Australia’s reshaped top three had fallen before lunch after Bavuma had been pleased to bowl first under overcast skies. But at 146 for 4, with Steven Smith set despite suffering the flu, and 192 for 5 with Beau Webster having cashed in on a reprieve on 4 when South Africa didn’t review an lbw , they had an opportunity to re-calibrate only to lose their last five wickets for 20. Aiden Markram removing Smith was up there with one of the more unexpected wicket-taking combinations on offer in this match. “I’m still trying to fathom how I’ve done that,” he later said.

Australia needed a response and Starc provided it in the first over (again) when Markram dragged on an inswinger. He should quickly have had a second, but Alex Carey dropped a regulation outside edge off Wiaan Mulder although he didn’t have to wait too long when Ryan Rickleton nicked a drive to first slip.

Mulder, batting at No. 3 for just the third time in Tests, laboured to 6 off 44 balls before being beaten on the drive by Cummins. South Africa could barely score: between them, Mulder and Bavuma made 8 off 81 deliveries. In the closing moments of a day that was never short on action Hazlewood, back in the side after injury, produced a gem of a delivery that nipped back through Tristan Stubbs. Concerns about South Africa’s batting order were ringing true, not that Australia’s had looked convincing.

The day ended in bright sunshine but had started in heavy cloud cover and with the floodlights on. After three consecutive maidens to start the Test – the first time by Australia since 2020 – the opening runs off the bat came from the 21st delivery.

Marnus  Labuschagne,  starting his life as a Test opener, produced what early scoring there was, but Khawaja couldn’t open his account before edging the 20th ball he faced. Rabada came round the wicket, forced Khawaja to play, and David Bedingham did well to hold at first slip with Markram nearly distracting him from second. It continued a familiar mode of dismissal for Khawaja who, since the start of 2024, has averaged 18.63 against quicks from round the wicket compared to 43.80 from over.

Cameron Green’s first delivery as a Test No. 3 was a gift on the pads, but his third took the edge and was brilliantly held by Markram who, this time, had to contend with Mulder diving across in front of him at third. It meant that Smith walked out, on what he termed his second-favourite ground in the world, with Australia 16 for 2.

Labuschagne nearly fell in the next over, flicking Marco Jansen just short of leg gully, a mode of dismissal he has been vulnerable to before, but he and Smith started to rebuild the innings before Labuschagne edged Jansen from round the wicket the ball after being struck by a short delivery.

Two years ago, against India at The Oval, Smith and Travis Head came together at 76 for 3; this time it was 47 for 3. And there was no match-changing partnership. Instead, Head fell to what became the final ball before lunch when he glanced Jansen down the leg side.

On resumption, there was a change in tempo, and a feeling Australia were taking the initiative. Smith took 11 off Rabada’s first over of the afternoon and, shortly after reaching fifty, became the leading overseas batter at Lords, surpassing Warren Bardsley. He was also the first visiting batter to face three different Test opposition at the ground: Pakistan (on debut), England and now South Africa.

It looked like Smith was writing another significant Lord’s story, batting with more ease than anyone else had managed, while Lungi Ngidi was struggling to support the good work of Rabada and Jansen. But out of nowhere Smith drove at Markram’s offspin – only introduced to allow a change of ends – and edged to slip where Jansen made good use of his long reach to hold the catch after two juggles.

Webster, meanwhile, had been anything but secure on his first appearance at the ground. He narrowly survived an early lbw appeal against Jansen when he was fractionally outside the line then had a huge dose of fortune when, on 8, Bavuma opted not to review an lbw shout against Rabada; Bavuma indicated he thought there was an edge, but it was two pads and hitting halfway up middle.

Webster continued to live a charmed life with his inside edge getting a regular working over but he kept his composure and was quick to latch onto any poor deliveries. As if trying to make up for the earlier mistake, South Africa reviewed for another lbw against him only for it to have come off the middle of the bat.

Webster brought up the second fifty of his brief career from 69 balls as, either side of tea, he and Carey started to forge what felt like a threatening stand. But South Africa were gifted-wrapped another wicket for spin when Carey attempted a reverse-sweep and played over the top of Maharaj’s delivery.

From there, the tail folded and in all the last five fell in 35 balls. Cummins was cleaned up a beauty which straightened down the line from Rabada while Webster’s innings was ended when he pushed off the back foot and edge to slip. Sadly for South Africa, the wickets didn’t stop coming.

Brief scores:
South Africa 43 for 4 in 22 overs (David Bedingham 8*, Temba Bavuma 3*, Mitchell Starc 2-10)trail Australia 212 in 56.4 overs (Beau Webster 72, Steven Smith 66, Alex Carey 23;  Kagiso Rabada 5-51, Marco Jansen 3-49) by 169 runs

[Cricinfo]