Captain of South Africa Temba Bavuma led from the front with his majestic knock that led South Africa’s fightback from a precarious position, with help from Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer before the bowlers took over. Temba Bavuma marshalled his troops really well as Marco Jansen was the chief destroyer in the first innings with 5 wickets, while Kagiso Rabada and Wiaan Mulder stood up in the second innings as the Proteas won by an innings and 31 runs to draw level in the series 1-1.
For Australia, they must be wondering what hit them. But they had positives in the form of Scott Boland’s five-wicket haul. Then after being skittled for 95, they showed great fight, with Travis Head scoring a gutsy hundred while Scott Boland showed character as well till the end. But the others were below par as Australia were given a reality check to lose the match and it sets things up nicely for the final deciding Test in Cape Town.
Temba Bavuma’s gargantuan knock powers South Africa to 425/9 declared in 127.1 overs
Put into bat first under overcast conditions on Day 1, Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman came out to open the batting for South Africa while Mitchell Starc had the ball in hand for Australia. The first day started late and had a lot of stop and starts. The opening duo put on 12 for the first wicket before Markram fell for 11 off 28 balls with 2 fours to his name as he was cleaned up by Scott Boland. David Bedingham came and fell first ball for a golden duck as Boland had two in two balls.
Captain Temba Bavuma came out to bat and faced the hat-trick ball to survive it. The duo of Bavuma and Ackerman took South Africa to 20/2 in 12.2 overs when incessant rain cut short the first day’s play with loads of overs lost. Rain washed out the first two sessions of Day 2 as play got underway in the final session of play with Bavuma and Ackerman resuming proceedings for South Africa while Scott Boland had to complete his unfinished over from the previous day.
The duo added 5 more runs to the overnight score and put on a total of 13 runs for the third wicket before Ackerman fell for 6 off 38 balls to Boland yet again. Matthew Breetzke came out to bat next. Bavuma and Breetzke tried to form a partnership and added 15 runs for the 4th wicket before Breetzke fell for 4 off 17 balls to Mitchell Starc. Keeper batter Ryan Rickelton came out to bat next. Rickelton looked good while he was out there as Bavuma looked like a solid rock out there.
The duo complemented each other really well and put on an important 52-run stand for the 5th wicket before Rickelton fell at the fag end of Day 2 for 31 off 51 balls with 5 fours to his name to Boland. South Africa had lost half their side for 92 when Wiaan Mulder joined Bavuma in the middle. Mulder and Bavuma took the Proteas to 97/5 in 43 overs when umpires called Stumps on Day 2 with 43 overs possible across 2 days.
On a bright sunny day on Day 3, Temba Bavuma and Wiaan Mulder came out to resume proceedings for the Proteas. The duo took the score past 100 as they added 13 runs from the overnight score and put on 18 for the 6th wicket before Mulder fell for 13 off 38 balls with one four to his name to Starc. At 110/6, South Africa were in tatters after 50 overs when Marco Jansen joined Temba Bavuma at the crease as it was all Australia at this stage.
But things slowly turned in favour of the Proteas as Jansen took the attack to the opposition. Bavuma played second fiddle while Jansen counterattacked and disturbed the lines and lengths of the bowlers. With Josh Hazlewood not taking the field on Day 2 for 30 overs, he was not available to bowl in the morning session of Day 3 and this helped the Proteas and hampered the Aussies. The duo of Bavuma and Jansen complemented each other really well. They played it till Lunch and then beyond.
Bavuma showed character, grit, and determination while Jansen was the aggressor to change the tempo of the match. The duo put on a match turning 132-run stand for the 7th wicket to help Proteas roar back in the match before Jansen fell for 85 off 100 balls with 9 fours and 3 sixes to his name to Scott Boland who completed his five-wicket haul. Simon Harmer came out to bat next.
Harmer initially played himself in while Bavuma completed his 5th Test ton and his 1st vs Australia. Harmer showed great defense and resilience before playing his shots and natural games against a tiring attack. The duo just took the game away from the tourists by putting on a whopping 183 runs for the 8th wicket to put the game beyond Australia before Harmer fell for 82 off 157 balls with 10 fours and one six to his name to Marnus Labuschagne who cleaned him up.
Kagiso Rabada came in and did not face a ball at all. Bavuma then departed for a magnificent 179 off 334 balls with 18 fours and one six to his name to Mitchell Starc and as soon as that happened, the Proteas decided to declare the innings at the fag end of Day 3 at 425/9 in 127.1 overs. 14 extras given by the fielding side.
Australia had to toil hard on Day 3 with Scott Boland being the pick of the bowlers with figures of 5/81 in 29 overs. Mitchell Starc supported him well with 3/89 in 24.1 overs. Marnus Labuschagne finished with 1/8 in 2 overs. Josh Hazlewood finished with 0/43 in 14 overs. Captain Pat Cummins finished with 0/96 in 26 overs. Beau Webster finished with 0/43 in 19 overs. Matthew Renshaw finished with 0/33 in 8 overs. Nic Maddinson finished with 0/24 in 5 overs. This meant that Australia had to bat in their first innings.
Marco Jansen’s fiery five-wicket haul skittles Australia out for 99 in 42.3 overs
At the fag end of Day 3 under fading light, Nic Maddinson and Travis Head came out to open the innings for Australia while Kagiso Rabada had the ball in hand for South Africa. Rabada immediately struck in the first over as Maddinson played away from the body to get the outside edge to Simon Harmer at third slip. Night watchman Scott Boland came out to bat next. Head and him survived the remaining overs of the day as Australia went to Stumps on Day 3 at 3/1 in 4 overs with their backs to the wall.
Head and Boland resumed on Day 4 with a draw being the most likely result at this stage. The duo took the score to 11 before the nightwatchman Boland fell for 2 off 14 balls to Marco Jansen. Marnus Labuschagne came out to bat next. Head and Marnus tried to forge some sort of a stand and added 11 for the 3rd wicket before Head fell for 14 off 24 balls with 8 fours to his name to Jansen. Steve Smith came out to bat next.
Smith and Marnus tried to forge a partnership and could add only 23 runs for the 4th wicket before Marnus fell for 14 off 25 balls with 3 fours to his name to Anrich Nortje who later walked off the field injured. Matthew Renshaw joined Smith in the middle. Smith and Renshaw added exactly 20 runs for the 5th wicket before Renshaw fell for 12 off 48 balls to Jansen. Keeper batter Alex Carey came out to bat next with the Aussies having lost half the side for 65. Jansen had two wickets in the over before Carey fell for a second ball duck to Jansen. Beau Webster came out to bat next.
Australia went to Lunch on Day 4 at 69/6 with loads of work to do for them. Smith and Webster resumed after Lunch and took the score to 84 as the duo added a total of 19 runs for the 7th wicket before Webster fell for 13 off 28 balls with 2 fours to his name to Jansen who completed his five-wicket haul. Captain Pat Cummins came out to bat next. Smith and Cummins added 12 runs to the score before Smith battling chronic neck issues fell for 28 off 88 balls with 2 fours to his name as he was cleaned up by Wiaan Mulder.
Mitchell Starc came out to bat next. Just one run was added to the score before Starc fell for 1 off 4 balls to Kagiso Rabada. Josh Hazlewood came out to bat next. Just 2 runs were added to the score before Cummins was the last man to be dismissed for 7 off 16 balls with one four to his name to Mulder. Hazlewood remained unbeaten on 2 off 3 balls as the Aussies were rolled over for 99 in 42.3 overs. 6 extras were given by the fielding side.
Marco Jansen was the pick of the bowlers for South Africa with figures of 5/33 in 11 overs. He was ably supported by Kagiso Rabada, who finished with figures of 2/33 in 12 overs. Wiaan Mulder chipped in with 2/14 in 9.3 overs. Anrich Nortje finished with 1/5 in 3.3 overs and walked off the field injured. Simon Harmer finished with 0/9 in 5.3 overs. Aiden Markram bowled an over that was a maiden over. With a lead of 326 runs after the first innings, South Africa decided to enforce the follow-on as Australia would come out to bat again.
Kagiso Rabada leads South Africa’s all-round bowling effort to give South Africa an innings win
So, Nic Maddinson and Travis Head walked out to bat to start their second innings after Lunch on Day 4 for Australia, while Kagiso Rabada had the new ball in hand for South Africa. Maddinson hit two lovely boundaries as the opening duo put on 8 runs for the first wicket before Maddinson fell for 8 off 10 balls with 2 fours to his name to Kagiso Rabada. Marnus Labuschagne came out to bat next and got a start yet again. Head was given a lifeline when batting on 5*, as Marco Jansen put him down at gully off Wiaan Mulder.
Head went onto make Australia pay big time and he and Marnus built a solid stand for the second wicket as the pitch eased out. The duo took Australia to 50/1 in 17 overs at Tea on Day 4. The duo carried on their good work with Marnus surviving scares here and there. The duo put on 92 runs for the second wicket before Marnus fell for 39 off 98 balls with 4 fours to his name to Simon Harmer as the batter gave his wicket away for fun.
Matthew Renshaw came out to bat next. Head and Renshaw tried to forge a partnership of 23 runs for the third wicket before Renshaw fell for 11 off 23 balls with 2 fours to his name as he left the ball to Rabada with an error of judgement. Beau Webster came out to bat next. Head was on a roll now while Webster stayed there as much as he could. The duo added 27 runs for the 4th wicket and took the score to 150 before Webster fell for 8 off 33 balls. Night watchman Scott Boland came out to bat next.
Boland and Head negotiated the rest of the day as South Africa went to Stumps on Day 4 at 156/4 in 54 overs with Head batting at that time on 87* and Boland unbeaten on 2*. On the fifth and final day, we started under dramatic circumstances. Rain washed out the opening session as early lunch was taken and then extended sessions were set for the day ahead.
Head and Boland came out to bat on Day 5 and showed great grit and determination out there. The duo thwarted the Proteas attack. Loads of bowlers were consumed. Boland was very impressive while Head completed his ton and looked good for more. The duo put on a total of 59 runs for the 5th wicket and the score was past 200 before Head fell for a magnificent 121 off 190 balls with 15 fours to his name as he was cleaned up by Wiaan Mulder.
Steve Smith came out to bat next battling neck issues and was dropped initially. But he struggled to get going. Boland and Smith added 16 runs for the 6th wicket before Smith fell for 3 off 20 balls to Rabada by throwing his wicket away by playing a rash shot. Keeper batter Alex Carey came out to bat next. Carey and Boland negotiated the next few overs and took the team to Tea on Day 5.
After Tea, they showed resistance and took the score past 250. Carey and Boland added 31 runs for the 7th wicket before Boland fell for 40 off 166 balls with 6 fours to his name as the resistance came to an end from the night watchman to Mulder who cleaned him up. Captain Pat Cummins came out to bat next and hit a boundary as well. The duo of Carey and Cummins added 6 runs for the 8th wicket before Cummins fell for 4 off 8 balls with one four to his name to Mulder who cleaned him up. Mitchell Starc came out to bat next.
The end was near for the Aussies, but they were not willing to go down without a fight. Carey and Starc frustrated the Proteas after Tea as suddenly dark clouds rolled in amidst sunshine. The duo put on 28 crucial runs and chewed up balls as well for the 9th wicket before Starc was cleaned up for 11 off 28 balls with one four to his name to Rabada. Josh Hazlewood was the last man out for the Aussies.
Carey and Hazlewood tried their best and added 5 more runs to the score before Hazlewood was the last man dismissed for a silver duck to Marco Jansen with Aiden Markram taking the catch at slip. Carey remained unbeaten on 37 off 69 balls with 4 fours to his name as Australia were bowled out for a spirited 295 in 107.1 overs. 13 extras given by the fielding side.
It was hard work for the South Africans this time around, but they came out with flying colours. Kagiso Rabada was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4/77 in 23 overs. Wiaan Mulder finished with 3/64 in 21 overs. Simon Harmer chipped in with 2/93 in 39 overs. Marco Jansen finished with 1/34 in 17.1 overs. Aiden Markram finished with 0/18 in 7 overs. So, South Africa win by an innings and 31 runs to level the series 1-1 with a Test to play. Captain Temba Bavuma was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead
So, the South Africans have come roaring back into the Test series to level it up 1-1 with one Test to go. The decider of this series will be held at Newlands in Cape Town from Tuesday, October 27th onwards at 1:30 PM IST onwards. Let’s wait with abated breath to see who wins the winner takes all match at Cape Town. It can go either way at this stage.
Also Read: SA vs AUS: Marco Jansen’s Fiery 5-Wicket Haul Destroys Australia