Fresh off a comprehensive 214-run win at Kingsmead, Durban, Australia will aim to seal the series with a game to spare when they clash with hosts South Africa at St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, formerly called Gqeberha. The second of this blockbuster 3-match series is set to kick off on Sunday, 18th October, 2026 at the aforementioned venue. The visitors will be buoyant and quietly confident of clinching the series and consolidate top spot while, for the hosts, it’s a must-win clash and a win needed to climb back to second in the points table.
It’s Temba Bavuma vs Pat Cummins Round 2 with the first round won by the Aussie legend. Expect changes in the South African side in particular with some squad changes being done while for the Aussies with players available expect them to most likely go in with an unchanged side. The stage is set for an interesting face-off at St. George’s Park.
Overview
The stage is set for the second match of the 3-match Test series between South Africa and Australia at St. George’s Park in Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth. The match is set to kick off on Sunday, 18th October 2026 from 1:30 PM IST onwards. Australia lead the series 1-0 after a thumping 214 run win at Kingsmead, Durban. The visitors will be confident of making it 2-0 and clinch the series with a game to spare while the hosts will aim to level the series 1-1 and set up a thrilling decider in Cape Town.
It was Australian captain Pat Cummins who won the toss and elected to bat first and the Aussies were in some strife at 124/6 in the first innings. Thereafter, it was the Matthew Renshaw show as he was the difference between both the sides. He scored an old school daddy hundred as he made a gigantic 190 runs and spent almost 400 balls at the crease. He was ably supported by captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon as they made vital runs as the Aussies finished with an above par score of 390 in the first innings.
Wiaan Mulder picked up 4 wickets for the Proteas. In reply, South Africa lost Ryan Rickelton and Temba Bavuma early in the piece. There were a few starts by the Proteas batters with Bedingham scoring 49 and 30s and 20s here and there. But no one went on for a significant decisive score as the Proteas were bowled out for 284. The wickets were shared by the Australian bowlers with captain Pat Cummins picking up 3 wickets while Starc, Hazlewood, and Lyon got two wickets each. Beau Webster picked the other wicket as Australia gained a significant lead of 106 in the first innings.
Matthew Renshaw led the way for Australia in the second innings to make the play as he made 82 runs in the second innings. The others chipped in with timely contributions with Nic Maddinson also playing a great cameo at the top of the order and Smith, Marnus getting starts. In the end, Webster played a cameo while Cummins played like he plays in T20Is as he scored 32 off 12 balls as Australia declared their innings at 314/6 setting a target of 421 for the Proteas.
Chasing 421 for the win, South Africa lost Rickelton and Bavuma early yet again. Aiden Markram showed tremendous grit and determination out there. But the others tried, but it was a bridge too far in the end. Josh Hazlewood was the star with the ball in hand with his 6-wicket haul while Matthew Renshaw chipped in with a couple of wickets as the Proteas were bowled out for 206 to lose the match by 214 runs as Renshaw was awarded the Player of the Match.
There has been team news from both the camps. For Australia, Josh Inglis who sustained a fracture in his right index finger has returned to the squad but he is unlikely to get a game now. Sam Harper is a back-up option for Inglis. Cameron Green was ruled out of the first Test due to an abdominal issue and remains a doubtful starter for this one. Green is progressing well according to their coach, but is unlikely to get a game. Steve Smith was hit on the helmet by Norje’s bouncer on Day 4. On that day, he did not take the field. He later returned on Day 5 to do his duties.
Smith will play the second Test match for sure. The Aussies are unlikely to tinker with their winning combination with Green & Co to sit on the bench for sure. For South Africa, the biggest talking point is the return of premium fast bowler Kagiso Rabada as the 31-year-old who missed the Durban Test as a precautionary measure due to the hamstring issues. He will come back into the XI. Aiden Markram was the lone warrior for the Proteas in the first Test match. He didn’t travel with the team from Durban to this venue and missed training sessions as well. But he will arrive well before the second Test and will open the batting for the hosts
Tony de Zorzi remained out of contention due to a hamstring injury. Tristan Stubbs has been left out of the side owing to his poor form. He got a start in the first innings but scored one run in the second. Matthew Breetzke has also been added to the squad now with keeper-batter Kyle Verreynne dropped from the XI after having a torrid time with the bat in the series opener and threw his wickets away. Ryan Rickelton will don the gloves and bat down the order compared to the first game.
The hosts are also expected to hand a debut to Marques Ackerman who has a stellar First-Class record in 85 matches scoring 5986 runs at an average of 48.66. The pace attack will likely feature Rabada, who will take the place of Simon Harmer in the playing XI. Marco Jansen, Anrich Nortje and Wiaan Mulder will be the other pacers with Keshav Maharaj expected to play the role of a lone spinner.
The stage is set for an intriguing clash between two heavyweights at St. George’s Park.
Head-To-Head
South Africa and Australia have played against each other in 103 matches in total. The Proteas have won 27 of them while Australia have won 55 of them. 21 matches have ended in a draw. In recent times, it’s 5-5 with Australia drawing first blood in Durban and looking good to win the next Test match as well.
Pitch & Weather ReportÂ
The pitch at St. George’s Park is expected to be fast and bouncy with average batting conditions. It will offer favourable conditions for swing bowling and reverse swing as the match progresses. The pitch is capable of offering sharp turn later in the match. Reverse swing could play a major role depending on the deterioration of the ball and surface.
Heavy rain is forecasted for the opening day i.e. October 18th, which could interrupt or limit play on that day. Other than that, clear skies are expected at other intervals with temperatures around 21 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be near 66% and the wind speeds around 12.55 mph, though clouds and dampness may hover over the first couple of days.
Predicted/Probable Playing XIs of both sidesÂ
Here, we will try and predict the probable playing XIs of both sides.
South Africa XI: Aiden Markram, Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (c), Matthew Breetzke, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje.
Australia XI: Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash
Aiden Markram: He is South Africa’s main batter and was the standout player in the first Test match. Aiden Markram is in decent form against Australia and he will want to carry on that form in this Test. Markram will want to do well and score a ton if possible at the top of the order. He has to lead from the front if South Africa needs to post a good total.
Kagiso Rabada: Kagiso Rabada is expected to be back in the side and will lead the attack in this must-win clash against the Aussies. He was the difference maker in the WTC final and South Africa lacked the cutting edge in their bowling in the previous Test. With Rabada back in the side, expect fireworks and spice to increase in this series. South Africa will want Rabada to rip apart the Australian top and middle order.
Steve Smith: He is Australia’s best batter overall and holds the innings together at 4. Smith got starts in both the innings at Durban but failed to kick on. No doubt, Renshaw was the star of the show, but Smith would want to get runs in this Test to solidify Australia’s position. If Smith gets in and gets a ton, it usually turns into a big ton. If he achieves that, then the Proteas will be in big trouble for sure.
Josh Hazlewood: Josh Hazlewood was the star of the show in Durban come the fifth and final day as his career best 6-wicket haul bamboozled the Proteas. With Josh roaring like a lion, expect him to fire and through consistency bring the Proteas down to their knees. If Hazlewood is in full flow, the Proteas batting can collapse like a pack of cards.
Key Stats and Records to look out for ahead of this clashÂ
- South Africa have won 7 out of the 10 Test matches played at St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth.
- South Africa have also beaten Australia in the last two Tests at this venue by beating them by 231 runs in 2014 and by 6 wickets in 2018.
- Out of a total of 33 Test matches, 15 have been won by the side batting first and 13 by the side batting second. Rest 5 Tests ended in a draw.
- The average score in the first innings here is 313 and it declines to 159 batting 4th.
- The highest successful chase batting 4th is 271/8 by Australia against South Africa.
- Since 2020, spinners have taken 40 wickets at an average of 22.77, while the pacers took 35 wickets at 34.17.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match
It is really tough to predict a winner in this Test match between two evenly matched sides. Both teams won’t give an inch and we expect a South African fightback for sure. But looking at recent form, Australia will start favourites. Yes, the ground record does favour the Proteas more in the recent past. But the Aussies have the momentum and South Africa needs to play out of their skins to win this match. Rain could be a factor in the first day, so we shall see how things pan out with regards to pitch conditions and toss decision.
Let’s see how things pan out in the second match of the 3-match series at St. George’s Park at Port Elizabeth.
Also Read:Â SA vs AUS: Aiden Markram Stands Tall With Patient 75