South Africa completed one of the great modern Test comebacks at St George’s Park on Thursday, hammering Australia by an innings and 31 runs in the second Test to level the three-match series 1-1. Two rain-ruined days and a first-innings collapse to 110 for 6 had the Proteas in deep trouble — until captain Temba Bavuma produced a career-best 179 and his bowlers dismantled Australia for 99 and 295.
It is Australia’s first innings defeat since 2023 and their fifth Test loss at Gqeberha, a ground where they have not won since 1997. The decider begins at Newlands, Cape Town, on October 27.
Our match preview breaks down the squads, key battles, and pitch conditions at St George’s Park, Gqeberha.
How the Match Unfolded
Day 1: Rain washed out almost the entire opening day, with South Africa reaching 20 for 2 in the little play that was possible after Australia won the toss and chose to field.
Day 2: More stop-start cricket, and South Africa closed the day on 97 for 5, still searching for momentum with Bavuma holding the innings together.
Day 3: The day the match turned. Bavuma (179 off 334 balls, 18 fours and a six) added 132 for the seventh wicket with Marco Jansen (85 off 100) and then a record 183 for the eighth wicket with Simon Harmer (82 off 157) — South Africa’s highest eighth-wicket stand in Tests, beating Shaun Pollock and Neil McKenzie’s 150. The Proteas declared at 425 for 9. Scott Boland finished with 5 for 81, while Mitchell Starc claimed 3 for 89, including his 450th Test wicket when Wiaan Mulder gloved one to slip. Australia stumbled to 3 for 1 at stumps after Kagiso Rabada removed Nic Maddinson for a duck.
Day 4: Carnage. Jansen ripped through Australia with 5 for 33 as the visitors were shot out for 99 in 42.3 overs — Steve Smith top-scored with 28, while Mulder (2 for 14) and Rabada (2 for 33) shared the rest. Bavuma enforced the follow-on, only the third time Australia have been asked to follow on since 1988. Travis Head led the resistance with an unbeaten 87, and Australia reached 156 for 4 at stumps, still 170 runs behind.
Day 5: A wet outfield delayed the start, but the result never looked in doubt once Wiaan Mulder bowled Head for a superb 121 off 190 balls — his hundred came off 151 deliveries — at 209 for 5. Nightwatchman Boland’s 166-ball 40 ended soon after, and Rabada (4 for 77), back from a hamstring injury, won the duel with Smith, dismissing him for 3. Mulder finished with 3 for 64, and Jansen fittingly took the final wicket, Josh Hazlewood caught in the slips. Australia were all out for 295 in 107.1 overs — 31 runs short of making South Africa bat again.
Key Performances
- Temba Bavuma — 179 (334), Player of the Match. A career-best and his fifth Test hundred, dragging South Africa from 110 for 6 to 425 for 9 declared.
- Marco Jansen — 85 (100) with the bat and 6 for 67 in the match (5 for 33 and 1 for 34) with the ball.
- Kagiso Rabada — 6 for 110 (2 for 33 and 4 for 77), a decisive return from a hamstring injury.
- Simon Harmer — 82 (157) and 2 for 102, half of the record eighth-wicket stand.
- Wiaan Mulder — 5 for 78 in the match (2 for 14 and 3 for 64), the day-five breakthroughs that broke Australia’s resistance.
- Travis Head — 121 (190), the lone Australian century; the first time in 21 instances that Australia have lost when Head scored a hundred.
- Scott Boland — 5 for 81 and a Test-best 40 off 166 balls as nightwatchman.
- Mitchell Starc — 3 for 89, reaching 450 Test wickets.
What It Means
The series is level 1-1 after Australia’s 214-run win in the Durban opener, setting up a winner-takes-all decider at Newlands from October 27 to 31. South Africa collect the full 12 World Test Championship points from a win built on lower-order defiance and relentless pace bowling. Australia, meanwhile, must regroup quickly — and keep an eye on their bowling stocks, with the attack already stretched by injuries.
Full Scorecard
South Africa 1st innings — 425/9 declared (127.1 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiden Markram | b Boland | 11 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 39.29 |
| Marques Ackerman | c Carey b Boland | 6 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 15.79 |
| David Bedingham | c Carey b Boland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Temba Bavuma (c) | c Carey b Starc | 179 | 334 | 18 | 1 | 53.59 |
| Matthew Breetzke | c Carey b Starc | 4 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 23.53 |
| Ryan Rickelton (wk) | c Renshaw b Boland | 31 | 51 | 5 | 0 | 60.78 |
| Wiaan Mulder | c Renshaw b Starc | 13 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 34.21 |
| Marco Jansen | c Head b Boland | 85 | 100 | 9 | 3 | 85.00 |
| Simon Harmer | b Labuschagne | 82 | 157 | 10 | 1 | 52.23 |
| Kagiso Rabada | not out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Anrich Nortje | did not bat (injured) | – | – | – | – | – |
Extras: 14. Total: 425/9 declared (127.1 overs). Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Markram, 8.4 ov), 2-12 (Bedingham, 8.5 ov), 3-25 (Ackerman, 14.3 ov), 4-40 (Breetzke, 21.3 ov), 5-92 (Rickelton, 39.4 ov), 6-110 (Mulder, 50 ov), 7-242 (Jansen, 80.5 ov), 8-425 (Harmer, 127 ov), 9-425 (Bavuma, 127.1 ov).
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Starc | 24.1 | 4 | 89 | 3 | 3.68 |
| Josh Hazlewood | 14.0 | 2 | 43 | 0 | 3.07 |
| Scott Boland | 29.0 | 7 | 81 | 5 | 2.79 |
| Pat Cummins (c) | 26.0 | 3 | 96 | 0 | 3.69 |
| Beau Webster | 19.0 | 6 | 43 | 0 | 2.26 |
| Matt Renshaw | 8.0 | 1 | 33 | 0 | 4.13 |
| Nic Maddinson | 5.0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 4.80 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | 2.0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 4.00 |
Australia 1st innings — 99 all out (42.3 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nic Maddinson | c Harmer b Rabada | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Travis Head | lbw b Jansen | 14 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 58.33 |
| Scott Boland | c Rickelton b Jansen | 2 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14.29 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | c Harmer b Nortje | 14 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 56.00 |
| Steve Smith | b Mulder | 28 | 88 | 2 | 0 | 31.82 |
| Matt Renshaw | c Harmer b Jansen | 12 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Alex Carey (wk) | c Rickelton b Jansen | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Beau Webster | c Markram b Jansen | 13 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 46.43 |
| Mitchell Starc | c Rickelton b Rabada | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Pat Cummins (c) | c Breetzke b Mulder | 7 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 43.75 |
| Josh Hazlewood | not out | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
Extras: 6. Total: 99 all out (42.3 overs). Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Maddinson, 0.4 ov), 2-11 (Boland, 5.1 ov), 3-22 (Head, 9.2 ov), 4-45 (Labuschagne, 14 ov), 5-65 (Renshaw, 29.4 ov), 6-65 (Carey, 30 ov), 7-84 (Webster, 37.4 ov), 8-96 (Smith, 40.4 ov), 9-97 (Starc, 41.2 ov), 10-99 (Cummins, 42.3 ov).
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kagiso Rabada | 12.0 | 2 | 33 | 2 | 2.75 |
| Simon Harmer | 5.3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1.64 |
| Aiden Markram | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Marco Jansen | 11.0 | 2 | 33 | 5 | 3.00 |
| Anrich Nortje | 3.3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1.43 |
| Wiaan Mulder | 9.3 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 1.47 |
Australia 2nd innings (follow-on) — 295 all out (107.1 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nic Maddinson | c Rickelton b Rabada | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 80.00 |
| Travis Head | b Mulder | 121 | 190 | 15 | 0 | 63.68 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | c Jansen b Harmer | 39 | 98 | 4 | 0 | 39.80 |
| Matt Renshaw | b Rabada | 11 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 47.83 |
| Beau Webster | lbw b Harmer | 8 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 24.24 |
| Scott Boland | b Mulder | 40 | 166 | 6 | 0 | 24.10 |
| Steve Smith | c Breetzke b Rabada | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 15.00 |
| Alex Carey (wk) | not out | 37 | 69 | 4 | 0 | 53.62 |
| Pat Cummins (c) | b Mulder | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Mitchell Starc | b Rabada | 11 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 39.29 |
| Josh Hazlewood | c Markram b Jansen | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Extras: 13 (b 4, lb 5, nb 4). Total: 295 all out (107.1 overs). Fall of wickets: 1-8 (Maddinson, 2.4 ov), 2-100 (Labuschagne, 32 ov), 3-123 (Renshaw, 38.5 ov), 4-150 (Webster, 47.5 ov), 5-209 (Head, 74.4 ov), 6-225 (Smith, 82.1 ov), 7-256 (Boland, 95 ov), 8-262 (Cummins, 96.5 ov), 9-290 (Starc, 104.5 ov), 10-295 (Hazlewood, 107.1 ov).
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kagiso Rabada | 23.0 | 3 | 77 | 4 | 3.35 |
| Marco Jansen | 17.1 | 3 | 34 | 1 | 1.98 |
| Wiaan Mulder | 21.0 | 5 | 64 | 3 | 3.05 |
| Simon Harmer | 39.0 | 8 | 93 | 2 | 2.38 |
| Aiden Markram | 7.0 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 2.57 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the result of the South Africa vs Australia 2nd Test?
South Africa won by an innings and 31 runs at St George’s Park, Gqeberha, on October 22, 2026.
Who was the Player of the Match?
Temba Bavuma, for his career-best 179 off 334 balls.
Why did Australia follow on?
Bowled out for 99 replying to 425 for 9 declared, conceding a 326-run deficit, so Bavuma enforced the follow-on.
What is the series score now?
1-1; decider at Newlands, Cape Town, on October 27.
What records were set in the match?
Bavuma-Harmer 183 = SA’s highest eighth-wicket Test partnership; Starc’s 450th Test wicket; Bavuma’s highest Test score; Australia’s first innings defeat since 2023.
Why didn’t Anrich Nortje bowl in Australia’s second innings?
Suspected groin injury on day four after 3.3 overs in the first innings.
Conclusion
From 110 for 6 and two lost days to an innings victory — this was South African Test cricket at its most defiant. Bavuma’s masterclass, Jansen’s fire and Rabada’s return have set up a fitting finale in Cape Town, where the series and a stack of World Test Championship points will be decided.
Full scorecard and ball-by-ball details: ESPNcricinfo match centre
Green Benn is a dedicated sports writer specializing in cricket, including IPL and international formats. Known for clear, engaging, and informative content, Green simplifies complex match analysis and player statistics for all readers. Passionate about sports storytelling, Green delivers reliable, SEO-friendly articles that keep fans updated and informed
