged 342. Forget chocolates to boiled lollies, he has gone from chocolates to Brussels sprouts. Here, a confused attempted leave lobbed off his gloves to slip off Abbott.
The debutant Callum Ferguson also fell trying to leave the ball. In his case, it was a lack of bounce that caused the problem, as he tried to sway under what he thought was a Rabada bouncer, but which stayed lower, clipped his gloves and flew away to slip. Ferguson had made 1, and it was a miserable way to end his first Test, having been run out by a direct hit in the first innings for 3.
If a lack of bounce did for Ferguson, Peter Nevill was brought undone by extra bounce, caught at slip when he fended a fierce Rabada bouncer on 6. Two balls later Rabada had Joe Mennie lbw for a duck, and any hope of late Australian resistance disappeared when Smith fell for 31 in Rabada's next over, caught behind to a ball that moved away just slightly.
Then it was just a matter of time. Mitchell Starc edged behind off Abbott and the result was confirmed when Nathan Lyon lobbed a catch to mid-on to give Abbott a six-wicket haul, and nine for the match. Australia had lost inside seven sessions of play, and South Africa had their third straight series win in Australia. And given their changing team, it is hard to imagine any has been sweeter than this.
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