Twelve overs. Two rain interruptions. And two wickets in two devastating deliveries from Scott Boland that could prove decisive in Australia’s quest for a 2-0 stranglehold on South Africa.

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The second Test at St George’s Park descended into a washout on Sunday, with just 12.2 overs bowled across two brief periods of play before persistent rain rendered the rest of the day a complete write-off. But in those moments when cricket was possible, Boland delivered the kind of incisive spell that reminded everyone why he remains one of Test cricket’s most lethal weapons.

South Africa, sent in to bat by Pat Cummins under leaden skies and on a pitch tinged with green, limped to 20/2 before the weather had the final say. But those two wickets, Aiden Markram and David Bedingham, the Proteas’ most successful batsmen from the 214-run Durban debacle, represented hammer blows that could haunt the hosts long after the rain eventually relents.

Boland’s deadly double

Coming on as first change after the resumption following the first rain delay, Boland needed just ten deliveries to strike gold. He pitched one up to Markram that jagged back viciously off the seam, catching the opener on the crease and crashing into middle stump via an inside edge. Markram, who’d looked relatively comfortable on 11, was gone.

Then came the knockout punch. First ball to David Bedingham, Boland produced a beauty that seamed away late, drawing the edge and nestling safely in the gloves of wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Two balls, two wickets, and suddenly South Africa’s fragile batting line-up, already reeling from wholesale changes following the Durban humiliation, looked vulnerable all over again.

“Scotty Boland has been incredible whenever he’s played Test cricket,” Cummins said after winning the toss and electing to bowl. “When there’s anything in the wicket, he gets a lot of seam movement, super accurate, and then even if it does flatten out, he brings control, experience. He’s the whole package.”

All-seam gamble pays instant dividends

Boland’s selection represented Australia’s only change from the side that crushed South Africa in Durban, with the Victorian seamer replacing off-spinner Nathan Lyon in an all-pace attack designed to exploit the overcast conditions and greenish pitch. It was a calculated gamble, one that paid instant dividends.

The decision to omit Lyon, a 129-Test veteran and Australia’s greatest off-spinner, would have been taken lightly. But Cummins and the Australian brains trust clearly identified an opportunity to strangle South Africa with relentless seam and swing, banking on Boland, Starc and Hazlewood to extract maximum value from helpful conditions.

Rain the only winner

The day began in farcical fashion. Rain started falling ten minutes after the toss, delaying the start by two hours and setting the tone for a stop-start affair that frustrated players, officials and the handful of spectators brave enough to endure Gqeberha’s grim weather.

When play finally commenced, Markram briefly threatened to make Australia pay, cracking two boundaries off Mitchell Starc before the heavens opened again with South Africa on 11 without loss after just 5.3 overs. The players trudged off, the covers came on, and the waiting game resumed.

The resumption in the afternoon brought Boland into the attack, and his immediate double strike. New cap Marques Ackerman, thrust into Test cricket in the cauldron of a series South Africa are already trailing, survived to reach four not out alongside captain Temba Bavuma on five when rain returned for what proved to be the final time.

By mid-afternoon, the umpires had seen enough. The forecast offered no hope, the outfield was sodden, and day one was officially abandoned with South Africa 20/2 from 12.2 overs.

South Africa’s reshuffle

The Proteas made three changes following their Durban mauling, with the headline return being that of pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada, recovered from the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the first Test. Rabada replaced left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, signalling South Africa’s own intent to exploit seam-friendly conditions.

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Marques Ackerman and Matthew Breetzke were handed debuts, thrust into the deep end of a series already slipping away.

For Ackerman, surviving to stumps unbeaten will feel like a minor triumph. For Bedingham, the first-ball dismissal after his fighting 75 in Durban’s second innings represents a cruel blow.

The forecast looms large

With vast chunks of playing time already lost and the forecast for the coming days looking no more promising, the spectre of a draw looms large. Australia, holding a 1-0 lead, can afford to be patient. South Africa, needing a victory to level the series, cannot.