An aggressive Travis Head put Australia in charge after the first day of the opening Test against South Africa at the Gabba in Brisbane on Saturday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After bowling out the visitors for 152 on the stroke of tea, Head came to the crease with the Australian score a precarious 27-3.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But on a wicket that all batters found difficult to score on, Head looked a different class, smashing an unbeaten 78 from just 77 deliveries.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
At the close Australia were 145-5 after nightwatchman Scott Boland was dismissed last ball of the day, trailing by just seven runs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australian captain Pat Cummins earlier won the toss and chose to bowl on a green wicket under cloudy skies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He would have felt vindicated by that decision after a stunning start when South Africa were reduced to 27-4 after 11 overs, a position from which they never recovered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The only batters to defy the Australian attack were wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, top scorer with 64, and number four Temba Bavuma, who rescued the visitors from complete annihilation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But once Bavuma fell for 38 midway through the second session, South Africa lost steady wickets on a surface that got faster as the day wore on.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The morning conditions had looked ideal for Australia's potent pace attack, but Mitchell Starc and Cummins were wayward early, causing no real problems for the batters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Starc began the rout with the first ball of the third over when South African captain Dean Elgar tickled a ball down the leg side to keeper Alex Carey.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Cummins began to find his line and length and was next to strike, with Rassie van der Dussen getting a faint edge to a ball that moved off the seam to leave South Africa 27-2.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That soon became 27-3 when Sarel Erwee got a thick edge off Boland for Cameron Green to take a brilliant catch in the gully, low and to his left.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Two balls later it was 27-4 when Boland trapped Khaya Zondo lbw for a duck.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Verreynne decided to play his strokes, and with Bavuma grafting at the other end, they began a recovery.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Australia's reply started disastrously when David Warner fell first ball of the innings after deflecting a brutal Kagiso Rabada short ball to short leg, where Zondo took a spectacular catch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The in-form Marnus Labuschagne was next to fall, edging Marco Jansen's first ball to Elgar at second slip with the score on 18.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Anrich Nortje replaced opening bowler Lungi Ngidi and struck with his second ball when Usman Khawaja was caught at third slip by substitute fielder Simon Harmer.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After reducing South Africa to 27-4 in 11 overs, Australia found themselves 27-3 after nine overs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But whereas South Africa's batting line-up looked vulnerable heading into the match, the Australians have been in great touch against the West Indies and Head and Steve Smith rarely looked in trouble.<\/p>\r\n\r\n