Australia vs South Africa: 5 ways the Proteas messed up Day 1 at Perth

#3 Playing Amla and Duminy ahead of Faf

Hashim Amla didn’t last long in the middle

When Jacques Kallis walked off from his famed no.3 slot, Faf Du Plessis was the man assigned to that slot, despite Amla, a terrific player, being at no.4 for a long time. But there was another reason for choosing Faf ahead of Amla for that slot.

While Amla is undoubtedly a brilliant batsman, his technique is not apt for a no.3. The tendency to waft at swinging balls outside the off stump and his susceptibility to incoming deliveries make him a suspect no.3. Strangely, in the last few Tests, Faf has tended to bat below Amla, and while that looked alright on sub-continental wickets, on a spicy Perth pitch with Starc and Hazlewood on fire, it was a bad move.

Faf showed the way later, after coming in below even Duminy at no.5, with textbook style defensive strokes and 'head over the ball' techniques. From 32/4, Faf did well to consolidate, but if he had walked in after the first wicket, the consolidation could have begun earlier, and they would have had Amla and Duminy to unleash later.