Matthew Renshaw dazzled under pressure at Kingsmead, Durban, as he shone with both bat and ball to help Australia draw first blood in the series. Matthew Renshaw shone mainly with the bat, with a stellar 190 in the first innings and 82 in the second innings, while he chipped in with a couple of wickets with the ball alongside a few catches as Australia dominated South Africa by 214 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.
While it was the Renshaw show all the way, others chipped in here and there, especially Josh Hazlewood, who picked up 6 wickets in the second innings to help Australia romp home to the win. It was a total team effort by the Aussies, while for South Africa, they had their moments with players getting starts but not being able to convert them into big scores. Aiden Markram showed resistance, but it was too little too late in the end as Australia, the better team, won on the day.
Matthew Renshaw’s majestic 190 helped Australia post a gigantic 390 in 137.2 overs
It was Australian captain Pat Cummins who won the toss and elected to bat first on Day 1 as a new-look opening pair of Nic Maddinson and Travis Head walked out to open the batting for Australia while Marco Jansen had the ball in hand for South Africa. It was a struggle for the Aussie openers as Maddinson, who survived a DRS scare due to the non-review of South Africa, struggled to get going while Head was tentative in his stay as well. The opening duo added 17 runs for the first wicket inside 8 overs before Head was the first to depart for 9 off 19 balls with 2 fours to his name to Wiaan Mulder.
Marnus Labuschagne walked out to bat next. Maddinson and Marnus could add only 7 more runs to the score before Maddinson fell for a 33-ball duck to Marco Jansen who cleaned him up. Steve Smith came out to bat next. The duo of Marnus and Smith started to stabilise things for the Aussies. Both of them complemented each other really well as they love batting against each other. The duo added 60 runs for the third wicket before Marnus fell at the stroke of Lunch for 37 off 58 balls with 6 fours to his name to Mulder as Australia went to Lunch at 84/3 after 26 overs on Day 1.
Australia were in a spot of bother here when Matthew Renshaw joined Smith in the middle after the lunch break. But the score remained at 84 as three balls into the second session, Jansen got rid of the big fish, Steve Smith, for 25 off 53 balls with 2 sixes to his name. Keeper-batter Alex Carey came out to bat next. Renshaw and Carey tried to forge a stand to stabilise the innings as old-school Test cricket was on view from Renshaw. The duo added 36 runs for the 5th wicket before Carey fell for 14 off 44 balls with one four to his name to Anrich Nortje. Beau Webster came out to bat next.
Webster hit a boundary to get off the mark, but off the next ball of the over, he fell for 4 off 2 balls with a boundary to his name as Nortje got two wickets in the over in a span of 3 balls. Australia were in trouble at 124/6 in 42 overs when captain Pat Cummins joined Renshaw at the crease. The duo led Australia’s fightback and forged an important partnership. They first took the Aussies to 149/6 at Tea on Day 1. Thereafter, they took the score to 187/6 in 65.2 overs when Bad Light and rain curtailed play on Day 1.
On Day 2, they resumed from this point onwards and carried on to take the team past 200 runs. The duo took the score to 210 as they added a crucial 86-run stand for the 7th wicket before captain Cummins was prized out for 43 off 98 balls with 6 fours to his name to Mulder. Mitchell Starc came out to bat next. Starc and Renshaw could add 20 more runs to the tally before Starc fell for 6 off 25 balls with one four to his name to Mulder.
South Africa were back in the match at 230/8 in the 82nd over when Nathan Lyon joined Renshaw in the middle. But then this particular partnership was the body blow to South Africa. Lyon played his part perfectly and hung in there, but Renshaw was the star as he dazzled under the sun in Durban. He completed his second Test ton and converted this into a daddy hundred. The duo played through Lunch and then almost till Tea. The duo put on 134 runs for the 9th wicket before Lyon’s resistance ended on 27 off 92 balls with 5 fours to his name to Jansen.
Josh Hazlewood was the last man out there for Australia. He too hung in there as Renshaw got to his highest Test score, getting past the 184 he scored against Pakistan at Sydney in 2017. He looked primed towards a double ton as Australia went to Tea at 390/9 in 137 overs. After Tea, it took two balls for Simon Harmer to wrap up the innings as Renshaw was the last to fall for 190 off 397 balls with 21 fours and one six to his name. Hazlewood remained unbeaten on 5 off 11 balls with one four to his name as Australia were bowled out for 390 in 137.2 overs. 30 extras were given by South Africa.
It was a hard toil for the South African bowlers. Wiaan Mulder was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/68 in 27 overs. Marco Jansen finished with 3/68 in 31 overs. Anrich Nortje finished with 2/88 in 28 overs. Simon Harmer finished with figures of 1/68 in 28.2 overs. Keshav Maharaj finished with 0/75 in 20 overs. Aiden Markram finished with 0/3 in 3 overs. It was now time for South Africa to start their batting in the first innings.
Pat Cummins’ brigade’s all-round bowling display restricts South Africa to 284 in 78 overs
Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton came out to open the batting for South Africa in their first innings as Mitchell Starc had the ball in hand for Australia. The Proteas did not even get off the blocks when the first wicket fell, as after 9 balls in the innings, Rickelton fell for a golden duck to Josh Hazlewood. David Bedingham came out to bat next. The duo started to steady things for the Proteas and took the score to 27/1 when bad light intervened to end Day 2.
Day 3, which is the moving day of the Test match, began with the duo of Markram and Bedingham continuing from where they left off the previous day, with Bedingham scoring the bulk of the runs. Markram gave him good company. The duo put on an important 84-run stand for the second wicket before Markram fell for 37 off 67 balls with 7 fours to his name to Mitchell Starc. Captain Temba Bavuma came out to bat next.
South Africa now had a mini collapse before Lunch on Day 3 as just 9 runs were added to the tally before Bavuma fell for 3 off 27 balls to Nathan Lyon. Tristan Stubbs came out to bat next. Just 6 more runs were added to the score before Bedingham fell for 49 off 73 balls with 9 fours to his name to Pat Cummins as Smith took a stunner at second slip one-handed to his right. Wiaan Mulder came out to bat next. The duo then tried to forge a stand and took South Africa to 115/4 at Lunch on Day 3.
After Lunch, South Africa showed signs of positivity as the duo of Mulder and Stubbs played positive cricket. The duo added a total of 56 runs for the 5th wicket before Mulder fell for 30 off 50 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Cummins as South Africa lost half their side for 155. Keeper-batter Kyle Verreynne came out to bat next. Verreynne also played his natural game. The duo added 7 runs to the score before Stubbs fell for 32 off 66 balls with 3 fours to his name to Cummins yet again. Marco Jansen came out to bat next.
Jansen came and played positive cricket like we expect him to play. The duo of Verreynne and Jansen added 35 runs for the 7th wicket before Verreynne fell for 13 off 20 balls with 2 fours to his name to Lyon. Simon Harmer came out to bat next. The score remained at 197 when Jansen fell for 26 off 20 balls with 6 fours to his name to Hazlewood. Keshav Maharaj came out to bat with the Proteas in big trouble. The spin duo who were ineffective with the ball started to entertain with the bat.
The duo first took the Proteas to 238/8 at Tea on Day 3. They frustrated the Aussies by using the long handle as the tail wagged for them. The duo added a total of 52 runs for the 9th wicket before Maharaj finally fell for 34 off 44 balls with 2 fours and one six to his name to Mitchell Starc. Anrich Nortje came out to bat next. Harmer and Nortje enjoyed themselves and reduced the deficit to as low a total as possible.
The duo added 35 runs for the final wicket before Nortje was the last one to depart for 16 off 26 balls with 3 fours to his name to Beau Webster. Harmer remained unbeaten on 35 off 75 balls with 4 fours and a maximum to his name as South Africa were bowled out for 278 in 78 overs. 9 extras were given by the fielding side.
It was an all-round bowling display by the Australian bowlers. Captain Pat Cummins led the way with figures of 3/54 in 15 overs. Mitchell Starc chipped in with 2/63 in 17 overs. Josh Hazlewood chipped in with 2/54 in 16 overs. Nathan Lyon finished with 2/58 in 22 overs. Beau Webster finished with 1/23 in 3 overs. Travis Head finished with 0/20 in 3 overs. Marnus Labuschagne finished with 0/6 in 2 overs. Australia gained a significant 106-run first-innings lead and then came out to bat in their second innings.
Matthew Renshaw’s rapid 82 helped all-round Australia post 314/6 in 58 overs before declaring the innings
With a lead of 106 runs in their kitty, Nic Maddinson and Travis Head came out to open the batting for Australia at the fag end of Day 3 while Marco Jansen had the ball in hand for South Africa. Maddinson was off the blocks quickly as he had a refreshing change of intent in the second innings. Head gave him good company as the Aussies raced to 33/0 in 5.4 overs when Bad Light ended play on Day 3 early.
When the penultimate day, i.e., Day 4, commenced, Australia came out all guns blazing as Maddinson played positive cricket out there. Head too played his shots here and there as the duo added 43 for the first wicket inside 7 overs before Head was the first to go for 11 off 18 balls with 2 fours to his name to Marco Jansen. Marnus Labuschagne came out to bat next. Maddinson looked positive while Marnus played his natural game as Australia knew they had to declare early to have a chance to win this game.
The duo added 29 runs in no time before Maddinson fell for 48 off 38 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name to Anrich Nortje, who cleaned him up. Steve Smith came out to bat next. Through the course of the innings, he copped a blow on the helmet after which a concussion protocol was done, and he carried on batting as Nortje was the bowler of concern. The duo of Smith and Marnus added runs at a decent clip, with Smith taking the attack to the spinners.
The duo added 53 runs for the 3rd wicket before Smith, while upping the ante, fell for 27 off 41 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Simon Harmer as he was holed out at long-on by Jansen. Matthew Renshaw came out to bat next and played the sweeps and reverse sweeps against the spinners much like the first innings. Marnus and Renshaw added 32 runs for the 4th wicket before Marnus fell to a soft dismissal to Keshav Maharaj when he was batting on 37 off 58 balls with 4 fours to his name. Keeper-batter Alex Carey came out to bat next.
The duo first took Australia to 174/4 with a lead of 280 runs at Lunch on Day 4. Post-lunch, the aggression continued from Renshaw in particular, with Carey joining in as well. The duo of Renshaw and Carey added 48 runs for the 5th wicket before Carey fell for 24 off 39 balls with 3 fours to his name to Nortje, who cleaned him up. Beau Webster came out to bat next. Renshaw pressed the accelerator while Webster too played his part.
The duo added 65 runs for the 6th wicket in no time before Renshaw fell for 82 off 99 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes to his name thanks to a superb return catch from Keshav Maharaj. Captain Pat Cummins joined Webster in the middle with the score at 270/6 in 54.5 overs. Cummins meant business as he hit the big hits, while Webster was in the zone as well with the declaration around the corner. The lead swelled past 400 as Harmer, who bowled what turned out to be the last over before Tea and the declaration, gave away 23 runs.
The duo played T20 in Test cricket and added an unbeaten 44 runs off 19 balls as Australia reached 314/6 in 58 overs when Cummins decided enough is enough and declared the second innings. Webster remained unbeaten on 39 off 43 balls with 6 fours to his name, while Cummins remained unbeaten on 32 off 12 balls with 4 sixes to his name. 14 extras were given by the South African team. The lead was 420 runs in the end.
It was a hard toil for the South African bowlers in general. Anrich Nortje was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/56 in 12 overs. Keshav Maharaj chipped in with 2/56 in 9 overs. Simon Harmer finished with 1/121 in 25 overs. Marco Jansen finished with 1/45 in 8 overs. Wiaan Mulder finished with 0/24 in 4 overs. This meant South Africa had a gigantic chase of 421 runs to win in the fourth innings of the Test match as Tea was taken on Day 4 as well, albeit a tad early.
Josh Hazlewood’s career six-wicket haul decimates South Africa as Australia draw first blood in the series
Chasing 421 for the win, South Africa came to bat in the evening session of Day 4 with Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram opening the batting while Mitchell Starc had the ball in hand for Australia. The opening duo could add only 7 runs to the score before Rickelton fell for 2 off 12 balls to Josh Hazlewood, another low score for the southpaw. David Bedingham came out to bat next.
The duo, much like the first innings, played fluently out there in the middle and scored runs. Bedingham looked good, while Markram looked solid out there in the middle. The duo added a crucial 66-run stand for the second wicket to lead South Africa’s mini fightback before Bedingham fell for 46 off 68 balls with 8 fours to his name to Josh Hazlewood yet again. Captain Temba Bavuma came out to bat next. Bavuma and Markram could add only 9 more runs to the score before the captain fell for 1 off 18 balls to the man with the golden arm, Matthew Renshaw.
Tristan Stubbs came out to bat next. Just 4 runs were added to the tally before Stubbs fell for 1 off 12 balls to Pat Cummins. South Africa were in trouble in a matter of minutes at 86/4 in 32.4 overs. Wiaan Mulder came out to bat next. The duo then negotiated the remaining time and overs of the day as South Africa went to Stumps on Day 4 at 102/4 in 41 overs.
Resuming play at 102/4 in 41 overs on the fifth and final day of action, the duo of Markram and Mulder showed tremendous grit and resolve to keep the Aussies at bay. They almost did it the entire session, as Markram scored a half-century as well but was solid in defence. Mulder showed great character as well. They went more than 90 minutes of play unscathed before, in the last 30 minutes before Lunch, Australia turned it around. The duo added 69 runs for the 5th wicket before Mulder fell for 29 off 110 balls with 3 fours to his name to Hazlewood as Carey plucked out a stunner diving one-handed to his left.
Keeper-batter Kyle Verreynne came out to bat next. He got off the mark as one run was added to the score before Verreynne fell for 1 off 3 balls to Renshaw yet again. Marco Jansen came out to bat for South Africa and showed resistance alongside Markram. The duo took South Africa to 166/6 at Lunch on the final day with the Aussies still on top. Thereafter, the duo, with defensive and sometimes attacking cricket, took the Proteas past the 200-run mark. The duo put on 45 runs for the 7th wicket before Jansen was cleaned up by Hazlewood, who was in the zone now.
Simon Harmer came out to bat next. Hazlewood had two in the over as a brute short-of-a-length ball had Harmer fend off to the keeper for a bronze duck as the 8th wicket fell. Keshav Maharaj came out to bat next. The score remained static at 201 as another wicket fell, as Mitchell Starc sealed the final nail in the coffin, dismissing South Africa’s vice-captain Aiden Markram for 75 off 237 balls with 10 fours to his name, and the game was done and dusted here now.
Nortje managed to hit a boundary as the last-wicket pair added 5 runs to the score before Nortje was the last man out for 4 off 4 balls with one four to his name to Hazlewood as Lyon took the catch and Hazlewood had 6 wickets to his name. Maharaj remained unbeaten on 1 off 3 balls as South Africa were skittled out for 206 in 86.5 overs. 11 extras were given by Australia.
Josh Hazlewood was the star and the pick of the bowlers with his career-best 6/49 in 16.5 overs, his 15th five-wicket haul in the innings. Matthew Renshaw chipped in with 2/30 in 13 overs. Mitchell Starc chipped in with 1/33 in 16 overs. Captain Pat Cummins chipped in with 1/34 in 14 overs. Nathan Lyon finished with 0/32 in 20 overs. Beau Webster bowled 3 overs for 4 runs. Nic Maddinson bowled 4 overs for 18 runs. So, Australia won the Test match by 214 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match Test series.
It was no surprise that Matthew Renshaw was awarded the Player of the Match Award for his stellar show in Durban.
What Lies Ahead
So, Australia lead the series 1-0 with a comprehensive 214-run win at Durban in this 3-match series. The second and most important Test match is set to be played at St. George’s Park, Gqeberha, in Port Elizabeth from Sunday 18th October, 2026, with the match set to start at 1:30 PM IST. A big match for the Proteas to bounce back and keep the series alive, while the Aussies will go to seal the series there and then only.
Let’s see what the second Test has in store for us. The first Test was exciting and exhilirating for all of us, and we hope for the same come Test Match Number 2.
Also Read: SA vs AUS: Matthew Renshaw’s Stellar All-Round Show Sinks South Africa Deeper