David Warner Australia criticism has framed the fallout from Cape Town, where Australia were bowled out for 111 and lost the deciding Test to South Africa by 176 runs. The result gave South Africa the series 2-1 and knocked Australia off the top of the world Test rankings.
Set 288 to win on the final day, Australia slumped to 60-7 by lunch and were dismissed inside the day. Warner, who opened for Australia until his Test retirement in 2024, gave his assessment on Fox Sports.
"It is terrible. It is un-Australian. There is no fight whatsoever. It is disgraceful," Warner said. "The batters have let the bowlers down all series. Matt Renshaw showed fight in that first Test, but I think the batters have been utterly disgraceful."
David Warner Australia criticism
Warner reserved part of his criticism for the manner of Renshaw's dismissal, caught down the leg side off Kagiso Rabada in the opening over. He called it deplorable and said it reflected how the side batted.
Rabada trapped Marnus Labuschagne lbw in the same over and had Travis Head caught by Marco Jansen at gully with Australia 22-3. It was Rabada's 350th Test wicket, reached in 13,808 balls, fewer than anyone before him.
Labuschagne's lean run continued, with the batter now 49 Test innings without a century. Australia were also without Steve Smith, who missed the match through injury.
Run out and a lower-order collapse
Cameron Green pushed Simon Harmer into the covers and called Josh Inglis through for a single that was never on. Inglis was run out, and former South Africa captain Graeme Smith criticised the call on Sky Sports.
"Never a run. A bad call from Green," he said.
Harmer then broke through the rest, taking the final six wickets for 16 runs. Alex Carey was caught at backward point attempting a reverse-sweep, Cooper Connolly edged behind two balls later, and Mitchell Starc's 25-ball duck ended with a catch at short leg. Harmer finished with match figures of 10-120, the first 10-wicket haul of his Test career.
Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon held South Africa out for 17.2 overs. Cummins faced 90 deliveries for 11 before Harmer trapped him lbw and bowled Josh Hazlewood, while Lyon finished unbeaten on 33 as Australia's top scorer.
Harmer and Jansen take the honours
Harmer was named player of the match despite not starting the series as South Africa's first-choice spinner. He credited Rabada's early strikes with shifting the shape of the innings.
"It was just dealing with expectations. Putting that to one side and understanding what I had to do," Harmer said. "The way KG [Kagiso Rabada] took three wickets, after that it was about playing for a draw for them. To be able to bowl in that situation, guys around the bat, the theatre, creating pressure, goes a long way and makes my job easier."
Marco Jansen was player of the series with 198 runs and 13 wickets. "Seeing KG running and doing his thing with flow, Harmer turning the ball also puts a good kind of pressure on you to do well for the guy next to you," he said.
Graeme Smith singled out Rabada as the leader of the attack. "He is so integral to the performance of this team," he said.
Cummins accepted that his side never gave themselves a chance. "Within the first hour the game was away from us and we did not give ourselves a chance," he said. "We are a really good side but playing tough opponents away from home is always difficult."
What comes next
Australia turn to a four-Test home series against New Zealand starting in December. South Africa face England in a three-Test series next month.
Read the original report at skysports.com.
