Less than three weeks ago this side left Kingsmead beaten by 214 runs, with a selection table full of hard questions. On Saturday afternoon it walked off Newlands as series winners. And, by the end of the day, as the best Test team on the planet.
The Proteas Australia Newlands result was never in doubt after the first session. Chasing 288 to win the third Test and the series, Australia were bowled out for 111 in 57.1 overs. South Africa won by 176 runs to take the series 2-1, and Simon Harmer finished with 6 for 16, the best figures of his Test career, and ten wickets in the match.
Rabada’s first over set the tone
Australia needed a quiet start. They lost two wickets in the first over. Kagiso Rabada found the edge of Matt Renshaw’s bat with his first ball, Ryan Rickelton taking the catch down the leg side, and then had Marnus Labuschagne leg before.
Travis Head did not last long either, caught by Marco Jansen off Rabada for 14. That wicket was the 350th of Rabada’s Test career, and Sky Sports and SA Cricket Mag report he reached the mark in 13,808 balls, quicker than any bowler before him by deliveries bowled.
Then Australia started doing the bowlers’ work for them. Josh Inglis, who made a hundred in the first innings, was run out for 4 chasing a single that was never there.
Proteas Australia Newlands result: how Harmer finished it
Harmer took over from there. Alex Carey reverse swept him straight to Jansen at backward point. Cooper Connolly edged behind to Rickelton without scoring. Mitchell Starc dug in for 25 balls without a run before the substitute fielder Corbin Bosch held a catch close in on the leg side, and Australia went to lunch on 60 for 7.
Cameron Green was the one specialist batter who looked settled. Soon after the break he came down the pitch to Harmer and was bowled for 27. At 62 for 8 the Test was as good as over.
Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon made South Africa wait, adding 45 for the ninth wicket. Cummins faced 90 balls for his 11 before Harmer pinned him lbw, and Harmer then bowled Josh Hazlewood to end it. Lyon was left on 33 not out, the top score of the innings.
Harmer’s spell read 21.1 overs, 14 maidens, 16 runs and six wickets. Rabada finished with 3 for 39.
| Third Test at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Result | South Africa won by 176 runs |
| Series | South Africa win 2-1 |
| South Africa | 329 and 387 |
| Australia | 429 and 111 (57.1 overs) |
| Australia’s target | 288 |
| Best bowling, final innings | Simon Harmer 6 for 16 (21.1 overs, 14 maidens) |
| Harmer in the match | 10 wickets (4 for 104 and 6 for 16) |
| Also | Kagiso Rabada 3 for 39, including his 350th Test wicket |
| Top score, Australia’s chase | Nathan Lyon 33 not out |
From 1-0 down to world number one
Remember where this started. Australia won the first Test in Durban by 214 runs. South Africa hit back with an innings win at St George’s Park, as our second Test result report told it. Here at Newlands they trailed by 100 on first innings, and the day-three report left them only 40 in front with four wickets down.
Then came Friday, the Rickelton and Mulder centuries and the stand of 154 that our day-four report covers in full. Without that partnership there is no target to defend.
The reward is bigger than a trophy. Sky Sports and SA Cricket Mag both report that the win lifts South Africa above Australia to the top of the Test rankings. The Proteas’ own account put it in a line: “Series winners. World No. 1.”
Our view: This was the most complete day of the series. Rabada’s opening over took the sting out of the chase, and Harmer did not let Australia breathe for 21.1 overs. Bavuma’s side were written off after Durban and won the next two Tests by a combined margin that leaves no room for argument. If you want to see how far the team has travelled since the day-two report, when Inglis and Carey had Australia in charge, this was the answer. It is a series Temba Bavuma will remember for the rest of his career.
What comes next
The scores are settled. What the series says about this Proteas Test team is a bigger question, and our Beyond the Score column takes it on.