After last week’s column, it was not my intention to comment further on the Test series between South Africa and Australia. However, the implications of South Africa’s victory in the third and final Test that ended on Oct. 31 are so far reaching it is necessary to analyze them.
First, it raises serious questions about the future composition of Australia’s team. Second, it changes the dynamics of the World Test Championship. Third, it reveals the extent to which South Africa’s resilience has been built in recent years.
The match was another classic contest of fluctuating fortunes. Australia chose to bowl first, a decision questioned by commentators at the time, on the basis that the pitch was expected to take spin as the match progressed. The decision looked even worse as South Africa progressed to 158 before losing a wicket and to 203 before losing a second. Four wickets then fell for the addition of only 30 runs before Ryan Rickelton and Marco Jansen compiled a century partnership. Mitchell Starc dismissed them both, along with the remaining batters, to claim six wickets for 72 runs, South Africa ending with 329.
Australia’s reply was buoyed by a fifth wicket partnership of 185 runs between Alex Carey and Josh Inglis, after which the innings fell away to 429 all out shortly after lunch on the third day. Simon Harmer spun his way to four wickets. By the end of the day, South Africa had reached 140 for four wickets, a mere 40 runs ahead with Australia looking favorites to win.
When South Africa’s fifth wicket fell before lunch on the fourth day on 181 runs, Wiann Mulder joined Rickelton. My first sight of Mulder was in the WTC final at Lords in June 2025; he batted at number three, scoring six runs from 44 deliveries, and looked ill at ease. My second sighting was in Zimbabwe, where he scored an unbeaten 367. He is also an effective medium-fast bowler. Gradually, he and Rickelton wrestled the initiative away from Australia in a partnership of 154 runs. Both scored centuries, Mulder being last out at the end of the day as South Africa reached 387 to set Australia 288 runs to win on the fifth and final day. The game appeared to be heading for a grandstand finish to round off an enthralling series.
This notion was quickly destroyed by South Africa’s quick bowler, Kagiso Rabada, who claimed two wickets in his first over and three in a five over spell that left Australia reeling at 22 for three. The first innings centurions, Carey and Inglis, were out to ruinous shot selections. When Harmer bowled Cameron Green for 27, the score was 62 for eight. A 45-run partnership between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, who top-scored with 33, meant that Australia avoided being bowled out for under 100 in consecutive Tests; the last time that happened was in 1936-37. Harmer, who has played only 17 Tests in 11 years, claimed six wickets in Australia’s abject reply of 111. The Australians did not want to face him, frozen into declining singles to avoid that fate, at one stage playing out 12 straight maiden overs.
Members of the Australian media, including ex-players, have been voluble in their criticisms of selectors and players, calling for widespread changes. Pat Cummins, the captain, fronted up in his post-match interview, admitting that “maybe it’s a change of personnel in some instances.” He was emotional in saying that for some of the team it was their last chance of winning in South Africa. The bowling core is entering the final stage of glorious careers, whilst the batting has displayed a brittleness uncharacteristic of Australian teams. There is likely to be resistance amongst the team’s management for wholesale change, but the need for transition is acknowledged. Tough series lie ahead at home against New Zealand and away to India, followed by an Ashes series in England in June/July 2027.
Prior to that series the WTC final will be played at The Oval, London, starting on June 9 between the top two placed teams out of nine. Whether Australia will qualify for it remains to be seen. After the two recent defeats, the team is now in third place, behind South Africa in second and New Zealand in first.
WTC positions are calculated on a points percentage system in which the points won by a team are divided by the number of points contested, multiplied by 100. Twelve points are awarded for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw. South Africa have seven games remaining, five at home against Bangladesh and England, with two away in Sri Lanka. This is a strong position. New Zealand have four home fixtures against India and Sri Lanka, whilst India, in fourth place, have seven. These are against New Zealand away and Australia at home and they may need to win all of them to reach a top two place, depending on other results. The other five teams are too far behind to have a chance of qualifying.
In the previous cycle, 2023-2025, there was a feeling that South Africa’s qualification for the 2025 final was fortuitous. However, not only did they beat Australia in that final but, since then, have proved worthy winners of the trophy. Their predecessors had a reputation for falling at the final hurdle, a sobriquet that the current team has set aside. In his post-match interview, Marco Jansen, voted player of the series, revealed interesting insights into the mind of an international cricketer. He admitted to getting little sleep on the night before the final day’s play in the third Test, saying: “I probably slept one-and-a-half hours, maybe two. That’s because of … thinking of what we could do, what I could do, what’s going to be required, what if things don’t go our way”.
Jansen also revealed that when he started playing professionally and made his way into the national team: “I never thought of getting into the top 10 bowling or allrounder rankings. I just see myself as a youngster from Klerksdorp. I remind myself where I come from and what I’ve had to do to be consistent and perform consistently.”
In his early days in the team, if things were not going well, he would try to bowl more quickly, which led to a lack of discipline in his line and length. Now, he says: “I’m better prepared mentally if things don’t go our way, or if we’re doing well, or if I’m batting or bowling well, to stay calm and composed. To handle those situations better is the difference.”
He also referenced the key roles played by the captain, Temba Bavuma and coach Shukri Conrad in building a team ethos and instilling self-belief. Shaking off the ghosts of the past has been a remarkable achievement by this group.
After the match, Bavuma said: “In a weird way, but also a beautiful way, we are driven by this ambition to achieve what it is that we want to achieve: the narratives and the sentiments and the stories that are created around it all.”
His players held their mental nerves in crucial moments in the final two Tests. They are aiming to stay at the top, bolstered by their new-found mental strength.
Source: www.arabnews.com
