Bavuma credits resilience as South Africa recover to beat Australia 2-1 in Test series
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said on October 31, 2026 that his side's resilience helped them secure a 2-1 Test series victory over Australia in South Africa, overturning an opening defeat in Durban to win the next two matches.
The series began with a heavy loss for the Proteas in Durban, but South Africa responded with an innings-and-31-runs win in Gqeberha and a 176-run triumph in Cape Town to claim the series. Bavuma described the 15 days of cricket as enthralling and acknowledged the quality of the Australian side while praising his team's ability to fight back.
Australia dominated the first Test in Durban to take a 1-0 lead and place South Africa under immediate pressure, according to the match reports.
South Africa levelled the series in the second Test at Gqeberha with a victory by an innings and 31 runs, a result the team produced after the opening defeat.
In the deciding match in Cape Town, Australia held a 100-run first-innings lead before South Africa reversed the contest and won by 176 runs to seal the series.
Reflecting on the contests, Bavuma said: “But I mean, we at times, we found ourselves in awe of the Australians, so credit to Pat and his troops. But I think a lot of it for us was, I guess that whole South African trait of resilience, right? We seem to play a lot better when we're behind the game. Whether that's a good or bad thing, that's for us.”
The series victory coincided with South Africa reclaiming the No.1 position in the ICC Test rankings for the first time in 10 years; Bavuma said: “Yeah, that's exceptional. I think that's obviously been a part of our ambition as a team. We're trying to push that standard as high as, as high as we can. And, with this opportunity that we have, we want to leave the Proteas badge in a better place. So we will definitely celebrate that milestone as a team.”
South Africa's next Test assignment is the opening match of a two-Test series against Bangladesh at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on November 15, with the second Test scheduled for SuperSport Park in Centurion from November 23 to 27.
