South Africa Crush Australia by an Innings and 31 Runs to Level the Series in Gqeberha
By NajamSports Team | October 22, 2026
Let me be honest — I did not see an innings win coming. Not after two days of rain, not after Australia bowled South Africa out to 92 for five on the opening morning, and certainly not with almost 200 overs lost to the weather. But that is exactly what happened at St George's Park on Thursday, and if you are a Test cricket fan, this is the kind of day you will remember for a long time.
Kagiso Rabada led South Africa's charge on the final day. Image: Wikimedia Commons
What Happened?
South Africa bowled Australia out for 295 in their second innings on the fifth and final day to complete a stunning innings-and-31-run victory and level the three-match series 1-1. The win was built on a career-best 179 from captain Temba Bavuma and a relentless second-innings bowling effort led by Kagiso Rabada (4 for 77) and Wiaan Mulder (3 for 64).
The scorecard tells a remarkable story:
- South Africa 425/9 declared (Bavuma 179, Marco Jansen 85, Simon Harmer 82)
- Australia 99 (Jansen 5/33) — follow-on enforced
- Australia 295 (Travis Head 100, Scott Boland 40 off 166 balls; Rabada 4/77, Mulder 3/64)
South Africa won by an innings and 31 runs.
Rabada, back from a hamstring injury, won the big moments — including Steve Smith's wicket. Image: Wikimedia Commons
The Final Day: How It Unfolded
South Africa began the final day needing six wickets, with Australia trailing by 170 — but the entire morning session was washed out, and for a while the dressing room must have feared a draw. When play finally started, it was Mulder who broke the game open, ending Travis Head's battling century — Head's 13th Test hundred and only his second overseas — with a beauty that cramped him for room and took the inside edge onto the stumps.
That brought Steve Smith to the crease at number seven, down the order because of the neck injury he picked up on day four. Smith lasted just 20 balls, never looking comfortable against the short ball, before Rabada — with the new ball in hand — had him edging a pull to midwicket. From there, the Rabada-Mulder combination never let go. Nightwatchman Scott Boland had fought for 166 balls for his 40, but once he went, the tail folded quickly.
Why This Result Matters
This was a weather-hit miracle. Only 43 overs were possible across the first two days, and at one stage South Africa were reeling at 92 for five on day one. To turn that into an innings victory — in a World Test Championship series against Australia — is a statement of real character.
Bavuma's 179 was the innings that changed everything. His career-best knock, backed by Jansen's 85 and Harmer's 82 from the lower order, turned a collapse into a match-winning 425. And Jansen's 5 for 33 that skittled Australia for 99 on day four gave Bavuma the courage to enforce the follow-on — a bold call that paid off completely.
Captain Temba Bavuma's career-best 179 was the backbone of South Africa's only innings. Image: Wikimedia Commons
Our Analysis
Here is my honest take: Australia lost this Test in the first innings, not the second. Getting bowled out for 99 — their lowest recent total against South Africa — was the real damage, and the follow-on killed them psychologically. Head and Boland fought hard, but chasing a 326-run deficit on a fifth-day pitch with Rabada charging in is a losing battle nine times out of ten.
For South Africa, this win changes the whole mood of the series. Rabada, on his return from a hamstring injury, looked like the Rabada of old — winning the duel with Smith that started in the first innings. Mulder is developing into exactly the kind of cricketer every Test side needs: he takes big wickets and breaks partnerships. And Bavuma's captaincy — enforcing the follow-on, trusting his bowlers on a wet final day — deserves as much credit as his batting.
One worry for South Africa: their top order still collapsed to 92 for five on day one. Australia's bowlers, led by Boland, will smell blood in Cape Town. One worry for Australia: Smith's neck injury and their first-innings batting fragility are not going away overnight.
The Decider: Cape Town Awaits
The third and final Test begins in Cape Town on Tuesday, October 27, and it is now a series decider with everything on the line — including World Test Championship points. Australia dominated the first Test; South Africa owned the second. The decider should be a cracker.
Conclusion
South Africa beat Australia by an innings and 31 runs at St George's Park to level the series 1-1. Bavuma's 179 set it up, Jansen's 5 for 33 broke Australia's back, and Rabada (4/77) plus Mulder (3/64) finished the job on a rain-shortened final day. Cape Town now hosts the decider — and I cannot wait.
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Read more:
- SA vs AUS 2nd Test Day 3: Bavuma's 179 puts South Africa on top
- SA vs AUS 2nd Test Preview: Can Rabada fire South Africa back?
- South Africa drop Stubbs for 2nd Test, Rickelton keeps wickets
Sources: The Times (Rabada breaks Australia resistance to seal innings win and level series); SuperSport (DAY 5: Rabada, Mulder clean up Australia as Proteas win second test); ESPNcricinfo (2nd Test scorecard, Gqeberha).