“Trounced and humiliated” – Australia routed by South Africa

What started as a day of optimism after four days of “perfect” Test cricket became a Halloween horror show for Australia that will sit alongside the likes of Trent Bridge 2015 and Hobart 2016.

Australia was bowled out for 111 inside two sessions chasing 288, rescinding top seed honours in the World Test Championship in the process and opening the door to questions about this side’s future.

Gerard Whateley explained the magnitude of the loss as the final wicket fell: “Australia has fallen. Trounced and humiliated. What was a quest for legacy has become a reckoning at Newlands. First the World Test Championship, and now the World Number One ranking.”

Simon Katich said it emphasised the distance between the two sides. “They’ve humbled Australia. They came in one-all into this match but realistically it wasn’t that even. South Africa have played well as a unit. Australia, well they’re just hanging on by a thread at the moment. The guard has changed.”

A series eight years in the making, Australia will need to lick their wounds and address some serious deficiencies, with New Zealand, India away, and an away Ashes to come in the next 10 months.

Will a World Test Championship Final be part of that run? Not based on today’s showing.

“Unmitigated disaster” and “embarrassing” – Australia collapse early in “horror show” display of “ludicrous” batting

So how did it all go so wrong so quickly?

Kagiso Rabada struck twice in the opening over, first removing Renshaw for a golden duck who tickled one down the leg side to Rickelton, and then Marnus Labuschagne LBW for four off three balls after he failed to offer a shot.

“For all the build-up, it’s an unmitigated disaster for Australia. The Australian fans are aghast,” said Whateley as Renshaw and Labuschagne departed. “An absolute horror start for Australia,” said a stunned Simon Katich.

From there, Head became Rabada’s third victim and his 350th Test wicket, who drove to Jansen in the gully, before an awful brain fade from Cameron Green trying to take a single that simply wasn’t there saw Inglis run out.

“Ludicrous stuff,” Whateley exclaimed. “It’s gone from bad to worse there, and they are the architects of their own demise.” Vernon Philander dubbed it “absolutely ridiculous.”

Next, Alex Carey played a ridiculous reverse sweep to be caught for 2, before Cooper Connolly edged one through to Rickelton for a duck, the score 6/42.

Gerard Whateley was scathing. “There has been a litany of sins here,” he said. “There has been some hideous batting. This is getting embarrassing for Australia.”

Starc departed in the final over before lunch, with the score 7/60. “This is as bad as it gets with it all on the line,” was Adam Collins’ take, whilst Bharat Sundaresan labelled it “atrocious” batting.

From there, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon attempted to block out the day alongside Cameron Green (more on that shortly), but it wasn’t to be, with the final three wickets falling and South Africa romping to victory.

Simon Katich put it succinctly: “They had their hearts ripped out with seven wickets in 26 overs.”

The end for Marnus Labuschagne

With Marnus’ departure, Gerard Whateley called time on the Australian number three.

“That will be it for a long time for Marnus, it’s the slowest walk-off,” he said. “It sits inside a bigger story. It was an awful mistake to bring him here to South Africa and it ends in really grim fashion.”

Simon Katich once again laid blame at the selectors feet. “There was a huge amount of people that felt Mackay was the tipping point, and that was in August,” Katich said.

“That’s the job of the selectors to recognise you’ve got a player that’s nowhere near his best. Their view is ‘we’ll keep picking him’ and it’s really obvious to everyone who’s watched this series that they’ve got that horribly wrong.”

It was Labuschagne’s 49th consecutive innings without a Test ton. He scored 10 centuries in his first 30 Test, and then just one in the next 39.

It would take something extraordinary for him to be in the squad for the First Test against New Zealand in Perth.

“The most mortifying wicket I’ve ever seen” – Green dismissal shines spotlight on batting line-up “excuses”

After earlier “barbecuing” Josh Inglis with a run-out, Gerard Whateley couldn’t believe it when Cam Green was clean bowled by Simon Harmer after largely avoiding the South African spinner for more than 20 overs, with tail-enders Cummins and Lyon taking the strike.

“It’s a little bit embarrassing,” Whateley said during the early stages of the second session. Upon Green’s departure: “In my time calling Test Cricket that is the most mortifying wicket I’ve ever seen,” Whateley said.

“Australia hid its number four from Simon Harmer from the 16th over to the 39th over. They switched his ends, and first ball Green got clean bowled. There are certain ways to meet your fate – this is not it. Do not meet your fate like this, and it is going to be a big part of the post mortems.”

Katich was scathing – he saw it as “a snapshot of where this group has been for a number of years now.” “This has been brewing for a while,” Katich said.

“The rhetoric is the batting group has had to deal with bad wickets, this and that – if you constantly keep making excuses for the players they’ll latch onto them. We’ve all been there.

“When things aren’t going to plan as a player the first thing you do is look for an excuse so you don’t blame yourself, and that’s got to change, because it’s come from within this setup and protected this batting setup for too long.”

Harmer and “King” Rabada run rampant as South Africa show why are the best in it right now

Full credit has to go to South Africa.

From the moment Rabada ran in for the first over of the day he was electric, removing Renshaw, Labuschagne and Head to become the quickest to 350 Test wicket, completely taking the game away from Australia.

“KG Rabada becomes King Rabada in Cape Town,” Simon Katich said. “He has done a number on this Australian top order.” From there, Simon Harmer got to work, taking career-best figures of 6/16 in devastating fashion.

He had boldly declared two days ago that 120 was “defendable” and he was proven correct by his own hand. Harmer earned Player of the Match honours for his 10 wickets, whilst Marco Jansen was named Player of the Series with 198 runs and 13 wickets across the series.

Overall the South Africans were better for longer in the series. They were able to put the wounds of Durban behind them to dominate Ghqberha and then after a sea-sawing four days in Cape Town were able to land the killer blows in devastating fashion.

They are rightly top of the World Test Championship rankings. “A profound moment in the Rainbow Nation,” said Whateley of the win.

Simon Katich was full of praise. “That South African unit, they’re tight and are thoroughly deserved winners here, and you can see why they are the World Test Champions. They just do not give up.”

From 6/110 at Gqeberha, to being 1/140 in the second innings in Cape Town, South Africa’s ability to show resilience and find a way through can only be admired and something this Australian side now needs to aspire to be.

Big Vern plays a hand

Former South African seamer and SEN commentator Vernon Philander played a small role, selecting the ball that South Africa would use for day five.

It proved a valuable selection. “I always look for a prominent seam, a bit darker in colour and how it sits in the hand,” Philander said on the coverage of his selection criteria.

We’ve loved having “Big Vern” on the coverage and his insights extend well beyond the commentary box.

Where to now for Australia? Big questions to be answered.

Whilst Pat Cummins said during the presentation he was “overall relatively happy” with how the team is placed, raising eyebrows.

Simon Katich discussed the likely team discussions that will take place ahead of facing New Zealand and India, citing four key areas.

“Number three’s been ongoing – that’s a given and pretty much conclusive. There’ll be talk about balancing this team out and whether Carey needs to go back to seven, with the young player at six – whether that’s Connolly – that they are grooming the player for a potential top order role once they are settled in Test Cricket.

“Then there’s where the Goat (Nathan Lyon) is at. Realistically is he going to play another summer in Australia after this one against the Kiwis? Probably not, and with the challenges ahead, and then the balance of the bowling line-up.

“How can Boland continue to sit on the pine when the conditions present that he has to play?” Gerard Whateley pondered the “in-the-mirror” questions the hierarchy will be asking themselves “having got so far away from magnetic north.”

What we do know is there is a lot to be worked through after the highs and lows of this series.