South Africa set up a series decider with a stunning comeback win over Australia by an innings and 31 runs on the final day of the second Test at St George’s Park on Thursday. Despite the morning session being washed out and being without one of their frontline bowlers, South Africa dismissed Australia for 295 in their second innings an hour after tea. After losing in Durban by 214 runs, South Africa levelled the series 1-1, and the leaders of the World Test Championship will now play for the series win in Cape Town from Tuesday.
South Africa set up a series decider with a stunning comeback win over Australia by an innings and 31 runs on the last day Thursday of the second cricket test at St. George’s Park.
The World Test Championship holders lost the toss and were reduced to 110-6 before rallying to seemingly save a draw when they declared their rain-affected first innings at 425-9 late on day three. Captain Temba Bavuma’s career-best 179 and Marco Jansen’s rapid 85 led the recovery. But Australia were then bowled out for 99, with Jansen claiming 5-33, and were forced to follow on. Remarkably, they lost 13 wickets in total on Wednesday. Australia resumed on 156-4 on Thursday and hoped to survive a reduced 81 overs with Steve Smith and Alex Carey still at their disposal, but the innings unravelled once chief resistance Travis Head was dismissed. Head, who resumed on 87, brought up his 13th Test century off 151 balls with his 12th boundary. But the opener’s naturally aggressive approach proved his downfall on 121 when he chopped on against Mulder. Head faced 190 balls. 7, three places lower than usual after suffering a neck strain in the first innings. Smith survived the final five overs with the old ball but was dismissed for 3 in the third over with the new ball when he miscued a shot off Kagiso Rabada . Boland surpassed his previous highest Test score of 21 when he reached tea on 40 alongside Carey. His resistance lasted 166 balls for 40 runs. But 99 was a fair way to come back from. Carey remained unbeaten on 37. Rabada, returning from a hamstring injury, finished with 4-77, while Jansen and Rabada ended the match with six wickets each. Mulder claimed 3-64. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Because that has an effect, “When we were batting, it was all about how we could extend the innings and keep batting for another hour, then another session, keeping the Australia bowlers on their feet. Meanwhile, South Africa’s pace attack lost Anrich Nortje to a suspected groin injury in his fourth over, and he did not bowl again in Australia’s second innings.
A reverse of last week,” Australia skipper Pat Cummins said. “We tried to stay in the moment despite the rain delays across the five days,” player of the match Bavuma said. “There was some good fight today,” Cummins said.
“A long way from our best. “They played well. With the ball, we were as ruthless as we could be. “Our team goes about playing good old Test cricket, wearing down the opposition and then taking them down when the opportunity presents itself. Mulder dismissed century-maker Head, fellow overnight fighter Scott Boland and Cummins. Smith came in at No. Mulder tested Smith’s neck immediately with a first-ball bouncer. The ball caught the wind, and Matthew Breetzke juggled the catch at midwicket before holding on at the second attempt. But Boland became the seventh Australian wicket to fall soon after tea when he attempted to defend a return catch from Mulder and was beaten between bat and pad. “Boland and Trav played their roles. Cummins departed shortly afterwards despite striking a boundary, and Rabada then returned to remove Mitchell Starc with an inside edge. Jansen completed the victory when Josh Hazlewood edged to slip.
Wiaan Mulder rebounded from a wicketless and expensive spell on Wednesday by taking three of the six wickets South Africa needed on the fifth and final day.
