Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

T Bavuma
T Bavuma
179(334) 18x4 - 1x6
Control %84%
  • Productive Shot
  • cover drive
  • 31 runs
  • 3x4 - 0x6
14 13 16 36 33 13 17 37
TM Head
TM Head
121(190) 15x4 - 0x6
Control %83%
  • Productive Shot
  • cover drive
  • 24 runs
  • 2x4 - 0x6
12 20 18 13 10 5 12 31

Best performances - Bowlers

M Jansen
M Jansen
O11
M2
R33
W5
Eco3
RHB
OFFLEG
1W1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W
2W
SM Boland
SM Boland
O29
M7
R81
W5
Eco2.79
RHB
OFFLEG
1W1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
2W

Match Details

Toss

Australia , elected to field first

Player Of The Match

Series result

3-match series level 1-1

Match number

Season

Hours of play (local time)

11.00 start, Lunch 12.30-13.10, Tea 15.30-15.50, Close 17.15

Match days

18,19,20,21,22 October 2026 (5-day match)

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Points

South Africa 12, Australia 0

Scorer: Harshith Gowda | Commentator: Ashish Pant

What a whirlwind of a Test match that has gone South Africa's way. The series is now locked in 1-1 and the two teams will head to Cape Town where another riveting Test match is in the offing. Thanks for tuning in. Till the next time, this is me Ashish Pant, signing off on behalf of Ekanth and Harshith. Ciao!

Temba Bavuma is the player of the match: Temba Bavuma: [How's the heart rate?] Heart rate's quite good. Yeah, no, everything's good. [Bit of drama as well out today?] There was. So the weather also wanted to play a part in the day. We were a little bit scrambling in the change-room not to sure with the weather. But, yeah, very excited as soon as we got on. They made us work hard for those wickets, those six wickets. And, yeah, obviously everyone's happy in their change-room with us. [On his ton] Yeah, I mean, like I said, definitely there at the top is one of my best. I think we saw throughout the days that batting was quite difficult, especially against the new ball. So I think to be able to perform like that, to be able to get the team in a very competitive position, I take a lot of pride in that. But also to make a play in us, you know, having a chance within the series. So, yeah, I think lots I can speak to it. A lot of confidence I'll take from it. A big part of me is still in the moment. We still have a job at hand with another match still to go. So, once that is gone, I'll kind of allow myself to swim in all of that. [On individual performances] Makes the job a lot easier. A guy like KG, just his value that he brings in, his ability to assume the responsibility and pressure from the bowling attack and kind of allow the other guys to do what they naturally can do. You saw a guy like Marco Jansen, first innings, coming through with his class. I mean, even in the second innings as well. He's of massive value. [How do you not get ahead of yourself on the day too?] I think it's just basically to try to stay in the moment, right? Like, I think when we were batting, for me, it was all about how we can extend it, how we can go another hour, another hour becomes a session, how we can make sure we keep them on their feet, because we know how that does have an effect. And then once the opportunity is there, where we've been calling on us to be a lot more ruthless is to take that. And I think in the second innings, that's exactly what we did. So, I think that's how we've been playing our cricket. I think our team, the way we go about it, we play good old Test cricket, you know, try and wear the opposition down and then take them down when the opportunity presents itself.

Australia captain, Pat Cummins: Thought there was some good fight today. Boland and Trav played their roles. But it was a fair way to come back form there and it wasn't enough. There was a lot. A long way away from our best. We didn't start off too strong. Today across the board, we didn't contribute. [Balance?] Balance is always fine. That is not a major issue. We just need more from all departments. You saw a blueprint today, how Scotty and Trav went about. They got stuck in. You need to weather the storm but when you do, there are some runs to have. [Top order] After a loss, there a few things to look at. The pitch was good, and we needed to score a few runs. We will look at it. It's a reverse of last week, isn't it. They played well.

Presentation time

4.01pm Let's go back to day 1 where South Africa were 20 for 2, or to day two when they were 97 for 5 and then 110 for 6. Not many would have thought that coming to day five, they would be winning this Test match by an innings and 31 runs. But then they made day three their own, with captain Temba Bavuma standing tall with an impeccable 179 and backed by 80s from Jansen and Harmer. Jansen then brought out his best to roll Australia over for 99 in the first innings. Australia brought about a spirited show in the second with Travis Head scoring a century, but despite the first session lost to rain, South Africa held their own. Scott Boland denied them for 166 balls, but Rabada and Mulder and then Jansen ensured South Africa romp home with an innings win.

bob cobb: "Harmer was vital with the ball. A bowler down. it was vital to have him keep bowling from one end. " Good point

MrGarreth: "Jansen played a key role but Bavuma's contribution was surely the match defining one. Held the entire innings together and killed any chance of an Aussie win. Bowlers then went out and did their job really well but Bavuma batted the Aussies out of the game."

Applin: "Amazing stuff from the Proteas. Temba and Jansen definitely the pillars for this victory, but I'll give a share of it to KG. This is what a world class bowler brings to the table, while pulling the team along with him. "

Pieter Lubbe: "Wiaan Mulder played an underrated role in this game - in the shadows of Bavuma, Jansen and Harmer. He does have a knack of getting wickets (often bowled) at crucial times - Smith in 1st innings, Boland, Head and Cummins in the 2nd innings. Not to forget his dismissal of Head in the WTC final"

107.1
W
Jansen to Hazlewood, OUT, That's that! How fitting is it that Jansen has the final say, sealing a famous South Africa victory in Gqeberha! He shifted the momentum in South Africa's favour with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, and despite Australia's resistance, the quicks held their nerve to get the job done. With nearly two days lost to rain, South Africa have pulled off a stunning win in the final session of day five. It was a rising good-length delivery outside off stump, and Hazlewood goes for a drive, only to get a thick outside edge. Markram, stationed at second slip, makes no mistake, going reverse-cupped and pouching a safe catch. South Africa celebrate and level the series 1-1.

JR Hazlewood c Markram b Jansen 0 (12m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0

Hazlewood to face Jansen

END OF OVER:
107 | 4 Runs | AUS: 295/9

  • Alex Carey37 (69b)
  • Josh Hazlewood0 (1b)
  • Kagiso Rabada23-3-77-4
  • Marco Jansen17-3-34-0
106.6
4
Rabada to Carey, FOUR, Gets a four instead. Fuller outside off stump, Carey lines this up and with an extension of the arms lofts him over mid-off exquisitely

Will he look for a run?

106.5
0
Rabada to Carey, no run, Hits him. On a length spearing back into Carey, who is hit on the left thigh pad
106.4
0
Rabada to Carey, no run, On a length on middle stump, Carey is right behind it and works to mid-on
106.3
0
Rabada to Carey, no run, Rising good length ball on off, he gets right behind it and defends
106.2
0
Rabada to Carey, no run, Stifle appeal for lbw, but that was sliding down leg. Angles the length ball on leg stump, Carey looks to tuck that fine but misses

Australia 3rd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st8NJ MaddinsonTM Head
2nd92TM HeadM Labuschagne
3rd23TM HeadMT Renshaw
4th27BJ WebsterTM Head
5th59SM BolandTM Head
6th16SPD SmithSM Boland
7th31AT CareySM Boland
8th6AT CareyPJ Cummins
9th28MA StarcAT Carey
10th5JR HazlewoodAT Carey