'Absolute cinema': Pat Cummins' huge gamble of axing Nathan Lyon pays off as Scott Boland lights up Gqeberha with two early wickets
'Absolute cinema': Pat Cummins' huge gamble of axing Nathan Lyon pays off as Scott Boland lights up Gqeberha with two early wickets originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Scott Boland took two quick wickets and narrowly missed a hat-trick in Gqeberha.
- Pat Cummins and the selectors left out Nathan Lyon for an all-seam attack.
- Rain stopped play with South Africa on 2-20 after Cummins chose to bowl first.
Scott Boland stuns South Africa's Aiden Markram & David Bedingham in breathless 2-wicket burst
Absolute cinema was the verdict from fans on Sunday as Scott Boland justified the bold decision to leave out Nathan Lyon, taking two wickets in two balls and falling just short of a hat-trick on a damp morning at St George’s Park.
The call to pick Boland ahead of Lyon was another brave move from the selection group of George Bailey, Andrew McDonald and Tony Dodemaide, who have never shied away from tough choices.
It was shaped largely by the surface, as the ground staff in Gqeberha had prepared a pitch with a healthy covering of grass. A specialist spinner looked like an unnecessary luxury on such a deck, and the management preferred to back four quicks.
Mitchell Starc had trouble with the footholds from his very first deliveries and switched to bowling around the wicket fairly early in the innings. The debutant Ackerman, meanwhile, looked uneasy at the crease, and he faced 15 balls before he got off the mark. His first run was a nervous affair, with a stop-start moment involving Aiden Markram, although he made it home safely while his family applauded from the stands.
MORE: Prediction: South Africa vs. Australia 2nd Test lineups and pitch report
Boland then took control of the session, and his first wicket was a lesson in patience and planning. Markram had looked composed for his 28 balls and 11 runs, which included two fours. That discipline meant the bowler had to be close to perfect to force an error, and he was.
Boland pitched the ball at a length that tempted Markram forward and put the cover drive in his mind, yet it was nowhere near full enough to be the kind of half-volley that makes the stroke safe. A touch of wobble in the seam then made the ball nip back in, and it slipped past the middle of the bat. The batter managed only a thin inside edge, and the ball crashed into the stumps.
The new batter, David Bedingham, then made a decision he did not need to make. He went searching for a delivery outside off stump, and this time the ball seamed away from him rather than into him. His half-hearted push towards the ground caught the edge, and wicketkeeper Alex Carey held on to a simple catch behind the stumps. Bedingham was out for a duck off a single delivery, and Boland was suddenly on a hat-trick.
The hat-trick delivery was bowled to South African captain Temba Bavuma, and it struck him on the pads, which prompted a loud appeal from the Australians. However, replays showed that the ball had touched the bat first, so Bavuma survived. He moved to 4 not out, while Ackerman had reached 5, and then the rain arrived again to halt the contest with the hosts at 2-20.
Fan reactions to Scott Boland’s spell in Gqeberha
Supporters were quick to celebrate on social media, and many of them focused on how little time the wickets took. One user, @TUnlimitedd, described the passage of play in a short and cheerful post.
He wrote: “1 minute 26 seconds of pure delight. Respect from Scott Boland FC.”
1 minute 26 seconds of pure delight 👍 Respect from Scott Boland FC 🫡 https://t.co/dMylVlpuPA— Troll cricket unlimitedd (@TUnlimitedd) October 18, 2026
Another post, from @Shanks63331148, imagined the bowler’s attitude during his three-over burst and gave him a statue-like nickname.
He wrote: “Scott Boland in his 3-over spell. 2nd over: Markram, Bedingham. BRO JUST WENT: ‘YOUR TURN, NEXT.’ SCOTT BOLAND. THE STATUE.”
Scott Boland in his 3-over spell 😍🗿 2nd over: ⚪ ⚪ ⚪ ☝🏻 ☝🏻 ⚪ Markram ☝🏻 Bedingham ☝🏻 BRO JUST WENT: “YOUR TURN, NEXT.” 😂😭 SCOTT BOLAND. THE STATUE 🗿🔥 #SAvAUS https://t.co/ZhEVg3kLXF— Charlie (@Shanks63331148) October 18, 2026
@_thatuxguy chose to praise the bowler’s red-ball craft in a single line.
He wrote: “Scott Boland. Red ball. Absolute cinema.”
Scott Boland. Red ball. Absolute cinema 🗿🔥 https://t.co/1XzmQnjcfE— Tushar Mishra (@_thatuxguy) October 18, 2026
@CricCrazyJohns added: "WHAT A PEACH FROM SCOTT BOLAND 🥶🔥."
WHAT A PEACH FROM SCOTT BOLAND 🥶🔥 https://t.co/4QwqoDd2i9— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 18, 2026
While @AryanGoel101922 wrote: "Scott Boland Is Such An Elite Bowler. Absolutely Unplayable On His Day."
Scott Boland Is Such An Elite Bowler. Absolutely Unplayable On His Day https://t.co/BN0jwuLmco— Aryan Goel (@AryanGoel101922) October 18, 2026
Australia’s brave Lyon call has been vindicated for now, but one session is not a verdict
It takes courage to leave out Nathan Lyon, one of the finest spinners of his generation, and the selectors deserve credit for reading the conditions so closely.
A green pitch, a heavy sky and an interrupted start all pointed towards seam, and Scott Boland delivered precisely what was expected of him within a handful of deliveries. The wickets of Aiden Markram and David Bedingham changed the mood of the match before South Africa had settled, and the near hat-trick will further boost his morale.
However, it would be unwise to treat a single morning as proof that the gamble was flawless. Conditions in Gqeberha can change quickly, and if the sun comes out and the pitch dries, a team without a frontline spinner may find itself short of options on the later days.
Lyon’s experience and control have rescued Australia on tracks that looked unhelpful at first, so the management will need to keep a close eye on how the surface behaves.
Boland, for his part, has always been a bowler who thrives when the ball is seaming, and his accuracy gives Cummins a controlling weapon at one end. Starc’s trouble with his footing is a small concern that the coaches will want to fix quickly. For now, the early evidence suggests that the selectors got it right, and the fans’ reaction says as much, but the real judgement will come once the rain clears and the full five days play out.
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