Watch: Scott Boland’s peach of a delivery cleans up Aiden Markram for 11 in SA vs AUS 2nd Test

Scott Boland dismissed Aiden Markram for 11 with a brilliant inswinger on the opening day of the second Test between South Africa and Australia at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Sunday (October 18).

Boland beat Markram’s defence with his 10th delivery, sending the ball into the batter’s middle stump. The South African opener struggled to settle against the Australian pacer’s accurate line and length before the delivery ended his innings.

Boland had troubled Markram with a series of good-length deliveries, testing his footwork, balance and judgement outside off stump. He then produced a superb inswinger to bowl the opener and give Australia an early breakthrough. 

Watch the brilliant dismissal here.

Scott Boland bowls Aiden Markram for 11 on rain-hit day 1 of the second Test

Scott Boland dismissed Aiden Markram for 11 on a rain-hit opening day of the second Test between South Africa and Australia at St George’s Park. The Australian pacer made an immediate impact after coming into the attack, troubling the South African batters with his accurate line and length.

Markram had earlier played some good shots against Mitchell Starc, including drives through the covers. However, Boland found movement off the pitch with a good-length delivery that came back into the right-hander. The ball took the inside edge and crashed into the middle stump, ending Markram’s innings for 11 runs.

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Boland’s dismissal of Markram gave Australia an early breakthrough and put South Africa under pressure. The hosts struggled at 20/2 after two short periods of play, with Boland also dismissing David Bedingham for a golden duck with the very next delivery. His double strike highlighted the impact of Australia’s decision to recall him and play an all-pace attack instead of veteran spinner Nathan Lyon.

How it happened: Boland’s double strike, Bedingham caught behind and South Africa 20/2 at Gqeberha

Scott Boland struck twice in consecutive deliveries to leave South Africa in trouble at 20/2 on the opening day of the second Test at St George’s Park in Gqeberha. After dismissing Aiden Markram for 11, the Australian pacer removed David Bedingham for a golden duck with the very next ball. Bedingham edged a delivery outside off stump to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, giving Boland two wickets in two balls.

Boland showed excellent control and movement despite returning to red-ball cricket after a long break. He used a good length to draw Markram forward before getting the ball to move back into the batter. Markram edged the delivery onto his stumps, ending his innings after scoring 11 off 28 balls. Boland then produced a delivery that moved away from Bedingham, who edged it to Carey while attempting a loose shot outside off stump.

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South African captain Temba Bavuma survived Boland’s hat-trick delivery when the ball struck his pad and fell safely. He later opened his account with a boundary through the slip region. Debutant Marques Ackerman also showed patience, surviving 32 deliveries in his first-ever first-class innings as an opener. Boland’s early breakthroughs highlighted Australia’s decision to go with an all-seam attack and leave veteran spinner Nathan Lyon out of the playing XI.

What Boland’s early strikes mean for South Africa and Australia as play resumes on Day 2

Scott Boland’s early wickets put Australia in a strong position on the opening day of the second Test against South Africa. By dismissing Aiden Markram and David Bedingham in consecutive deliveries, he put the hosts under pressure at 20/2. Australia will look to build on this early advantage when play resumes on Day 2.

South Africa will need their remaining batters to show patience and build partnerships to recover from the early setbacks. Captain Temba Bavuma and the other batters will have to handle Australia’s pace attack carefully and avoid losing more wickets in quick succession. A steady start will be important for the hosts to regain control of the innings.

Australia, meanwhile, will aim to continue applying pressure with their all-seam attack. Boland’s accuracy and ability to find movement could prove important as the match progresses. The visitors will look to take more wickets early on Day 2 and restrict South Africa to a low total, while the hosts will hope to fight back and put up a competitive score.