In total, Nortje sent down 13.2 overs on the opening day, more than his last two 50 over matches combined, proving to himself he still has the mettle to play in the game's truest form.
"I haven't officially bowled as many overs [as I did today], but I have tried to do similar things in the nets.
"It's never the same. You can't simulate it as much," Nortje said.
The tourists reached 84/3 at lunch, but Jansen removed Steve Smith for 25 shortly after the interval before Nortje’s double strike strengthened their position.
The Proteas went into tea with the visitors on 149/6, only for Renshaw and Cummins to frustrate them with an unbeaten 63-run partnership in the final session.
The Kariega speedster admitted he had begun to wonder when the next breakthrough would come as the Aussie batters settled, making his intervention particularly satisfying.
“To be honest, I thought it’s not going to be a wicket for the next few weeks, the way the ball was passing the bat, so it felt good to get those wickets, to get the blood flowing again. [sic]”
While the two wickets shifted the momentum, Nortje was equally impressed by the collective effort of the attack, singling out Mulder for his control and consistency.
“He brings a lot of control. He’s very consistent, he bowls at a good pace, and he does bring something to the game.”
Mulder finished with 2/31 from 15 overs, while Jansen claimed 2/35 from 16. Nortje returned 2/40 from 13.2 overs, with the three pacemen sharing all six wickets.
The challenge now is to sustain that pressure when play resumes at 9:30am on Saturday morning, with Renshaw unbeaten on 46 and Cummins on 33.
Nortje acknowledged that returning to competitive bowling was different from preparing in the nets, with the demands of longer spells requiring time to build up again.
“It’s really good to be out there, really good to be playing, and just happy that I could contribute as well and the team did well.”
He believes that process is progressing well, but his immediate priority is to build on his first-day contribution and help South Africa press home their advantage.
With Renshaw and Cummins having steadied the innings, the hosts will need an early breakthrough on day two to prevent the tourists from turning a precarious position into a competitive first-innings total.
