The four balls that turned the Test, and saved captain Pat Cummins

October 28, 2026 — 12:08pm

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Mitchell Starc’s devastating burst on the shadow of stumps not only saved his captain but also his team.

A day in which Australia were behind from the moment Pat Cummins sent South Africa in to bat finished with honours shared after Starc’s match-turning four wickets in the space of six deliveries.

Only those in the camp can honestly answer if the visitors would have settled for a Proteas total of 329 if offered before the day, but such a scoreline would have been gleefully accepted when openers Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman destroyed the new ball.

So dominant were they in reaching 0-158, Cummins’ decision to bowl first was rivalling that of former England captain Nasser Hussain, whose infamous call to send Australia in at the Gabba in 2002 resulted in a stumps score of 2-364.

The hosts were still in control when Cummins handed Starc a second brand-new Kookaburra about 20 minutes before stumps.

Cricket........

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