Australia endured a difficult opening day against South Africa in the first Test, but a determined partnership between Matt Renshaw and captain Pat Cummins helped prevent a complete batting collapse.
Australia reached 164 for six when bad light brought an early end to play at Kingsmead, with Renshaw and Cummins providing crucial resistance after the visitors’ batting order came under pressure.
Winning the toss, Australian captain Pat Cummins elected to bat first, but the experiment of opening with Nic Maddinson failed to deliver the desired result. Maddinson, returning to Test cricket after nearly a decade, was dismissed for a duck after facing 33 deliveries.
Travis Head also failed to make a significant contribution, leaving Australia struggling to build momentum during the early stages of the innings.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith attempted to stabilise the innings with a 60-run partnership. However, both batters were dismissed around the lunch interval, allowing South Africa to regain control.
Alex Carey, Beau Webster and the other Australian batters also struggled to withstand the South African bowling attack.
South Africa’s Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Anrich Nortje claimed two wickets each. Nortje made a notable return to Test cricket after an absence of approximately three and a half years.
With Australia in trouble, Matt Renshaw stepped up at number five and produced a composed innings. He remained unbeaten on 46 from 115 balls, anchoring the innings while wickets continued to fall at the other end.
Cummins supported Renshaw effectively, and the pair built an unbeaten partnership of 63 runs to improve Australia’s position before bad light halted play.
Their resistance ensured that Australia retained a chance to recover when play resumes, despite losing six wickets on the opening day.