Tuesday, and the whole country has the same job: hang on. Welcome to Fluit’s Five: Kingsmead final day leads, with the Proteas needing a full day of stubbornness in Durban. Tonight brings four Premiership games and Banyana in Bloemfontein. Pace yourself.
1. The Big One: Fluit’s Five Kingsmead final day, six wickets and a lot of hours
Nobody seriously expects South Africa to score 319 more today. The honest target is time. Australia need six wickets; the Proteas need Aiden Markram, unbeaten on 45, and Wiaan Mulder to turn a salvage job into an afternoon that drags on and on.
Cricket Australia’s match page lists the first session from 09:30 SAST. Every over survived keeps the series level heading to Gqeberha, and a draw here also counts for something in the World Test Championship race.
One reason to dream, quietly: IOL points out South Africa’s best successful chase, 414/4, came against Australia at Perth in 2008. What a result here does to the WTC maths.
2. The Matchday Move: no rest after Moses Mabhida
Saturday’s MTN8 finalists barely had time to unpack. The Betway Premiership is back tonight, and both of them go again, one with a trophy and one with a grudge.
| Match | Venue | Kick-off |
|---|---|---|
| Richards Bay v Mamelodi Sundowns | Princess Magogo Stadium | 19:30 SAST |
| Orlando Pirates v TS Galaxy | Orlando Stadium | 19:30 SAST |
| Kaizer Chiefs v Stellenbosch | FNB Stadium | 19:30 SAST |
| Durban City v AmaZulu | Chatsworth Stadium | 19:30 SAST |
The real test is legs, not form. Does Miguel Cardoso freshen up his champions, and does Abdeslam Ouaddou ask the same eleven to bounce straight back? Our Tuesday night guide to all four games.
3. The Talking Point: how long can loyalty last?
Shukri Conrad stuck with the batters who won at Lord’s, and the TimesLIVE cricket writer Stuart Hess argues they are not paying him back. His numbers are pointed: Ryan Rickelton with one half-century in his last 12 innings, Tristan Stubbs with five scores of 50 or more in 26. Hess would give Marques Ackerman a go.
Our view: loyalty earned a world title, so it deserves one bad Test of patience. Not three. If day five ends in another collapse, Gqeberha needs a fresh name. Who is in the Proteas Test team.
4. The Stat That Matters: 272
That is how many runs Matt Renshaw made in this Test: 190 in the first innings, then a quick 82 off 99 balls on Monday to set up the declaration at 314/6. One batter, more than a quarter of a thousand runs, and the main reason South Africa face 421.
Why it matters: whatever happens today, the Proteas have two more Tests to find an answer to him, and the planning for Gqeberha starts tonight. How his marathon 190 unfolded on day two.
5. The One to Watch: Banyana Banyana in Bloemfontein
Banyana Banyana take a 4-0 lead into the second leg of their 2028 Olympic qualifier against Madagascar tonight, 18:00 SAST at the Free State Stadium. Fans can get in this time, after Friday’s first leg was played behind closed doors.
On paper it is done. In the mind, it is not: Banyana last went to an Olympics in Rio in 2016 and missed Tokyo and Paris. Watch for a professional, ruthless finish rather than a party. SAFA on how Banyana are approaching the second leg.
So, for the braai tonight: if Markram bats all day and the Proteas save it, is that a fightback, or just a better way of losing the argument about the batting? Pick a side.