Harmer shines as South Africa win third Test | Sports

CAPE TOWN, South Africa:

Simon Harmer picked a career-best 6-16 as South Africa bowled out Australia for 111 to win the third cricket Test by 176 runs and clinch the three-match series 2-1 on Saturday.

Australia crumbled in Cape Town after being set 288 to win on day five of the deciding match of the series.

The Proteas rallied from 1-0 down in the first Test series between the teams in South Africa since the ‘Sandpapergate’ scandal in 2018.

Harmer, a 37-year-old off-spinner, finished with match figures of 10-120 – his first 10-wicket haul in Tests – after South Africa made 329 and 387 in their two innings, while Australia scored 429 in their first to take a 100-run lead at Newlands

Kagiso Rabada took 3-39 on Saturday to reach 350 career Test wickets.

Wiaan Mulder and Ryan Rickelton had scored centuries on day four to set up a 288-run target, but Australia collapsed to 60-7 at lunch on day five and were eventually bowled out before tea.

Australia had won the first Test in Durban by 214 runs, and South Africa won the second Test in Gqeberha by an innings and 31 runs.

Top spot

With the victory, South Africa dethroned Australia for the top spot in the International Cricket Council Test team rankings.

It is the first Test series loss for Australia since March 2023.

Harmer was named Player-of-the-Match for his 10-wicket haul – the first for a South African spinner against Australia since 1952.

“It was about dealing with the expectation (in the fourth innings). The biggest thing was to get the win today,” Harmer said. “We were in the game with the way KG (Rabada) bowled this morning. As a spinner, on a turning wicket, that’s what dreams are made of. It has been a tough few weeks, but today was a lot of fun.”

Harmer became the first South African spinner to pick a 10-wicket haul in Cape Town. Australia last won a Test series in South Africa in 2014.

Marco Jansen was named Player-of-the-Series for scoring 198 runs and taking 13 wickets in three Tests.

“It was a very intense series with a lot of pressure, a lot of ebbs and flows, ups and downs, and it feels tiring to be standing here,” Jansen said. “But it was an awesome series to be part of. You have to adapt your game to a certain degree, depending on the conditions. So making a different game plan in every venue was key.”

AP