Australia's veteran bowling quartet continues to improve with age

DURBAN, Oct 14 - Age appears no closer to catching up with Australia's veteran bowling attack after the quartet produced yet another decisive performance in the first test against South Africa to put the tourists 1-0 up in the three-match series.

While batter Matt Renshaw took the plaudits after scores of 190 and 82 helped Australia to a 214-run win at Kingsmead in Durban on Tuesday, their bowlers skittled South Africa twice to secure the emphatic victory.

Josh Hazlewood, 35, returned his best test figures of 6-49 to wrap up the win and received strong support from Pat Cummins, 33, fellow seamer Mitchell Starc, 36, and 38-year-old spinner Nathan Lyon.

It is no accident that the four have enjoyed such longevity in the test arena, with captain Cummins praising the bowlers' preparations.

“So much since (last year’s) Ashes has been how are we going to get ourselves to this position and in as good a spot as we can be," Cummins said.

"Before that Darwin test (against Bangladesh in August) we did a lot of work, a big training block to get ahead of the eight ball and pay dividends down the track, which is, I guess, now."

There is also buy-in from the bowlers to rest when necessary and Cummins said back-up quicks Scott Boland and Michael Neser, who have been working in the nets, were looking as sharp as the others.

After overcoming a hamstring injury, Lyon said he was in the best shape of his career, despite being on the cusp of 39.

"The amount of work that I've put in, I've never had any doubt that I'll get back,” he said of a vigorous training programme.

"I haven't had any alcohol for a fair while now, but I'm just trying to squeeze as much out of the lemon as possible that I can.

"I still feel like there's a lot of decent cricket ahead of me, that's for sure."

A CAPTAIN'S DREAM

Hazlewood is also back on form after injuries kept him out of the last Ashes.

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” he said of his bowling on the last two days in Durban. “I’m a bit older than I used to be, but everything’s feeling good.”

Hazlewood now has 311 test wickets and has moved above Brett Lee into eighth in Australia’s all-time list.

"He obviously gets spoken about a lot for his consistency, but I think that undersells him," said Cummins. "He's really skilful with the new ball, but once you get a reversing ball, he's just as skilful; he can swing it both ways."

The captain also praised Hazlewood and Starc for their willingness to put the team first.

“They're just, whatever the team needs, they'll just roll up their sleeves and go to work," he added. "A captain's dream." REUTERS