35th over: South Africa 167-1 (Markram 66, Bedingham 4) Starc comes back, and smoked through point by Markram! That's his 800th run against Australia, in 14 hits. His average is back over 60 against this lot, in live terms. A little drive adds run 801.

34th over: South Africa 162-1 (Markram 61, Bedingham 4) Hazlewood immediately comes on to bowl to Bedingham, who has fallen to pace in each innings thise series. Some nice defensive shapes from Bedingham, who then expands into a cover drive for four.

Paul O'Neill writes in. "Re: Matthew Doherty's post (and your response). The two precedents to this flying start by SA (Edgbaston 2005 and Brisbane 2002) were very different, to my mind. I feel that Ponting put England in as an aggressive move - looking to press home the 1-0 series advantage - but I suspect that Nasser just didn't want to expose his batting lineup to yet more trauma at the hands of McGrath, Warne, etc. So which camp does Cummins fall into?"

Good question. I don't think he has huge faith in his batting, especially without Smith, but if they were ever going to bat well, it's day one in bright sunshine. Head and Renshaw would have enjoyed this track. I think the Aussies just got duped by the idea of more moisture in the wicket early. Cummins has been a bowl-first captain, much more than most. He's always considering it as a tactic, even on the days when he doesn't go that way.

33rd over: South Africa 158-1 (Markram 61, Bedingham 0) Suddenly the tempo changes. With Cummins to Markram, there are no streaky pull shots. Markram does nail one drive, but straight back at the bowler, preserving his own face by collecting that on the bounce. Otherwise, Markram waits and watches.

32nd over: South Africa 158-1 (Markram 61, Bedingham 0) It's been a bit of a wait, but Lyon has Test wicket 574. South Africa, notwithstanding, have an incredible platform. Markram and Ackerman don't quite get the Luckhurst-Boycott record.

Falls short of a hundred! Ohhh, the frustration. Ackerman half smiles, half grimaces as he walks off. Well into the 90s, wants to keep the foot down, stay true to the style that has brought him here. Charges down at Lyon, and the old stager is wise to that trigger movement, that foot shuffle that gives the batter away. Very slow and very wide – not Lyon, but the ball he bowls, sending it way outside the off stump, Ackerman moving to the leg side, and realising too late that he won't be able to reach it. He tries desperately to get any sliver of bat on that ball, but can't, and Carey's work is routine.

31st over: South Africa 157-0 (Markram 60, Ackerman 95) Another close call for Ackerman, that same pull shot! Goes at Cummins, gloves it in the air, and again it goes so fine, just past the keeper, away to the fence.

30th over: South Africa 151-0 (Markram 59, Ackerman 90) The singles keep coming from Lyon.

29th over: South Africa 148-0 (Markram 58, Ackerman 88) Cummins taking responsibility, but Ackerman keeps taking him on. Another heaving pull shot, another single to fine leg. He doesn't look convincing playing those, they never come out of the middle of the bat, and the top edge may do for him eventually. He'll probably have a ton by then, though!

28th over: South Africa 144-0 (Markram 57, Ackerman 85) Second ball after lunch, and it's another dropped catch! Lyon is excellent off his own bowling, has been his whole career, but this one is absolutely hammered, Ackerman charging and smoking it, but it was almost straight at Lyon, no need for a dive, just had to position the hands to absorb the impact. He can't, and the ball ricochets away, through Hazlewood at mid off, who almost makes a hash of his chase back to the rope. Just manages to keep the scoring to two, does the tall fast bowler. Nothing is going right for Australia.

Play is resuming.

"Marques Ackerman has now scored more in one innings (58) than Maddinson in four (56). Food for thought..." writes Luca Human.

Genuinely one of the worst Australian selection decisions ever made: for the team, for the wellbeing of the player, and for the integrity of the domestic system. I have a feeling that repercussions will continue for a long time.

This came in just before the break from Etienne Terblanche. "On the cusp of lunch...is anyone thinking of Barry Richards at Kingsmead in 1970. Incomparable, obviously, but 94* or thereabouts would be quite a feat from the young fella who looked as stodgy as Fred Swarbrook last week..."

Indeed, Richards was mentioned on commentary: he got to 94 and then blocked the last over to be responsible! A ton in the first session is wildly rare in Test cricket, only six players have done it to my recollection.

Ackerman had reason for stodge last week, to be fair. Zaltzman tells me that in first-class games since June 2025, he averages 70 and strikes at 99.

"Is Scott Boland the best reserve pace bowler ever?" asks Ewan Glenton. "What is it, he's played 20 tests over about five years and has nearly 90 wickets at 18.5? It brings to mind Malcolm Marshall when he carried the drinks for two or three years, kept out by Roberts, Holding, Garner & Croft, but Marshall was very young at the time and people generally didn't know how good he was or would become. But Boland… it's as if, say, the Windies also had a world-class spinner so peak Colin Croft kept on getting squeezed out."

I like the comparison. He does have an astonishing record, 87 wickets at 18.44. I have every hope that he'll get to 100 over the next few months. The thing is, if he were playing instead of Hazlewood, as people seem to suggest most often, then Hazlewood would also be the best reserve bowler over, with 311 wickets at 23.

Here's an email on this theme from Rob Knap. "I realise this already looks like a 'we'll have a bowl' gone wrong in the historical way. A different bowler in the Aussie attack probably wouldn't make a big difference... but: Scott Boland. The three quicks in the Big Four always seem to play if fit. Starc's not been great this series (as I type this Ackerman is smacking him all over the park). But then I suppose Starc bolsters the batting in a way Boland doesn't. But surely Boland should be playing, however they squeeze him in?"

This debate has been had a lot, so I'll lay out the case for the defence. Imagine three more career wickets for Hazlewood, and all four of Australia's bowling attack will be in the top seven Australian wicket-takers of all time.

Currently it goes Hazlewood, Johnson, Cummins, Lillee, Starc, McGrath, Lyon, Warne.

That's pretty bloody handy.

Boland has an incredible record, absolutely. And then Hazlewood in the last three years has 67 wickets at 15. Starc was player of the series in the Ashes last summer, which at times he seemed to be playing almost single-handed. Cummins is probably the best of the lot.

Starc has had a middling two Tests matches. He also has 450 wickets, and has literally got better every year of his career so far. Cricket is a highly variable sport. Performances jump all over the place. Someone not having an impact in one game doesn't mean, when you're at the selection table, that their next one will be poor. It's about how much you rate their ability to have a good game. The best players have a higher possibility rating, a greater likelihood that they will play well.

Australia have five excellent bowling options, and can pick four. That's all it is. Whoever was left out, there would be a strong case that they should play. You can say 'How could they not pick x' about everyone. It's as simple as that.

Doesn't mean they haven't bowled badly today. But that's another matter.

"I've read enough. Throw the ball to Bol… ah."

Eamonn Maloney, your sentiment will be widely echoed. Of course, no knowing whether he would have done any better, or been slotted off his length to damage those beautiful career figures.

Over in New Zealand, India just ran down 199 in 13.2 overs to win a T20. If that makes Australian readers feel any better.

On that prior stat, I can add that there are also opening partnerships of 162 and 165 against Australia in matches when they've chosen to bowl first, but those were in the third innings, not the first. Atherton-Butcher in 1997, and Gavaskar-Chauhan in 1981.

Another great stat from Andy Zaltzman – this is what happens when he doesn't have a BBC call to work for.

In a first innings when Australian teams have sent in an opponent, this is already the second-highest opening stand. Brian Luckhurst and Geoff Boycott put on 171 during the first WACA match in 1970, so today's pair have 31 runs to go. Might knock that off in five overs after lunch.

After being sent in! Gooooodness me. Pat Cummins will carry the can for this, but surely it was a coach-captain-senior-player decision. I can't imagine that he just made the call himself walking to the toss. But it has gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Three things. One, conditions. Sunshine and nothing in the surface, no swing, no seam, no turn. Easy.

Two, Australia. They've bowled poorly, even in the conditions. A lot of short balls, a lot of width, a lot down the leg side. That has allowed so many of the shots we've seen.

Three, South Africa. Both players have made the most of the things going in their favour. Markram gave one chance against the run of play, Ackerman had a couple of false strokes, but they were good enough to really go after what they could go after, and middled a lot of deliveries.

27th over: South Africa 140-0 (Markram 56, Ackerman 82) Cummins to close it out before the break, and Markram drops and dashes a single. Ackerman does the same, not going to do anything silly at this stage of the session. Last ball, Markram edges through a vacant slip for four, and that puts a very appropriate full stop on an absolute disaster of a session for Australia. The South African leave the field walking on air.

26th over: South Africa 134-0 (Markram 51, Ackerman 81) Commentary is talking about an Ackerman hundred before lunch, but Markram is taking the strike and charging to fifty instead. He cuts Lyon for four, then produces that back-foot punch again for another. He averages fifty-plus against Australia, and here he is again. Then he pinches the strike!

25th over: South Africa 125-0 (Markram 42, Ackerman 81) The smashathon continues! Lunch not far away, and Starc still bowling indifferently, short and wide and slashed away by Ackerman. Next ball, arrows in at the pads, and Ackerman is ready for that! Cleans it out over midwicket for four more. Third ball? Same result, nothing wrong with the deliver this time, just outside the off stump, but Ackerman trusts the bowler's pace, opens the face, and guides it over the slips. Again, shots you can't play elsewhere, but we haven't seen a single ball move laterally off the surface.

Fourth ball? Four more! Uppercut again, this time much squarer. The last one went over the gap between first and second slip, this one over gully, but Ackerman is trusting his ability to guide the ball anywhere.

Finally, from the fifth ball, he has to defend. Drops the ball at his feet. And Markram is still aware enough to pinch the single. Then keeps strike. 18 from the over.

I'm having flashbacks to Shikhar Dhawan on debut against Australia. A ton off… was it 89 balls? Someone can look that up. Ackerman isn't quite on debut, but the next best thing.

24th over: South Africa 107-0 (Markram 41, Ackerman 64) Lyon continuing, and the singles flow freely. Everyone is asking about bowling first. Surely, having brought your spinner back and having kept your left-armer to make the footmarks outside the right-hander's off stump, you would want to give him the chance to bowl last, not to be operating before lunch?

Gervase Greene emails in. "Seeing Baz Boland as drinks waiter, again, is a bit confronting. I do get why he was surplus to the situation in this case - it looking like a solid batting wicket and all that. But boy does that then beg the question 'why the hell did we send them in...?' Only a cynic might suggest we needed another 24 hours to sort out our batting order. (24 weeks might be better…)"

23rd over: South Africa 103-0 (Markram 40, Ackerman 62) This is a team falling apart in real time. , one of the easiest catches you will ever see at Test level. Just wasn't paying attention.

Markram tries to drive another length ball, misreads the bounce, gets it up near the splice. The ball doesn't loop up, it goes relatively flat but gently and slowly to cover, where Head is placed. He doesn't seem to see it, because he jumps as the ball reaches him, as if thinking that it has been smashed. It hasn't, but Head with both feet off the ground and his hands all over the place is in no position to hold it, and instead parries it away. Can't get it on the rebound either. The body language there strongly suggests that he'd drifted off, and was surprised to see a ball coming at him.

22nd over: South Africa 102-0 (Markram 39, Ackerman 62) Markram pulls, and for a second Cummins thinks that he's in the game, the uncontrolled top edge swirling away, but there's a big gap behind square with the possible catcher set much finer, and the ball lands safely for a run. Markram didn't know where it went either. But no such ambiguity around Ackerman's shot, as he follows up with another fine hook for six! Every time he plays the short ball, it goes fine, and this one is almost over the keeper as he just gets a touch on it, Cummins' pace supplying the momentum. Last ball of the over? On the hip, glanced for four.

The ton is up in the 23rd over. Australia are being flayed.

21st over: South Africa 90-0 (Markram 38, Ackerman 51) Short, pulled, fine, single, that's the Ackerman formula today, and he repeats it to raise his fifty. Showed some good signs through a difficult evening of batting in Gqeberha, then got himself out the next morning. Today he's been given a much easier forum in which to show his skills.

Markram on strike, then, and he utterly flays Hazlewood! That is a shot of supreme confidence, and total dominance. A huge stride outside the off stump, a ball on a Hazlewood length heading towards the top of its bounce, and Markram with an angled bat smokes that ball, on the up. You couldn't really call it a cover drive, with the bat so far from body at the point of contact. Imagine one of those Brendon McCullum flat-bats over cover, but one designed by a fine filigree jeweller. Astonishing.

Never Gonna Give You Up comes onto the PA. Australia have been Rickrolled today.

20th over: South Africa 83-0 (Markram 33, Ackerman 49) Cummins to Ackerman around the wicket, trying a couple of shorties, but the second of those doesn't get up, and Ackerman pulls it comfortably to fine leg for one.

19th over: South Africa 82-0 (Markram 33, Ackerman 48) A maiden over! What is this sorcery! Not because Hazlewood bowled anything particularly unplayable, but I would guess more than Markram has assessed their incredible early position and wants to make sure he stabilises it.

Matthew Doherty emails succinctly. "Edgbaston 2005, England 409 all out, 80 overs first day."

That does rather spring to mind, doesn't it? Likewise, Australia 364 for 2 in Brisbane, 2002.

18th over: South Africa 82-0 (Markram 33, Ackerman 48) Reverse sweep from Ackerman! He's flying now. Takes a chance to disrupt Lyon, who is bowling around the wicket to the left-hander. Lyon is in the team for experience and guile, and needs to tap into those qualities. Ackerman takes him through the leg side for a couple more runs, then punches in front of point for four!

This. Is. A. Pasting.

Going at 4.5 an over through the first session of the Test, after being asked to bat.

17th over: South Africa 72-0 (Markram 33, Ackerman 38) Finally Hazlewood manages to apply the brakes for a couple of minutes. A dinky little pull shot from Ackerman gets a run to fine leg, with some risk. Even in a good over, Hazlewood's line strays there. One other single to Markram.