Renshaw shines as Australia close in on victory in Durban Test
Australia moved close to victory in the first Test in Durban on day four after Matt Renshaw produced a key innings and took a late wicket, leaving South Africa 102-4 at the close of play.
The match scorecard read Australia 390 & 314-6 dec; Renshaw 82; Nortje 2-56, Maharaj 2-56, with South Africa 284 & 102-4: Bedingham 46, Markram 45*; Hazlewood 2-20, and South Africa need 319 runs to win. Renshaw, in his second game back after a three-year absence, followed his 190 in the first innings with 89 to allow Australia to declare on 314-6, while the report also records him as making 82 in the second innings.
Renshaw removed South Africa captain Temba Bavuma with part-time off-spin, having Bavuma caught at short leg in the final hour for what the report describes as his first Test wicket. Pat Cummins then set up Tristan Stubbs by bowling shorter deliveries to push him back before trapping him with a fuller ball that carried to slip, leaving the Proteas in trouble late on day four.
Aiden Markram was unbeaten on 45 from 115 balls and had shared a stand of 66 in 19.4 overs with David Bedingham, who scored 46, as South Africa tried to hold their position. The piece notes the pitch appeared becalmed during that partnership but adds that by the close even Renshaw was finding extravagant turn.
The article highlights Markram’s previous fourth-innings form, citing his sensational 136 in the World Test Championship final and stating that only one active player, Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis, can better his average of 45.56 in the fourth innings of Tests. It also records that only twice in the past 13 years has a team survived 140 overs to save a Test, underlining the scale of the task facing South Africa.
South Africa's record under Bavuma is detailed as 11 wins and one draw, including their run to the 2025 World Test Championship final where they beat Australia at Lord's, and this match is noted as the first Test in a South African summer that will include two more against Australia, two against Bangladesh and three against England over Christmas. Bad light, which curtailed the first three days, did not intervene on the fourth evening.
The report adds that Steve Smith spent time off the field on day four after being hit on the helmet by an Anrich Nortje bouncer while making 27, and it records earlier dismissals such as Ryan Rickelton top-edging a loose pull to Josh Hazlewood in the fourth over. It also comments that Renshaw again held Australia's innings together but adopted more adventurous strokeplay to set up the declaration.
South Africa face the final day needing 319 to win according to the scoreline, and the report also states they were set a world record 421 to win and would need to bat out the final day for a draw with six wickets remaining; the final day therefore will decide whether they survive or Australia complete the victory.
