SA vs AUS 2nd Test Preview: Rabada Returns as South Africa Fight to Save the Series in Gqeberha
By NajamSports Team | October 18, 2026
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Kagiso Rabada in Proteas training colours — fit again and expected to lead South Africa's attack in Gqeberha. (Wikimedia Commons)
South Africa have rung the changes for a must-win second Test against Australia at St George's Park, Gqeberha, starting today — Kagiso Rabada is fit again, Tristan Stubbs has been dropped, Ryan Rickelton takes the wicketkeeping gloves, and Matthew Breetzke comes in on his home ground. Australia, 1-0 up after the Durban rout, have just one question left: Cameron Green's fitness.
What Happened in Durban — and Why It Forces These Changes
Australia won the first Test by 214 runs, but the scoreline hides the moment South Africa will regret all series. The Proteas had Australia 124/6 in the first innings — and let them escape to 390. Matt Renshaw, batting at number five in a reshuffled order, made 190 and 82, Josh Hazlewood took 6-49 in the second innings, and South Africa's batting folded twice (284 and 206) against relentless seam.
The response from coach Shukri Conrad has been ruthless. Stubbs scored 32 and 1 in Durban — gone, replaced in the squad by Breetzke, whose ODI form and a recent double century for South Africa A earned him the call. Conrad has also confirmed that Rickelton keeps wicket, which benches Kyle Verreynne, who has not passed fifty in 13 innings. And the biggest boost of all: Rabada, rested in Durban as a hamstring precaution, is fit and expected to lead the attack on a ground he knows intimately. Anrich Nortje, who carried a heavy workload in his first red-ball match in over three years, may be the one to make way — or South Africa drop a spinner after the two-spin gamble of Harmer and Maharaj backfired in Durban.
Australia's Only Headache
Australia have almost no reason to change a winning side — Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Renshaw, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Hazlewood pick themselves. The watch is Green: coach Andrew McDonald confirmed the all-rounder has yet to prove his fitness after the abdominal strain that kept him out of Durban. Josh Inglis is further along in his recovery from a broken finger. If Green is passed fit, Webster's place comes under pressure; if not, Australia go in unchanged — a sentence that should worry South Africa on its own.
The Key Battles
Rabada vs Australia's top order. Everything about Durban changes if Rabada plays. South Africa's attack without him still reduced Australia to 124/6; with him, on a St George's Park surface that rewards relentless seam, the new-ball spells against Head and Maddinson become the series-defining contest.
Lyon vs South Africa's left-handers. Gqeberha is traditionally the slowest, lowest major surface in South Africa, and it turns late. Lyon against a home top order stacked with left-handers — Markram, Breetzke, Rickelton — on days four and five is precisely the matchup Australia's selectors dream about when they see this fixture.
Matt Renshaw raising his bat for a hundred — the man of Durban, with 190 and 82 in the first Test. (Wikimedia Commons)
Renshaw vs his own encore. A 190 and an 82 in one Test is a career week. South Africa's bowlers will come at him with a plan this time; whether the reshuffle to number five keeps working is Australia's quiet subplot. We covered his Durban masterclass and Green's situation in our Cameron Green fitness update, and the full story of Stubbs' axing is in our South Africa drop Stubbs report.
St George's Park, Gqeberha — South Africa's slowest, lowest major surface, and their fortress of last resort in this series. (Wikimedia Commons)
My Prediction
South Africa will be better — Rabada alone guarantees that, and a side that had Australia 124/6 is not a bad side. But my honest call is that the gap in Durban was not about one bowler. It was about batting depth: Australia's number five made 272 runs in the match while South Africa's entire top seven produced one score of substance across two innings. On a slow Gqeberha pitch where first-innings runs are gold, I trust Cummins' batting order more than Bavuma's patched one.
My prediction: Australia win the 2nd Test and take the series 2-0 — but by a far smaller margin than Durban, and only if they bat first or Rabada's first spell doesn't blow the game open. South Africa's one clear route: bat first, post 350, and let Maharaj bowl last on his home track. Do you agree? Predict the result in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is the SA vs AUS 2nd Test?
It starts today, Sunday October 18, at St George's Park in Gqeberha. The third Test follows at Newlands from October 27.
Is Kagiso Rabada playing the 2nd Test?
Rabada is fit after missing Durban as a hamstring precaution and is expected to lead South Africa's attack.
Why was Tristan Stubbs dropped?
Stubbs scored 32 and 1 in the first Test, and Matthew Breetzke's domestic and ODI form earned him the replacement call-up.
Is Cameron Green fit for Australia?
Not yet confirmed — Green still has to prove his fitness after an abdominal strain, and Australia may go in unchanged.
Sources
- Cricket.com.au — South Africa v Australia second Test match preview and team news (Oct 17, 2026)
- Dawn / WION / OFM — South Africa squad announcement: Stubbs out, Breetzke in, Rickelton to keep (Oct 15-16, 2026)
- ESPNcricinfo — 1st Test scorecard, Durban: Australia won by 214 runs