Australia’s latest collapse turns up heat on top order

Former Australia quick Damien Fleming, commentating for radio at Lord’s, perhaps put it best. “Things aren’t making sense.”

His comment came during the final session on the second day as Australia collapsed to 73 for 7, with much of the damage being done by the perceived weaker links of South Africa’s attack in Lungi Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder.

There was almost too much to pick through in one go. Only a couple of hours before being cleaned up by Ngidi, Pat Cummins had been walking off, ball in hand, saluting a six-wicket haul and his 300th in Tests.

“Am I too optimistic?” Dale Steyn tweeted with a picture of the Newlands scoreboard from when Australia were bowled out for 47 in 2011, South Africa overturning a deficit of 188 to win by eight wickets.

It wasn’t quite that dramatic, but as Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster and latterly Cummins departed in the space of 42 balls the game was being upended. In the nick of time Alex Carey, with help from Mitchell Starc, provided some substance, and given the nature of the game may well have given Australia enough to defend.

“The mood in the changing room was pretty positive towards the end there,” Cummins said. “It was a great partnership. With each run it was almost like a run chase. You’re like, that’s good, four runs, getting pretty loud claps, especially from Marnus. He’s always pretty noisy. A pretty good way to end the day.”

Low-scoring Tests are absorbing – and the numbers have shown how the game has changed in the World Test Championship era – but it shouldn’t completely absolve the batters. Data gathered by the broadcaster showed the pitch itself was not doing anything especially untoward compared to historical numbers, even if the batters may want to suggest otherwise.

For all Australia’s success in recent years, they still have a good collapse in them. The series against India last year began with one in Perth, earlier in 2024 they had lost 8 for 94 as Shamar Joseph inspired West Indies to victory at the Gabba and that same summer lost 6 for 68 against Pakistan at the MCG, although they were able to win that game (in no small part due to Cummins).

At Lord’s both teams have batted as though short on preparation, which is exactly what they are. South Africa tried to have a practice game, only for weather to allow just one day of play against Zimbabwe, while Australia opted purely for centre-wicket and nets. But whereas the inexperience of South Africa’s line-up was widely acknowledged, Australia was viewed as having more pedigree; experience was one of the deciding factors in Labuschagne being retained ahead of Sam Konstas. How much has Konstas benefited by not playing this game?

The Australia top order occupied much of the scrutiny heading into this Test. In six innings between them Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green have made 49 runs.

Khawaja is becoming a concern against quality pace. It’s not just a Jasprit Bumrah problem. At Lord’s he twice edged Rabada from around the wicket to the slips. The 232 he made in Galle shouldn’t be wiped from the memory, but it perhaps didn’t answer too many questions about the twilight of his career.

A lean return to Test cricket for Green does not need to change the belief he is part of Australia’s long-term batting future, but runs for Gloucestershire in Division Two of the County Championship can only count for so much when preparing to face Rabada – and there’s no need to talk about the other South Africa quicks, because Green didn’t get a chance to take them on. In the first innings he edged his third ball against Rabada and today it was his second, pressing forward with hard hands on both occasions.

Then there’s Labuschagne, who benefited from the stance of offering one game too many rather than too few. Scores of 17 and 22 are about as middling as they come. The 120 balls he used up across the game won’t silence debates about his batting tempo. In both innings he has looked settled enough until nicking behind against Marco Jansen from around the wicket. He may well find that come Barbados in a couple of weeks that the selectors’ good will has run its course.

“I thought he looked sharp both innings,” Cummins said. “[There was] some really good bowling. He batted some tough overs, think he looked busy and looked like he had a really good plan. No doubt he would have liked to go on, but he got himself in, faced quite a few balls and looked in command of his skills out there.”

This time Smith couldn’t resurrect the innings, shuffling across and trapped lbw to give Ngidi as important a first wicket of the match as there could be. Head was cleaned up by Mulder and Webster was lbw in very similar manner to which he could have been out in the first innings, had South Africa reviewed.

Given what Cummins had done earlier in the day, and his ability to seize moments with the bat when most needed, it felt like the type of situation where he could produce a game-changing cameo. He was keen to play his shots as he cleared the off side against Ngidi but, in his own words, “missed a half volley on leg stump”.

As he walked off the field again, Australia’s were just 147 runs ahead and anything was possible. At that point Cummins said he would have been happy with a lead around 200. By the close Australia were sitting a little more comfortably but may still need their captain to come to the fore once more if they are to retain the mace.