Proteas Level Series 1-1 After Gqeberha Win

South Africa beat Australia by an innings and 31 runs on Thursday, levelling the three-match series at 1-1 and setting up a decider in Cape Town. At St George’s Park in Gqeberha, the hosts finished the job as bad weather closed in during the final session.

Australia fell for 295 in its second innings, losing the last four wickets to South Africa’s pace attack. Wiaan Mulder, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen did the damage. Mulder dismissed Travis Head, Scott Boland and Australian captain Pat Cummins. Rabada bowled Mitchell Starc, while Jansen wrapped up the innings when Josh Hazlewood edged to the slips. Alex Carey remained unbeaten on 37.

The Bowlers Who Carried the Day

Rabada returned from a lengthy injury layoff and took 4-77. Mulder claimed 3-64, while Rabada and Jansen each finished the match with six wickets. The bowlers had spent a long time on the sidelines, and they delivered when the team needed them most.

The result answered South Africa’s 214-run defeat in the opening Test in Durban last week. The Proteas went from a heavy loss to a series-levelling win in just a few sessions of cricket, with the weather barely allowing play to continue.

A Match Shaped by Rain

Rain washed out much of the first two days at St George’s Park. Play resumed on the morning of the third day with South Africa at 110-6. Captain Temba Bavuma’s career-best 179 and Jansen’s rapid 85 helped revive the innings. The hosts declared at 425-9 late on day three, then bowled Australia out for 99 and enforced the follow-on.

There was a worrying moment for South Africa, too. Anrich Nortje suffered a suspected groin injury in his fourth over and didn’t bowl again in Australia’s second innings. The team will need to establish quickly whether he can play in the Cape Town decider.

Australia began Thursday at 156-4 after rain wiped out the morning session. Head, who had finished the previous day on 87, made 121 from 190 balls and reached his 13th Test century, his second outside Australia. South Africa attacked for almost 90 minutes without success before Mulder bowled him with a rising delivery that he chopped onto his stumps.

The Late Collapse

Steve Smith had a neck problem in the first innings and came in at No. 7, three places below his usual spot. He made three before mis-hitting Rabada, and Matthew Breetzke juggled the ball at midwicket before holding the catch at the second attempt. Boland, the nightwatchman, scored a Test-high 40 from 166 balls and reached tea alongside Carey. Soon after the interval, Mulder bowled him through the gate.

Cummins made four before Mulder clean bowled him in the next over. As dark clouds gathered, Rabada returned and bowled Starc for 11. Jansen then had Hazlewood caught behind off the first ball, ending the match.

What the Captains Said

Bavuma, named player of the match, spoke about patience and grit. “We tried to stay in the moment despite the rain delays,” he said. “When we were batting it was all about how we could extend the innings and keep on batting another hour, then another session.” He added: “Our team goes about playing good old test cricket, wear down the opposition and then take them down when the opportunity presents itself.”

Bavuma praised his bowlers. “It makes my job as captain a lot easier when you have guys stepping up like that,” he said. He credited Rabada with taking the pressure and letting others work, and said Jansen “came out firing in both innings. He’s huge for us.”

Cummins was blunt about the defeat. “A long way from our best. A reverse of last week. They played well,” he said. He acknowledged his side’s fight, singling out Boland and Head, but conceded that 99 was a hard total to recover from.

The final Test at Newlands in Cape Town begins on Tuesday, and the series will be decided there. Bavuma said he’s already focused on that match. “We still have a job to do with one Test left,” he said. “Once the series is over, then I’ll take a moment to enjoy it.”

Why This Matters:

The result keeps a competitive series alive and gives the Proteas a real chance to win their home summer’s final contest. After a heavy defeat in Durban and days of waiting on the weather, the turnaround shows how much a long-format side depends on depth and fitness. Rabada’s return from injury and Nortje’s new setback both show how much a team relies on its fast bowlers staying on the field. The decider begins in Cape Town on Tuesday.