Just before tea, Newlands had its moment. Marco Jansen took two wickets in two overs, the first of them his 100th in Test cricket, and Australia were 185 for 4, still 144 runs behind. Then Josh Inglis and Alex Carey settled in under a hot Cape Town sun, and South Africa did not take another wicket.
The Proteas Australia Newlands day two story ends with the visitors on 330 for 4 after 90 overs, one run ahead of the Proteas’ 329 with six wickets in hand. Inglis is 85 not out, Carey 51 not out, and their unbroken stand of 145 has put Australia in front in a series that stands at 1-1.
How the Proteas Australia Newlands day two unfolded
Simon Harmer gave the home side the first lift of the day. The openers had put on 58 when Travis Head, on 41, chopped a ball from the off-spinner onto his stumps. In the same over Marnus Labuschagne edged to Aiden Markram at slip and went without scoring. Two wickets, not a run added: 58 for 2.
Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green then took most of the middle of the day away from South Africa. Australia went to lunch on 90 for 2 after 27 overs, and the pair added 126 for the third wicket, both passing fifty. Green could have gone far earlier. On 22 he edged Gerald Coetzee to slip, and Harmer dived forward for a catch that, Daily Maverick reported, replays showed had landed just short.
Jansen’s hundred, then a stand nobody could break
Jansen finally broke through shortly before tea. Renshaw, on 74, slashed at a short ball outside off stump and was given not out, but South Africa reviewed and the faint edge through to Ryan Rickelton was confirmed. It was Jansen’s 100th Test wicket. In his next over he found Green’s edge too, and Harmer held the catch at slip with Green on 65.
That was the last of the Proteas’ joy. Inglis and Carey batted through the final session, which brought 139 runs without loss. Inglis was the aggressor, with 85 off 111 balls; Carey was the anchor, with 51 off 126. Kagiso Rabada and the seamers could not find a way through on a flat, true surface, and all four wickets of the day went to Harmer and Jansen.
| Day two at a glance | |
|---|---|
| South Africa, first innings | 329 all out (82.3 overs) |
| Australia, first innings | 330 for 4 (90 overs) |
| Lunch | 90 for 2 after 27 overs |
| Fall of wickets | Head and Labuschagne at 58; Renshaw at 184; Green at 185 |
| Top scorers | Josh Inglis 85 not out (111 balls), Matt Renshaw 74, Cameron Green 65, Alex Carey 51 not out (126 balls), Travis Head 41 |
| Wicket-takers | Simon Harmer 2, Marco Jansen 2 |
| Milestone | Jansen’s 100th Test wicket (Renshaw, on review) |
| Unbroken stand | 145 for the fifth wicket, Inglis and Carey |
| Series | 1-1 going into this third Test |
Our view: A one-run lead is nothing on paper. The worry is how it was built. South Africa had Australia where they wanted them at 185 for 4, with a dropped catch already behind them, and then went a full session without a wicket. Our look at the first innings showed how quickly a strong position can drain away in this Test. Thursday’s first hour is everything now: two early wickets keep the deficit small, while another long stand would leave the Proteas batting to save the series rather than to win it.
What comes next
Day three starts on Thursday morning, with Inglis 15 runs short of a hundred. The day-one report has how South Africa got to 329, and our Newlands preview has the squads and the build-up. Australia took the first Test in Durban by 214 runs before the Proteas hit back in Gqeberha with an innings win, so whoever wins at Newlands takes the series.