Matt Renshaw struck 190, his highest test score, as he and the Aussie tail transformed a potentionally losing situation into a position of strength on the second day of the first test against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban on Saturday.
The 30-year-old, born in Yorkshire, England, is playing in his 16th test since his debut against South Africa at Adelaide 10 years ago.
In a stop-start career, his only century before this one was another big ton, the 184 he struck against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2016/17.
When bad light stopped play at 4:25pm – an hour later than on Friday – Australia could reflect with some confidence on a first innings total of 390 as well as snaring a cheap South African wicket, that of Ryan Rickelton, for a duck as the hosts replied with 27-1 by the close, a deficit of 363.
Aiden Markram, who played a couple of imperious drives, was unbeaten on 15 with David Bedingham on 12.
Stumps on Day Two 🇦🇺🇿🇦 Renshaw's magnificent century and Hazlewood's early scalp puts the Aussies in charge 🔢 #SSCricket | #SAvAUS https://t.co/w6mfH9XQfN
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 10, 2026
Rickelton’s dismissal, while disappointing for the left-hander, was no great surprise after South Africa had toiled in the Durban humidity for much of the day.
The opener, facing Josh Hazlewood’s third ball of the second over, played a loose drive at a delivery outside his off-stump, edging to Beau Webster at third slip who took a good catch as the ball flew at head height to him.
Resuming on their overnight total of 187-6, Renshaw quickly went to his 50 as he and Pat Cummins played themselves in with confidence on a pitch that became increasingly placid under the hot sun and the batter-friendly north-east wind.
The pair added 86 in 191 balls for the seventh wicket, a frustrating fact for the South Africans who had expected to wrap up the innings promptly.
PROTEAS TOIL
The Proteas only enjoyed two successes – both courtesy of Wiaan Mulder – during the elongated morning session of two hours and 15 minutes.
The allrounder found the outside edge of Cummins’ bat with his first over with the second new ball, resulting in a comfortable catch for Aiden Markram at second slip.
Cummins departed for a valuable 43 in 98 balls, including six fours. His partnership with Renshaw was an Australian ground record against South Africa for the seventh wicket.
Mulder soon followed this success with another, when he produced a peach of a delivery that pitched on Mitchell Starc’s leg stump to hit middle-and-off. This was Mulder’s fourth wicket of the innings.
The left-handed Renshaw, who certainly looked the part as a regular opener, albeit batting at No 5 in this match, went to his hundred just before lunch in partnership with Nathan Lyon.
The left-hander showed excellent patience and good shot selection, favouring strokes through midwicket, with the leave being one of his most important (non) shots.
Any hopes South Africa would wrap up the innings after lunch were soon put to bed by Renshaw and Lyon.
As the pitch subsided further into placidity, the pair looked completely in control as they built their partnership and Australia’s total as South Africa’s pace and spin attack found little with which to disturb them.
Two boundary hits by Lyon indicated the lopsided nature of the contest: a liquid on-drive on the up against Anrich Nortje and a pull in front of square off Marco Jansen.
Renshaw, for his part, continued his disciplined vigil, mixing obdurate defence with reverse-sweeps and shots through midwicket.
A thrashed off-drive for four off Keshav Maharaj revealed his offensive ability as the ball scorched to the boundary.
RECORD PARTNERSHIP
As the afternoon wore on for the toiling South Africans the batters looked increasingly bulletproof and it was almost a shock when Lyon was trapped plumb leg before playing across a yorker from Jansen.
The tailender, despite playing and missing on occasion, rarely looked discomfited as he and Renshaw combined for a record ninth-wicket partnership of 134 in 286 balls against South Africa, and the second highest for that wicket ever for Australia, an alliance that effectively swung the match the visitors' way.
Renshaw went to tea on 190 with high hopes of completing a richly deserved double century, but that dream quickly died as he edged Simon Harmer’s second ball after the break to slip.
He had batted for seven hours and 48 minutes in the Durban heat and faced 395 balls, striking 21 fours and a six.
It was a magnificent effort out of the old school of test cricket and he has, with the valuable help of Cummins and Lyon, given Australia an excellent chance of victory in this match, a hope that had looked dashed when his team had sunk to 124 for six on Friday afternoon.
Matt Renshaw 👏 A special knock puts the visitors in charge 🇦🇺⭐️ 📺 Stream #SAvAUS on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw https://t.co/UGTVnE5Hcn
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 10, 2026
South Africa’s attack was blunted by the pitch and the quality of the batting for most of the day.
Nortje attempted a strategy of short-pitched bowling, but for the most part Renshaw was equal to it, while the spinners offered little on the increasingly flat pitch.
Aside from Harmer’s wicket at the death, the wickets were shared between the pacemen with Mulder (4-68), who took the new ball with Jansen (3-68), and Nortje (2-88) the contributors.
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje.
AUSTRALIA: Travis Head, Nicolas Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Renshaw, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
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