Steve Smith’s dismissal during the second Test at St George’s Park felt like the final act of a collective batting collapse that had been gathering momentum for some time. Despite having reached the significant milestone of 11,000 career Test runs earlier in the match, Smith’s exit was marked by a bizarre, uncharacteristic shot. Facing a length delivery from Kagiso Rabada that moved away, Smith attempted an aggressive, ill-judged heave toward deep backward square leg, only to sky a catch that was eventually held by Matthew Breetzke. This lapse occurred just as Australia desperately needed to dig in to save the Test, coming less than eight overs after Travis Head’s determined century had concluded. And we’re talking about a Test where he brought up his 11,000th run for good measure. Travis Head’s brilliant century knock had ended less than 8 overs prior to Smith losing the plot. Tens of thousands of Australians looked on in utter disbelief at what the best batter in their team had just done, while Temba Bavuma held his breath and looked away because he couldn’t bear to see Breetzke’s effort. Yet, Smith chose to play an even lower percentage shot than what Marnus Labuschagne had perished to the previous evening after getting his umpteenth score in the thirties. Either side of a hearty and wholesome partnership between Head and the forever-reliable Scott Boland. A two-day expose of a team that has battled a litany of batting frailties for a while now. Or even make them look better than they are.
This performance was arguably one of the most underwhelming team batting displays by Australia in the 21st century. The writing had been on the wall since the first innings, where the side was bundled out for a mere 99 runs. It was a reckoning for a lineup that had been papering over deep-seated cracks for months, often relying on sporadic individual heroics—such as Matt Renshaw’s effort in Durban—or defensive rearguards to mask their lack of consistency. In Gqeberha, those illusions of stability were shattered against a disciplined South African pace attack featuring the fiery Kagiso Rabada and the menacing Marco Jansen. Australia’s 99 all out in the first innings in Gqeberha was a day of reckoning for a batting line-up that had tiptoed around the precipice for far too long without being able to find a solid platform to jump onto. But it’s unlikely that he’s played one that felt so out of character.
The fourth morning of the Test saw a perfect storm for the visitors: a surface that provided enough assistance for a high-quality bowling lineup and a batting order that appeared increasingly fragile. The pressure was compounded by Smith managing a nagging neck injury throughout much of the encounter. The subsequent collapse happened with such alarming speed that the specific technical flaws were almost overshadowed by the sheer lack of resistance. The team’s failure to establish a solid platform became painfully evident as the innings progressed. It didn’t make much sense in terms of its chances of success. What transpired during the 42.3 overs on the fourth morning though had the makings of a perfect storm. As a result, the implosion happened so quickly that there was if anything not enough time to identify the specific fault lines.
Scrutiny has intensified regarding the top-order’s decision-making, particularly concerning Marnus Labuschagne. His dismissal on the fourth evening, where he attempted to strike Simon Harmer over mid-on while battling fierce winds that were toppling stadium equipment, drew significant criticism. This moment underscored a prolonged period of inconsistency for the long-term No. 3, whose career has seen frequent peaks and troughs since he held the world’s top Test ranking. There is growing external frustration regarding the selectors’ perceived reluctance to address the team’s inability to produce consistent Test centuries since mid-2023. It brought to the fore the lengthy run of stops and starts that his career has endured since the heady days of his run as No 1 Test batter in the world, unfortunately for the long-term No 3. According to those asking for his head, in not taking a strong stance against his lack of Test centuries since the middle of 2023, along with the added frustration around the selectors’ stubbornness.
The batting woes were mirrored throughout the lineup. Beau Webster struggled significantly, failing to handle a standard off-break from Harmer, while Nic Maddinson also fell early to Rabada’s initial spell. These individual failures, combined with the collective nerves that saw Smith survive a drop by Ryan Rickelton before his eventual dismissal, signaled that the confidence within the Australian dressing room had completely evaporated. By the time Smith departed, the match outcome felt inevitable, cementing a period where Australia’s batting liabilities have been exposed more starkly than ever before.
