"Play hurt": Aussie team anger at Smith's absence

Australia's start to the third and deciding Test against South Africa in Cape Town was an unmitigated disaster according to SEN Cricket's Gerard Whateley.

Captain Pat Cummins shockingly chose to bowl first at Newlands, and the Aussies were made to pay immediately as South Africa raced away to 0/140 at Lunch from just 27 overs.

The Aussies barely fired a shot in that first session, with both Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman looking in complete control at the crease. From just a couple of overs in, all attention was on Cummins' bold call.

While Cummins clearly had his own reasoning to bowl first, Whateley thinks there's a deeper reason why he sent his side into the field, and that had to do with the late omission of star batter Steve Smith due to a beck issue.

"It was an unmitigated disaster, and then you try to dig into the why. This is what I was fascinated by," Whateley said on SEN Breakfast.

"In the two minutes before the toss, I said off air, 'I think there's a chance that he'll bowl here', and we all guffawed at the idea because it was ridiculous; it was a bat-first pitch all day long.

"But what had happened was the Smith absence, and I reckon it knocked Australia off balance. But also, I think there was a degree of anger associated with it.

"Australia expected Smith to play, and then he couldn't get up, or he didn't get up. He made the decision not to play. I reckon it was a bit undisguised in what Pat Cummins said at the toss.

"I think in a pique of anger, he went, 'Bugger it'. He doesn't believe in the batting group, there's enough evidence of that... he thought, 'We'll handle this. Leave it to the men's department. We'll bowl and sort it out'.

"Then it just wasn't that pitch. Immediately, it wasn't that pitch."

While Whateley's thoughts on Smith's absence leading to a change of plan is only a feeling, he is certain that Australia felt their superstar No. 4 would play, despite being hurt.

"It was just a feeling, and no one will admit to it now. I reckon it'll take 10 years for these stories to come out," Whateley added.

"Australia expected Smith to play. The Brains Trust certainly did, the captain definitely did, and then Smith couldn't get himself up.

"We apportion no blame to that because people feel how they feel, but this is a huge Test match. This is the climax of so much.

"What's the cliché? You gotta play hurt.

"The most important player in the team didn't play hurt, and I just think it had an impact on people."

While the Aussies were able to claw their way back into the clash, ultimately taking 9/126 in the back half of play to bowl the home side out for 329, Whateley is still struggling to wrap his head around such a disastrous start.

"Australia were just so uncharacteristically poor," Whateley said.

"This was the equivalent of the first session at Trent Bridge all out for 60. This was the bowling equivalent of it.

"They bowled horrendous lines, were shockingly inconsistent, dropped catches and fielded badly. It was just so uncharacteristic that you just looked at a team and said, 'Something's wrong here'.

"When they returned to the field after Lunch, Cummins had them in a tight huddle, and Simon Katich gave us an insight into this. Australia clawed its way back. It actually got into the game. Full credit for that."

The Aussies will begin Day 2 with the bat, with both Travis Head and Matt Renshaw heading to the crease to kick things off at 7:30pm AEDT on Tuesday.

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