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The decision to once again leave out a specialist spinner raised eyebrows, however, as Australia\u2019s ageing team continued to break new ground despite a great\u2019s belief that two changes were to the side that won in Durban were in order.<\/p>\n
South Africa pulled some selection surprises of their own with a returning superstar set to create the most intriguing battle of the series when he goes head-to-head with an Australian champion later in the Test.<\/p>\n
While another prolific Australian batter has arrived at crunch time for big career move.<\/p>\n
Scroll down for the biggest talking points from day one of the second Test!<\/p>\n
WRAP: Shock inclusion SO close to hat-trick as wet weather chaos halts Aussie charge<\/a><\/p>\n Hazlewood praises Renshaw Test revival | 01:04<\/p>\n \u2018TOUGH\u2019 CALL AUSSIES HAD TO MAKE<\/p>\n Nathan Lyon had a rugby league ball in his hands as Scott Boland painted his mark on the St George\u2019s Park outfield on Sunday morning in Gqeberha.<\/p>\n To everyone at the ground, it signalled that Australia\u2019s selectors had made their call and it was one that has been coming for some time.<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s second most prolific Test wicket-taker has not been left out of a red ball Test when fit since he was surprisingly dumped for a young Ashton Agar in the first two Tests of the 2013 Ashes in England.<\/p>\n But recent trends show that the Australian hierarchy have an itchy finger when it comes to unleashing a four-pronged pace attack like the West Indies did in their glory days.<\/p>\n Australia have left out a specialist spinner in five of their last ten Tests.<\/p>\n The experiment began in Jamaica last year when Boland took a hat-trick, Mitchell Starc took 6\/9 as Australia rolled the West Indies for 27 in their second innings to win in two days with the pink ball.<\/p>\n Lyon was filthy two Tests later when he was left out at the Gabba for another day\/night Ashes affair despite the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.<\/p>\n After the 38-year-old injured his hamstring in Adelaide, it was understudy Todd Murphy who was overlooked in Melbourne and Sydney.<\/p>\n Another green surface in Mackay had Cummins quickly backflip on the eve of the second Test against Bangladesh in August.<\/p>\n Cummins told reporters that Australia would name their team at the toss as the selectors weighed up Lyon versus Boland, but less than an hour later the XI was announced with the tweaker holding his place for a two-day Test.<\/p>\n Spinners being pushed to the fringes by grassy surface is a dagger to the heart of the slow bowling community across the country.<\/p>\n The late great Shane Warne would be turning in his grave as he always insisted that if it seamed, it spun.<\/p>\n Former Australian leg spinner Kerry O\u2019Keeffe has regularly expressed his outrage whenever the topic of leaving Lyon out of the side has been raised.<\/p>\n He did so again before play began on Kayo Sports.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you start to select teams on a weather forecast, it\u2019s a dangerous prospect,\u201d O\u2019Keeffe said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like Ringo Starr has a bad night on the drums, did the Beatles drop him?\u201d<\/p>\n Australian great, and former selector Mark Waugh, was more in line with the thinking of the Australian selectors, however.<\/p>\n \u201cWould South Africa rather face Nathan Lyon or Scott Boland? They\u2019d say Lyon,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe averages 18 in Test cricket. If the conditions suit, he should be playing. It\u2019s tough on Lyon but it\u2019s a fair call.\u201d<\/p>\n Australia’s Scott Boland reacts on day one of the second cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Gqeberha, South Africa, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo\/ Themba Hadebe)Source: AP<\/p>\n Waugh\u2019s assessment, and that of the Australian hierarchy, was vindicated when Cummins threw Boland the ball when play restarted following a rain delay.<\/p>\n The Victorian splattered Aiden Markram\u2019s stumps everywhere with a trademark nip-backer before nicking off South Africa\u2019s No.3 David Bedingham for a golden duck with an absolute peach.<\/p>\n Bedingham certainly was not expecting to be facing Boland after speaking on Friday about the challenges posed by Australia\u2019s revered quartet.<\/p>\n \u201cI was actually speaking to my friends about it, and it\u2019s like in first-class cricket, you face like a decent bowler, and then there\u2019s maybe another decent one, and then maybe you can cash in later with the third or fourth one,\u201d the Protea said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I was just saying, like, you get through six balls of Cummins, and then you look and it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s Starc, and then you get through their spell, and then it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, flip, it\u2019s Hazlewood and Lyon.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it\u2019s tough, but I think we have faced them before. Hopefully we can just do it for longer periods of time.\u201d<\/p>\n Proteas captain Temba Bavuma survived the hat-trick ball, not without a nervy inside edge onto his pad, and the burst of two wickets in two balls showed that seam will have a greater impact on this Test than spin.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an amazing advert for the type of bowler Boland is,\u201d South African great Vernon Philander said on SEN.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has a completely different skill set and I can also guarantee you that he has been the most effective bowler out of the lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Australia’s Scott Boland, right celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of South Africa’s David Bedingham on day one of the second cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, in Gqeberha, South Africa, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo\/ Themba Hadebe)Source: AP<\/p>\n If part-time spin is needed for Australia, Matt Renshaw, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Marnus Labuschagne and Nic Maddinson all rolled the arm over in Durban.<\/p>\n This was primarily a conditions based selection with little spin expected to be required on a damp, green pitch.<\/p>\n It worked out nicely for Australia to win the toss and bowl first, but the decision to Boland was about more than day one.<\/p>\n Lyon failing to take a wicket as Hazlewood took six in the fourth innings at Kingsmead may have been a contributing factor.<\/p>\n \u201cBoland takes his wickets at 12 in the final innings. It\u2019ll hurt me. It\u2019ll hurt Nathan Lyon, but that\u2019s why,\u201d O\u2019Keeffe said.<\/p>\n READ MORE FROM SOUTH AFRICA<\/p>\n \ufeffBehind the scenes act lifts lid on key Aussie call … as dire issue won\u2019t go away<\/a><\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018One of those quirks\u2019: Inside one of cricket\u2019s most unique grounds as past and present meet<\/a><\/p>\n