Player of the Match
Player of the Match
  • BATSMEN
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    44.4 Markram does an Ackerman! Looks for a pulled six, gets caught by Starc. Excellent catch in the long-leg area. 132ks short ball over middle and off, didn't rise much or at the pace Markram wanted. He sliced the bat across his waist and skied the ball. Starc moved left from deep fine leg, had to wait because the ball took a while to come down, he then hurled his body towards square leg and took it while getting low. The elbow and forearms slid on the grass while he held the ball with both hands. The feet sprung up but the ball stayed in. 203/2
    31.4 stumped! Ackerman throws it away! He jumped out of the gates way too early, Lyon has been watching closely, he saw it, tossed it flat and wide at 88kph, he skipped legside and couldn't reach it, Carey completes a very simple stumping. Ackerman has thrown a Test century in the bin and possibly a double 158/1
    56.2 taken magnificently by Hazlewood at fine leg! Short ball does it! The ball into the body rattled him. Starc goes shorter and higher, Bedingham takes it on, gets a top edge, it flies to fine leg, Hazlewood jumps up on the rope, catches it, lands just inside, throws it up, steps out, steps back in and completes the catch with ease. Never touched the rope despite being centimetres from it. Wonderful catch 232/5
    45.2 The Lyon has come out of the den! Where was this Australia?! Umpire's call, hitting off stump in bowled form and Lyon smashes the air to celebrate. Was a beautifully flighted length ball drifting away from the right-hander. It landed around off and went straight, a bit of turn in if anything. Bavuma wanted to defend from the crease, the ball went next to the front knee-roll. He looked to defend straight, the bat got low, the back leg went across but could do nothing to stop the ball from pecking off stump. A canny stat from Alex - Bavuma has fallen to offspin three times in four innings. Twice to Lyon. The game he didn't play he got 179 204/3
    51.1 Appeal for lbw... not given. Connolly interested. Marnus is too, more importantly so is Carey. Australia review Was it pad or bat first is the question. Replay in and it's pad! Right on the outer-edge of the front knee-roll. Was a length ball that landed on off and, Breetzke, whose front foot was on middle, looked to defend to cover. Bat was slightly behind and next to pad. Hawk-Eye shows three reds, hitting top of off, just enough and Connolly has a maiden Test wicket. He roars in delight. So does Marnus, the team-mates are all smiles. 216/4
    80.4 Not only does Starc find his radar, he hits bulseye! Rickelton doesn't review, knows he's toast as that hit the back leg in front of middle. Full outswinger, nearly a yorker, lands around middle and opens Rickelton up. Beats the flick and breaks the 95-run stand 327/7
    56.4 caught behind! Another short ball finds the edge! A searing bouncer from Starc, over middle, he takes on the pull, beaten for pace and bounce, gets a thin edge through to Carey! 232/6
    52
    71
    106
    7
    0
    73.23
    80.6 This is what Brendon McCullum got in the 2015 ODI WC final. 143ks inswinger that lands close to the crease just outside off and the aerial movement beats Jansen's attempted off-drive. Big gap breached and Starc has two in the over twice! 328/8
    not out
    0
    7
    13
    0
    0
    0
    82.1 The bottled up intensity pops out as Starc bags a five-for, Starc leaps and punches the air, he's on a hat-trick too! 144ks full ball just down leg, Coetzee went leg side - likely to get away from the ball - and tried to drive straight. Beaten by the inswing, the ball deflects off the pad to flatten leg stump. 329/9
    82.3 The Starc of the show has six-fah! Rabada's plumb lbw but has to review. The only way he'll be safe is if that pitched outside leg. Pitching... just in line with leg and that's out. Full ball, swung away and beat Rabada's straight-bat block. Was squared up, got hit in front of leg. Hitting leg stump. Starc has two wickets in an over for the third time today! A day that defies sense ends with the umps tumbling the bails. 329/10
    Extras
    10 (b 5, lb 3, nb 1, w 1)
    TOTAL
    329 all out (82.3 Overs, RR: 3.98)
    Fall of wickets: 1-158 (Marques Ackerman, 31.4 ov), 2-203 (Aiden Markram, 44.4 ov), 3-204 (Temba Bavuma, 45.2 ov), 4-216 (Matthew Breetzke, 51.1 ov), 5-232 (David Bedingham, 56.2 ov), 6-232 (Wiaan Mulder, 56.4 ov), 7-327 (Ryan Rickelton, 80.4 ov), 8-328 (Marco Jansen, 80.6 ov), 9-329 (Gerald Coetzee, 82.1 ov), 10-329 (Kagiso Rabada, 82.3 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    MA Starc16.327264.3601
    JR Hazlewood1535913.9300
    PJ Cummins1827304.0510
    NM Lyon2317123.0800
    CPL Connolly904114.5500
    MT Renshaw1050500
  • BATSMEN
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    49.5 Has Renshaw given it away? SA are convinced, Jansen has to stop his jump midway, SA take a review quick!. Ultra-Edge in... and there is a murmur! Thin edge, well it's close to the outside edge, seemed like it went off the blade. Was a 135ks short ball outside off. Renshaw tried to upper-cut slash ramp it over slips. The weird part was that Renshaw went across outside off and almost shaped to leave before getting his bat over his shoulder. Allows Jansen to squeeze water out of stone, it's his 100th Test wicket too 184/3
    41
    49
    76
    7
    0
    83.67
    17.1 Head chops on yet again, Harmer strikes first ball! There's no stopping him, he runs towards cover roaring and laughing. Was an 84ks offbreak on the fuller side of length from around the wicket, landed just outside off and spun away. Head didn't want a sighter, cleared the front leg and looked to cut it square. Not enough bounce to work to nick top of leg stump 58/1
    17.6 Labuschagne hangs his bat and his career continues to hang by a thread. Got caught in the crease to a length ball outside off that was a touch flatter. It was outside off and he tried to defend it to cover, ended up poking and got a thin edge that went to Markram, who took a sharp catch to his right. Harmer runs towards cover, Markram throws the ball hard into the ground, Labuschagne holds his bat as time freezes for him, Breetzke flies across the pitch, pumping his fist looking at Marnus, as he goes to celebrate 58/2
    51.2 Jansen has tapped into stone and the water's gushing out!. One doubles quickly and Jansen's flies and upper cuts the air twice. Green has to walk back after a good (but not big enough?) knock. Was a 140ks ball on a length that angled away from over the wicket - a point of difference as Jansen went around to Green a lot. The 140ks ball was around fourth stump, Green didn't leave it on line. Instead, his hands poked, magnetically, towards the ball on the rise. Hard hands, bat went well in front of the body, the face was open. The ball went straight to slip, touch low, good reflexes from Harmer 185/4
    98.6 caught behind! A breakthrough from nowhere. Flighted wide of off, drifting away a touch, Inglis presses forward to defend, he plays for turn and it does not turn that much, gets a thin edge and Rickelton takes a good catch 370/5
    102.4 edged and taken at slip! Harmer dragging South Africa back. Tossed up, outside off, spinning away, Carey prods at it and gets an edge that is taken beautifully by Markram low at slip 379/6
    125.1 caught and bowled! Superb reaction catch! Full on middle, he looks to drive down the ground and miscues it back to Jansen, he sticks his hands out and plucks it 429/10
    103.6 Finger goes up immediately! Raps him on the pad, and the umpire doesn't hesitate. Rabada seems to have won this battle with Cummins, but the Aussie skipper sends it upstairs. Lands on a length outside off and angles in, hitting him around the knee roll of the front pad with Cummins on his toes to try and fend. Oh, and that's predicted to be just clipping the top of leg stump and Cummins has to go! Rabada gets on the board as another quick wicket falls for Australia 380/7
    111.3 Nicked behind and South Africa have another! Length ball outside off, straightens off the pitch. Starc looks to drive it away with his feet stuck and gets a thick edge through to Rickelton. Coetzee has his first of the match 402/8
    124.3 edge and this carries to Harmer at second slip! Some swing there does it. Good length, shaping away a touch, puff of dust after it pitches, he pushes at it with hard hands, gets a thick edge and Harmer pouches it moving to his right 425/9
    not out
    4
    3
    4
    1
    0
    133.33
    Extras
    22 (b 16, lb 4, nb 1, w 1)
    TOTAL
    429 all out (125.1 Overs, RR: 3.42)
    Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Travis Head, 17.1 ov), 2-58 (Marnus Labuschagne, 17.6 ov), 3-184 (Matt Renshaw, 49.5 ov), 4-185 (Cameron Green, 51.2 ov), 5-370 (Josh Inglis, 98.6 ov), 6-379 (Alex Carey, 102.4 ov), 7-380 (Pat Cummins, 103.6 ov), 8-402 (Mitchell Starc, 111.3 ov), 9-425 (Nathan Lyon, 124.3 ov), 10-429 (Cooper Connolly, 125.1 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    K Rabada2319814.2600
    M Jansen22.176032.701
    G Coetzee1947013.6800
    PWA Mulder215631310
    SR Harmer37610442.8100
    AK Markram301404.6600
  • BATSMEN
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    2.5 Markram, what have you done?! That's a soft, soft dismissal as Mitchell Starc strikes first up for Australia. This is pitched up around off and Markram tamely pushes at it and the ball goes straight to Travis Head at mid-off. Easy pickings for him and South Africa lose an early wicket. Ball didn't come onto the bat quite as nicely as he would have liked it, but he didn't really play that with much conviction 12/1
    28.2 searing bouncer and he's gloved it onto helmet and it has carried to slip! He hasn't reviewed in time. He's walking off! What a delivery! Ackerman wasn't sure what happened. He thought he reviewed in time but the umpire said he hadn't. Brutal bouncer that followed him as tried to veer out of the way like the Matrix, it did catch the edge, hit the grill of the helmet flush and carried to Green at slip! Stunning from Starc 95/3
    7.3 The pull shot brings about Bedingham's downfall! Banged in short on off and swipes across the line at shoulder height. Gets a top edge and the ball flies towards Nathan Lyon at deep square leg, who comes in a few steps and holds on to the chance on offer 31/2
    35
    115
    166
    1
    0
    30.43
    45.5 And Lyon gets the breakthrough with stumps so close! Bavuma goes for a big flick but this one spins in big and crashes into the stumps! Lyon roars and punches the air, they know just how big this wicket is! This is tossed up full outside off and out of nowhere, Bavuma tries to whip it over the leg side. The ball spins in through the massive gap between bat and pad and you won't be wrong in saying that's a third South African batter to throw away their wicket today! 131/4
    66.5 Cummins pulls a wicket out of nowhere/Breetzke gifts his wicket out of nowhere. It's been 210 runs/374 balls since he'd struck. Breetzke smashes the air with his bat in one hand out of frustration and Head dances. Bouncer down leg from around the wicket, not much bounce. Was around waist-height, Breetzke pulled it on one leg. The bat didn't face up, so he wasn't looking to go aerial. Didn't check the shot and the edge flew straight to fine leg. Cummins is chuffed, why wouldn't he be? 181/5
    119.5 a huge mix up! Brilliant from Inglis! Rickelton run out in a massive mix up! Full toss on middle, Mulder reverse sweeps well, Rickelton runs thinking it beat Inglis but he dived full length at backward point and saved it, Rickelton had run almost all the way down before Mulder sent him back. Inglis got up and threw to Labuschagne to complete the run out. 335/6
    134.4 Cheers start, quieten, and make way for applause as Mulder holes out to long-on. He's a huge reason South Africa have set Australia 288 to win. He gets a handshake from Carey, a hug and a pat on the back from Rabada and is applauded right through as he raises his bat at the boundary. Was a shortish ball outside off, pulled from well beside the line Off the upper-half of the bat, Starc takes it easily 387/10
    122.4 Bouncer, pull, wicket... for the 47th time this Test! Was a 133ks short ball that landed on leg and finished just outside off. Jansen stood on leg and had to lean to the right and swivel while pulling. Bat went slightly down to up and the contact wasn't good enough to clear deep square leg. Touch too early into it and slightly off-balance. It was a short stay with the bat swinging about, ends with a duck and the game arguably still in the balance 343/7
    123.1 Lyon bags the offspinner bragging rights. Left alone and ball hits middle stump. On the bounce, likely off the glove. Was a wide length ball in the rough, spun back in sharply. Harmer covered all stumps with a stride across and shouldered arms. Replay in, shows that that Harmer lunged low and the ball brushed the back leg 344/8
    125.5 Looks like a self-bbq/braai from Coetzee, direct hit at the non-striker's. Sent upstairs. Was a length ball just outside off, cut late to short third. Off the under-edge. Labuschagne gets a flat direct hit on the bounce... and Coetzee is short of his ground despite the dive. Mulder took a step or two, stuck out his hand and yelled "no" but Coetzee started sprinting and couldn't stuff 351/9
    not out
    2
    14
    42
    0
    0
    14.28
    Extras
    15 (b 6, lb 7, nb 1, w 1)
    TOTAL
    387 all out (134.4 Overs, RR: 2.87)
    Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Aiden Markram, 2.5 ov), 2-31 (David Bedingham, 7.3 ov), 3-95 (Marques Ackerman, 28.2 ov), 4-131 (Temba Bavuma, 45.5 ov), 5-181 (Matthew Breetzke, 66.5 ov), 6-335 (Ryan Rickelton, 119.5 ov), 7-343 (Marco Jansen, 122.4 ov), 8-344 (Simon Harmer, 123.1 ov), 9-351 (Gerald Coetzee, 125.5 ov), 10-387 (Wiaan Mulder, 134.4 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    MA Starc2426532.701
    JR Hazlewood2126813.2300
    PJ Cummins24.457122.8710
    NM Lyon441010122.2900
    CPL Connolly411403.500
    MT Renshaw822202.7500
    TM Head50150300
    M Labuschagne401804.500
  • BATSMEN
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    6.6 taken at gully! Rabada on fire! 350 Test scalps and the big one of Head! Full, fifth stump, hint of nip, Head drives hard as it nibbles away and the thick edge is pouched by Jansen's big mitts at gully 22/3
    0.3 strangled down the legside! A bad ball shaping down leg, Renshaw glances but doesn't get enough on it, just a little tickle and Rickelton pouches it rolling to his right. South Africa get the first one three balls in 1/1
    0.6 given lbw! Labuschagne didn't offer a shot and it nipped back miles! He reviews in hope. This jagged. Fuller length, wobble seam, it pitched on a fifth stump line and jagged late to hit the back leg. Umpire's call clipping off! That seamed miles. Australia did not get a single ball to move that far in their bowling innings. Labuschagne's career is in real trouble as are Australia 5/2
    27
    110
    160
    3
    0
    24.54
    38.1 bowled him! Brilliant captaincy to switch the ends. Tossed up in the footmarks, Green skips out first ball to try and drive and doesn't get to the pitch, it spins through the gate and crashes into the top of off. 62/8
    15.3 Trouble, trouble, trouble! Inglis seems to be a goner but the TV umpire has been called in for this one. Green comes forward to push it wide of silly point and calls Inglis through for a run. Ackerman is quick to get to the ball and fires a flat throw to Rickelton. Inglis just out of his crease and that is a massive wicket for Australia considering how good he looked in the first innings. Tells you about the non-existant nature of that run because he couldn't make it even though there was no hesitation in the running 40/4
    17.2 Superb diving catch from Jansen and Harmer gets his first! Australia crumbling in Cape Town. Tossed up full on off, Carey opts for the reverse sweep. He is not in control and just pops it towards backward point. Jansen runs forward to his left and dives full stretch to pull off a low catch. This seems to be ending sooner than most anticipated 42/5
    17.4 A two-ball duck for Connolly and Harmer has two wickets in three balls! Newlands may not be full but the decibel levels can well belie! Tossed up full outside off, inviting the drive. Too much for newbie Connolly to resist. It dips, spins away, grazes the outside edge and Rickelton takes a smart catch by staying a little low. Australia collapsing and how! 42/6
    25.6 Is that a bat-pad? South Africa are celebrating but the umpires get together to deliberate. Harmer lobs it and bowls it very full around leg. In fact it pitches outside leg. Starc comes forward to defend. But the ball lands just before his bat, takes the inside edge and lobs up off his front pad. The sub Bosch runs back a little from short leg and takes it comfortably. Starc falls for a 25-ball duck on the final ball before the last lunch break of the series 60/7
    55.3 Huge appeal and there's the breakthrough after 17 overs! A five-for for Simon Harmer! Hold on, Cummins reviews quite immediately. Tossed up from around the stumps, it lands on a length and just goes straight on. Once again Cummins plays for the spin and is just beaten on the outside edge. Hits him on the back thigh guard but the ball does not have a lot to travel thereon. Umpire's call on clipping the off bail. And that is the end of Cummins' vigil. Stonewalled solidly but that is all it is for now. South Africa one away from a come-from-behind win 107/9
    not out
    33
    57
    75
    6
    0
    57.89
    57.1 A maiden ten-wicket haul in Test cricket for Harmer! And he has outspun Australia at Newlands! A famous win for South Africa, who were practically 81 for 5 in the second innings having conceded a 100-run first-innings lead. A come-from-behind win at its best. Tossed up ball, dips and lands on middle and draws Hazlewood forward before spinning away viciously to hit top of off. Superb delivery, and Harmer on top of things with his sixth wicket of the innings. A 176-run win for South Africa to take the series 2-1 111/10
    Extras
    16 (b 12, lb 3, nb 1)
    TOTAL
    111 all out (57.1 Overs, RR: 1.94)
    Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Matt Renshaw, 0.3 ov), 2-5 (Marnus Labuschagne, 0.6 ov), 3-22 (Travis Head, 6.6 ov), 4-40 (Josh Inglis, 15.3 ov), 5-42 (Alex Carey, 17.2 ov), 6-42 (Cooper Connolly, 17.4 ov), 7-60 (Mitchell Starc, 25.6 ov), 8-62 (Cameron Green, 38.1 ov), 9-107 (Pat Cummins, 55.3 ov), 10-111 (Josh Hazlewood, 57.1 ov)
    BowlingOMRWEconWDNB
    K Rabada1443932.7801
    M Jansen831702.1200
    PWA Mulder2140200
    SR Harmer21.1141660.7500
    G Coetzee63701.1600
    AK Markram621302.1600

Match Details

Toss

Australia , elected to field first

Player Of The Match

Player Of The Series

Series result

South Africa won the 3-match series 2-1

Match number

Season

Match days

27,28,29,30,31 October 2026 (5-day match)

TV Umpires

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Points

South Africa 12, Australia 0

Close of Play

  • Tue, 27 Oct - day 1 - South Africa 1st innings 329
  • Wed, 28 Oct - day 2 - Australia 1st innings 330/4 (JP Inglis 85*, AT Carey 51*, 90 ov)
  • Thu, 29 Oct - day 3 - South Africa 2nd innings 140/4 (MP Breetzke 19*, RD Rickelton 8*, 47 ov)
  • Fri, 30 Oct - day 4 - South Africa 2nd innings 387
  • Sat, 31 Oct - day 5 - Australia 2nd innings 111 (57.1 ov) - end of match

Match Notes

Australia 4th innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st1TM HeadMT Renshaw
2nd4TM HeadM Labuschagne
3rd17TM HeadC Green
4th18JP InglisC Green
5th2AT CareyC Green
6th0C GreenCPL Connolly
7th18MA StarcC Green
8th2PJ CumminsC Green
9th45NM LyonPJ Cummins
10th4NM LyonJR Hazlewood