First Test: Five days in six minutes

Australia player ratings: Mike Hussey

Legendary Australia batsman Mike Hussey saw the action unfold across five absorbing days at the WACA Ground - his former home patch - and below he calls it how he sees it.

David Warner 8/10

Continues to get Australia off to a positive start. He puts the pressure back on the bowlers straight away. His 97 in the first innings was fantastic and he was undone by a brilliant piece of fielding in the second innings. I also love his energy in the field. He creates a real spark out there with his enthusiasm.

Warner goes for wonderful 97

Shaun Marsh 7/10

A solid 63 in the first innings, which is even more impressive after finding out he did it with a broken finger. His opening partnership of 158 with Warner got Australia off to a dream start and he would have liked to have gone on to a big score. Shaun also pulled off two sensational catches, the second to dismiss Stephen Cook with a broken finger was pretty special.

Marsh flourishes with fine fifty

Usman Khawaja 7.5/10

A brilliant innings of 97, deserved a hundred the way he played, but unfortunately couldn’t go on to triple figures. A pretty decent return from him after being dropped in Sri Lanka. Some good catches in the field, particularly the grab to dismiss Temba Bavuma looking into the sun.

Khawaja falls for fluent 97 on day five

Steve Smith 5/10

Not much really went right for Smith in this Test. Possibly unlucky in the first innings with his lbw decision and got a start in the second innings and obviously would have liked a lot more. In the field things didn’t go his way, with chances going down and not being able to pick up regular wickets. It’s not time to panic. Take stock, stay positive and return to that frame of mind when things are going right.

Adam Voges 4/10

Not his best Test match. He’ll be disappointed but I know he’s a very proud guy and has done extremely well for Australia since he has come into the side 18 months ago. I expect him to bounce back and bounce back with a big score. He’s got good memories of Hobart with an epic double hundred there last summer so hopefully we can see more of the same in the second Test.

Mitchell Marsh 5.5/10

I thought he bowled pretty well – 26 overs is the most he’s bowled in a Test innings. Followed up his first-innings duck with a start in the second innings but couldn’t go on with it. He had a great opportunity today but was undone by a bit of Kagiso Rabada magic.

Which Marsh caught it better?

Peter Nevill 7/10

Played very well for 60 not out in the second innings. He kept pretty well throughout the Test and showed great concentration ‘keeping for 160 overs. Those runs will do his confidence a world of good moving forward.

Nevill defies Proteas with gritty 60 not out

Mitchell Starc 6.5/10

Bowled with good pace in the first innings to claim four wickets. Hopefully he pulls up well after bowling the biggest chunk of overs he’s bowled in a long time. As long as he recovers well I think he’ll be better for the run.

Aussie quicks trigger top-order collapse

Peter Siddle 6.5/10

You know exactly what you’re going to get with Sidds; he’s going to pound away all day, do a lot of work, and put in a solid performance. And that's exactly what he did. Like Starcy, he bowled a lot of overs and will hopefully be better for the run.

Josh Hazlewood 7.5/10

Australia’s best bowler. Did a mountain of work in bowling 54 overs. Bowled his heart out, was consistent, toiled away, claimed five wickets in the match and was economical in the second innings. Long summer ahead for Josh.

Nathan Lyon 4.5/10

Bowled well in the first innings with two wickets. Went wicket-less in the second innings when the ball was reversing around. Nathan’s a quality performer with loads of experience. I’m backing him to bounce back in a big way in Hobart.

Kagiso Rabada was the centre of much of South Africa's joy // Getty

South Africa player ratings: Neil Manthorp

South Africa commentator and journalist Neil Manthorp has been touring Australia to follow the South African side for more than two decades and offers his expert assessment of their performances below.

Dean Elgar 8/10

It seemed unlikely that the most combative and determined batsman in the country could enhance that reputation but he did with his best Test innings to date during the stand of 250 with Duminy. His stamina and attritional approach often deflect from a rock-solid defensive technique and meticulous organisation at the crease. Knew exactly where he wanted to score and stuck to those areas. Had 'presence' when fielding close to the bat and took a good catch at slip. Might have expected to bowl respectable left-arm spin but wasn't required.

Elgar piles on the runs for tourists

Stephen Cook 4/10

Will be disappointed with not contributing in either innings but the fact that his modest 12 in the second innings spanned 55 deliveries and prevented Mitch Starc from claiming an early wicket was much appreciated by the middle order and was more than enough to ensure his place will not be questioned. It was also appreciated that he volunteered to bowl his rusty and gentle medium pace when plans were being made to cope without Dale Steyn in the second innings. A quiet Test but far from disastrous for SA's 'Mr Cricket'.

Hashim Amla 4/10

One of South Africa's greatest-ever batsmen was 'Mr Invisible' at the WACA contributing just a single run in both innings – or so it may have seemed. But remember who took the slip catch when Steyn belatedly cut the head off the snake with the first innings total on 158. Anything anyone contributes to dismissing David Warner counts for double in the Proteas camp. His calming, knowledgeable presence was there as always and much appreciated by the youngsters who may easily have panicked before the fightback.

JP Duminy 9/10

Two months ago his Test career looked over and he had come to terms with finishing his international career in the limited-overs formats. Then AB de Villiers went under the knife and Duminy was not only reprieved but given the prime spot at number four. He emerged from the last-chance saloon with a swagger and cover drove his way to a stunning century in the second innings. Often mistaken as 'soft' because he doesn't sledge and always respects the game and the opposition, Duminy batted with aplomb and bowled well enough to persuade people to drop the 'part-timer' label.

Duminy delivers century for Proteas

Faf du Plessis 7/10

His captaincy was inspired and his batting adequate with scores of 37 and 32. The compilation and subsequent execution of the plan to cope without Steyn in the second innings was a triumph for determination and imagination over adversity and history. He oversaw the 'conditioning' and maintenance of the ball in both innings which resulted in the reverse swing which Australia's batsmen found so difficult to cope with. Popular and respected in equal measure by his players, he won't have been shy to dip into the captain's expenses to buy the drinks.

Temba Bavuma 8/10

Set the Test match alight with 'that' run out and ensured himself a slot in every fielding highlights package to be made for the foreseeable future. Practises fielding for hours after regular training and nets are over and confessed afterward to "dreaming for a long time of producing a run-out like that on the big stage". Having watched a replay for the first time at the end of the fourth day he also admitted to having "no idea" how his body "got into that position". A Test wicket capped off the fairytale but without his rearguard 51 in the first innings none of it might have been possible.

Bavuma brilliance catches Warner short

Quinton de Kock 8.5/10

Scores of 84 and 64 were both vital, first to keeping the Proteas in the game and then ensuring Australia were completely out of it. His glovework was immaculate and contributions to reading the flow of the game, setting fields and the underestimated skill of to take or not take reviews were all vital to du Plessis. Prone to over-attacking with the bat and rushes of blood at inappropriate times, this Test was his most assured and mature. Didn't put a foot, hand or word out of place. Or if he did, nobody noticed.

De Kock hammers another half-century

Vernon Philander 8.5/10

Another faultless performance from Philander who was able to put on display the results of dozens of hours of extra work put in on improving his batting in order to become the allrounder South Africa are missing. The ankle injury which was supposed to take eight weeks to heal ended up taking eight months which left him mentally drained and physically weak. It has been a long road back to health and fitness but he was outstanding with both new and old ball and made and excellent 73 in the second innings.

Vernon Philander on song with the bat

Keshav Maharaj 7/10

Played a horrible shot in the first innings just when the Proteas looked like they might regroup and get close to 300 and then looked a bundle of nerves in the field while Warner was humbling the bowling attack. His first two overs were tight and cost 16. Then Steyn broke down and the debutant spinner realised he would have to bowl a lot of overs – it was the making of him. He relaxed and settled into a familiar groove. Soon he looked like he belonged and made a tremendous 41 not out from just 34 balls in the second innings.

Maharaj traps advancing Smith

Kagiso Rabada 9/10

It is a sign of the 21-year-old fast bowler's career that five-wicket hauls are not celebrated as much as they might be and are certainly not greeted with surprise because they have become expected – four in just nine Tests. He says he has never felt 'pressure' on a cricket field and his demeanour and performances suggest that is true. It's not just about pace with Rabada, as it would be with many of his age, because he possesses a broad skill range the envy of many a decade older. Outstanding.

Rabada's five ignites Proteas

Dale Steyn no rating

Will this be his goodbye to Test cricket? He swears he will do everything possible to ensure it is not. Surgery and a metal pin mean it will be at least six months before he bowls again and then he will need to play three or four first-class matches before he can be considered for Test selection again. Apart from taking the wicket of Warner which sparked the collapse of 10-86, Steyn was an inspiration in the change room, speaking often and with passion about the comebacks and fightbacks the Proteas made to win the two previous tours to Australia.

Steyn sidelined with shoulder problem

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