South Africa staged a spectacular comeback in the second Test at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, erasing the disappointment of their opening series loss. The hosts outplayed Australia to clinch a decisive victory by an innings and 31 runs, successfully leveling the three-match series at 1-1.
Australia faced a massive follow-on deficit after their first-innings collapse. While they showed more resilience in their second attempt, they were dismissed for 295 in 107.1 overs. Travis Head anchored the fight with a gritty 121 off 190 balls, including 15 boundaries. Despite support from Scott Boland (40), Marnus Labuschagne (39), and Alex Carey (37*), the Australian lineup could not avoid defeat. Kagiso Rabada led the South African bowling effort with 4 wickets, supported by Wiaan Mulder (3) and Simon Harmer (2).
The foundation for South Africa’s win was laid in their dominant first innings, where they posted 425/9 before declaring. Captain Temba Bavuma spearheaded the total with a commanding 179 off 334 deliveries, featuring 18 fours and a six. Marco Jansen (85) and Simon Harmer (82) provided critical contributions to bolster the scoreboard. For Australia, Scott Boland took 5 wickets while Mitchell Starc claimed 3.
Australia’s first innings was dismantled by the South African pace attack, resulting in an all-out total of just 99 runs in 42.3 overs. Steven Smith, who reached his milestone of 11,000 Test career runs during his 28-run effort, was the top scorer. Marco Jansen was lethal with figures of 5/33, while Wiaan Mulder and Kagiso Rabada picked up 2 wickets each.
Match Statistics
- South Africa First Innings: 425/9 dec. in 127.1 overs (Bavuma 179, Jansen 85, Harmer 82; Boland 5/81, Starc 3/89)
- Australia First Innings: 99/10 in 42.3 overs (Smith 28, Head 14; Jansen 5/33, Mulder 2/14, Rabada 2/33)
- Australia Second Innings (Follow-on): 295/10 in 107.1 overs (Head 121, Boland 40, Labuschagne 39, Carey 37*; Rabada 4/77, Mulder 3/64, Harmer 2/93)
- Outcome: South Africa won by an innings and 31 runs
- Player of the Match: Temba Bavuma
- Series Status: Three-match series tied 1-1
