The Proteas are well on their way to victory at the close of play on day four of the second test at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Thursday, with Australia battling away on 156-4 in their second innings, still needing another 170 runs to make the hosts bat again.
Heading into day five the visitors have a massive job on their hands if they are to try and save the test, as their most experienced batter, Steve Smith, who struggled with a neck injury during their first innings, may not be able to bat and has so far been pushed down the batting order.
Stumps, Day 4! An excellent day for #TheProteas as they put themselves in a commanding position heading into the final day of this second Dafabet Test! 👏🇿🇦 Australia end the day on 156/4 after 54 overs in their second innings, following-on and still trailing by 170 runs. 🏏 #Unbreakable #SAvAUS
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) October 21, 2026
Earlier in the day the Proteas skittled Australia all out for 99 in their first innings, a massive deficit of 326 runs from the hosts' first-innings total of 425-9 declared near the end of day three, and captain Temba Bavuma immediately enforced the follow on.
Australia managed to reach tea on 50-1 and began the final session of play with opener Travis Head (87*) and Marnus Labuschagne (39) at the crease, and they extended their solid second wicket stand to 92 runs.
But Labuschagne then had a moment of madness, having already been let off on review after being given out LBW off Simon Harmer, he charged at the bowler trying to hit out, but skied it to Marco Jansen running back towards long on to send him on his way with the score 100-2.
JANSEN FIVE-FOR
The Proteas made sure it would be their day completely with two further late wickets, as Kagiso Rabada superbly bowled Matt Renshaw (11), who was shouldering arms to a ball that swung back in wickedly, and Beau Webster (8) trapped LBW by Hamer as the visitors slipped to 150-4.
Nightwatchman Scott Boland (2*) will resume on Thursday’s final day with Head, and they will hope to start well to try and delay the inevitable, and give their side a slim chance of saving the test, while the Proteas will be hunting a series-levelling win.
In the post lunch session the Proteas cleaned up the last four Aussie wickets to knock them over for less than a hundred.
With the Aussies resuming on 69-6, Jansen was the first to strike, securing his five wicket haul by having Webster (13) pushing away from his body and offering a catch to Aiden Markram at second slip, with the score 84-7.
The final three wickets then fell quickly in successive overs for just three runs, as top bowling from Wiaan Mulder saw him have top scorer Smith (28) in all sorts of trouble before bowling him.
Rabada nicked off Mitchell Starc (1) to keeper Ryan Rickelton, and Mulder rounded things off by having Cummins, trying to hit out, caught at deep square leg by Matthew Breetzke.
Jansen was the star of the show with 5-33, while he received perfect support from Mulder, 2-12, Rabada, 2-33, and the injured Anrich Nortje, 1-5.
Marco Jansen's five-for puts the Aussies under pressure in Gqeberha 🇿🇦🎯 📺 Stream #SAvAUS on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw https://t.co/418GAgnb7w
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 21, 2026
SUPER CATCH
After enforcing the follow on, it was almost a carbon copy of the first innings as it was Rabada who came up trumps first, removing Nic Maddinson (8), caught behind by Rickelton, leaving the Aussies on 8-1.
But Head and Labuschagne then showed a bit of fight with an unbeaten 42-run second-wicket stand to take them to tea, although it could have been even worse for the visitors after Head received a let off when he edged Mulder straight to Jansen at gully, but the ball came at him quickly and burst through the fingers and away to the boundary.
After a frustrating first two days dominated by rain, the Proteas came alive on day three thanks to captain Temba Bavuma (179), Jansen (85) and Harmer (82), who helped them reach a good total late in the day.
Pace spearhead Rabada, back from injury, struck in his first over removing opener Maddinson for a fourth- ball duck, leaving the Aussies in early trouble on 3-1 overnight.
The Proteas then struck almost immediately in the morning session, with Jansen nicking off nightwatchman Boland (2) with his first ball of the innings, and the second over of the day, to reduce them to 11-2.
In the 10th over a great review saw the back of opener Head (14), who was beaten by a huge in-swinger from Jansen and got rapped on the pads, with the umpire not giving it and Bavuma sending it upstairs where the DRS returned three reds, as the tourists slipped to 22-3.
Labuschagne (14) and Smith tried to wrestle control back with a few positive shots, but just as they were looking to build a partnership Nortje got a good ball to straighten on Labuschagne and take the edge into the slip cordon, where Harmer at gully flung himself to his left and took a brilliant one-handed grab in front of Markram, leaving them on 45-4.
What a grab 🤩 Simon Harmer takes a magnificent catch to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne 🔥 📺 Stream #SAvAUS on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw https://t.co/xebBv5KVrB
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 21, 2026
The Aussies needed to just survive until lunch and were boosted a couple of overs later when Nortje, in his fourth over, pulled up with a groin injury and had to walk off the field.
But with a few overs to go to lunch Jansen claimed a big double strike, getting first-test hero Renshaw (12) with a good short ball that angled in at him and deflected to Harmer at third slip, followed by Alex Carey for a second ball duck, feathering an edge to keeper Rickelton, as they crashed to 65-6.
Marco Jansen with a double-wicket maiden 🤯👏 📺 Stream #SAvAUS on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw https://t.co/AINORhCoYk
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 21, 2026
PROTEAS: Aiden Markram, Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (capt), Matthew Breetzke, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada
AUSTRALIA: Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Renshaw, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood
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