Hazlewood six-for guides Australia to 214-run win over South Africa in Durban
Josh Hazlewood took six wickets as Australia defeated South Africa by 214 runs in the first Test at Kingsmead in Durban on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026; he finished with six for 49. The hosts were set 421 to win but were bowled out for 206 on the fifth day.
Matt Renshaw led Australia with a first-innings 190, ending a near-decade wait for a second Test century, and also top-scored in the second innings with 82. Hazlewood twice broke promising South African stands during the run chase, and Australia recovered from being 124 for six early in the match to control the remainder of the fixture against the world Test champions. This was the first Test series between the teams in South Africa since the 2018 sandpaper scandal.
Hazlewood’s second new-ball spell removed key lower-order batsmen, with Marco Jansen bowled in the fourth over after adding 45 with Aiden Markram and Simon Harmer gloving a sharply lifting ball to Alex Carey three balls later. The last four South African wickets fell for five runs across 16 deliveries after the second new ball was taken.
Aiden Markram resisted for just under six hours before falling ninth, scoring 75 and being caught behind off an inside edge from Mitchell Starc. Wiaan Mulder had contributed 29 in a 139-minute innings facing 110 balls before he was caught down the legside by Carey off Hazlewood.
Renshaw’s all-round match continued when he introduced his off-spin and, with his first delivery, had Kyle Verreynne edge a wide ball to Steve Smith at slip. Renshaw had top-scored in both innings (190 and 82) and had taken his first Test wicket when he dismissed Temba Bavuma on Monday.
Steve Smith took a fifth catch in the match to become the world record-holder for most catches by a fielder in Tests; he had been off the field at the start of South Africa’s innings on Monday after sustaining a blow to the head while batting. Australia’s first-innings total of 390, steered by Renshaw, set the platform after the tourists had been in trouble on the opening day.
Captain Pat Cummins reflected on the recovery, saying: "It's a great way to kick off a series, particularly from the position we were on day one," and added he was proud of the team for "clawing our way back, kind of grinding it out, and then once we had the lead, you know, not giving it back" and that "I think our standards were very high for the last three or four days." South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, after his first loss in 13 Tests as captain, said: "They showed their experience, they showed their skill to get themselves into a very competitive position," adding, "You don't want to give them that opportunity to play the game from the front. "We had the opportunity to prepare as well as we could." "I think a lot of the mistakes we made out there were mental," he added after South Africa's first Test in 11 months.
South Africa must respond in the second Test of the three-match series, which starts in Gqeberha on Sunday, when Bavuma hinted that fast bowler Kagiso Rabada would likely be fit to play.
