Proteas make inroads into Australia's batting before bad light halts play in Durban

Australia skipper Pat Cummins had won the toss and elected to bat ahead of the highly-anticipated opener in the three-match series at Kingsmead.

The tourists shocked in their team selection when they opted for Nic Maddinson to open the innings alongside Travis Head, the former having played the last of his three Tests in 2016 and having recovered from a testicular cancer last year.

The Proteas opening bowling pair of Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen were tight in the early exchanges and the breakthrough came in the eighth over when Head was found to have been caught down the leg-side off Mulder.

Maddinson did not have thhis fairytale return to the international stage, batting for 33 deliveries before he chopped onto his own stumps off Jansen to walk back to the dressing room for a duck as Australia slipped to 24-2.

Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith then dug in and solidified the innings with a partnership of 60 for the third wicket, but Mulder came back to trap the number 3 lbw for 37 with the last ball before the lunch break.

At 83-3, the hosts would felt that they shaded the first session and they were right on top immediately after the interval when Jansen had Smith caught at third slip for 25.

Alex Carey and Matt Renshaw put on a 36-run stand but Australia were not moving the game forward and Carey was snaffled in the slips off the bowling of speedster Anrich Nortje, playing in his first Test in three years.

Nortje then rattled Australia even further as he had Beau Webster caught behind in the same over to leave the visitors deep in the mire at 124-6.

Renshaw was solid at the other end for his 46 not out and was joined at the crease by his skipper Cummins (33 not out) to take Australia to 187 before the clouds in Durban closed in and the umpires took the players off the field.

READ MORE: New Zealand name former wicketkeeper BJ Watling as new batting coach