Ninety-nine problems as Aussies capitulate on 13-wicket day

Twenty-seven years after their capitulation in the World Cup semi-final, South Africa have a '99' of their own to lord over Australia.

Pat Cummins' men are fighting to save the second Test and maintain their series ascendancy after a 13-wicket day and their worst first-innings batting return in a decade. It has the Proteas on the brink of a remarkable comeback win.

After the inspired Marco Jansen (5-33) led a rout that saw the tourists rolled one short of triple-figures, Australia's woes were compounded when Steve Smith was unable to bat in their second innings due to a neck concern.

Smith (28) had been the only batter to pass 14 in an abject first-up effort on a St George's Park pitch admittedly littered with crusted divots, seeing Australia concede a 326-run deficit.

Their tally of 99 was their worst in their first innings of a Test since the Proteas skittled them for 85 in Hobart in 2016. Here, they were asked to follow on for only the third time since 1988.

That they did so despite South Africa losing speedster Anrich Nortje to a right groin injury underscored how favourable conditions had swung towards seam bowling, particularly after Temba Bavuma's nine-hour hand underpinned SA's 9d-425.

Marnus Labuschagne summed up the Australian mood when he screamed in displeasure after punting another start and his side's best partnership of the Test. Having endured a torrid working over from Simon Harmer, the No.3 took on a fierce afternoon wind only for Jansen to run back and pouch the skied chance that hung in the air for an eternity.  

In a side that values percentage plays and calculated risks, Labuschagne's decision to take on the gale, not long after surviving an lbw review by less than 5mm off the same bowler, is sure to attract scrutiny ahead of the third Test. It was the fourth time in his past eight Test innings he has been dismissed in the 30s.

Travis Head, with whom Labuschagne had added 92, persevered despite struggling at times for fluency. After posting his slowest fifty in three years, he was 13 runs short of a second Test ton abroad by stumps.

Scott Boland's superhero status was only enhanced when he walked out as nightwatcher for a second consecutive evening. Called to action again in near-darkness, he could have been forgiven for thinking Cummins has mistaken him for Batman. Like he did on day three, he survived to the close of play, this time with Australia on 4-156 and 170 runs behind.

Jansen's morning hot streak earlier commenced in somewhat fortuitous fashion having been unconvinced by an lbw appeal against Head. But Temba Bavuma's review was a masterstroke as the left-armer almost singlehandedly reduced Australia to 6-65.

Jansen mocked Labuschagne's batting mannerisms before the brilliant Harmer took the first of two razor-sharp cordon catches. Off Labuschagne's reaching prod to Nortje, he dived one-handed in front of second slip; to Renshaw's back-foot poke off Jansen he hung on to another technically pleasing low chance.

Wiaan Mulder was all over Beau Webster after lunch but, like Renshaw, he also pushed in the channel with minimal footwork to a rising ball. Also like Renshaw, he copped an earful on the way off from Jansen, who became just the second South African since readmission to take a five-wicket haul and score a half-century in the same Test against Australia.

Smith, donning eye blacks and employing an increasingly wide-footed, open stance, fought through 88 balls and the deteriorating condition of his neck, which required multiple visits from medical staff.

He became the third Australian after Allan Border and Ricky Ponting to notch 11,000 Test runs but there were no celebrations as Mulder jagged one back into the right-hander's stumps from his disciplined line.

Smith clean missing one on his woodwork was suggestion enough something was now seriously amiss with his neck, and by the late-afternoon he was sporting a light-green neck brace as he watched his team bat without him in their second dig.

Australia's tail, heroes of their comeback in Durban last week, offered no similar resistance this time as their four frontline bowlers (including Boland, elevated to three to protect the top-order the previous evening) managed only 13 runs between them.

Rabada walked off between innings gleefully indicating a batting motion with his hands to the Australian changerooms, and was undeterred by two early Nic Maddinson boundaries to have him nick off in much better light than when he'd done him the previous evening.

Twice had Labuschagne flashed balls through the hands of Harmer's short-leg as the off-spinner stuck his tentacle-grip on the under-pressure batter. Having hardly looked at Head when he elected to review Richard Illingworth's lbw, Labuschagne then added another three runs before he unsuccessfully took Jansen on at mid-on.

It exposed a middle-order missing its star man in Smith. Renshaw (bowled by a Rabada nip-backer that kept low) and Webster (who almost walked, so plumb was his lbw to Harmer) joined Labuschagne in being dismissed twice in the day.

Qantas tour of South Africa 2026

All matches to be broadcast exclusively in Australia on Kayo and Fox Cricket

First Test: Australia won by 214 runs

Second Test: October 18-22, St George's Park, Gqeberha, 7pm AEDT (10am local)

Third Test: October 27-31, Newlands, Cape Town, 7:30pm AEDT (10:30am local)

South Africa squad for second Test: Temba Bavuma (c), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne.

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Sam Harper, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (second Test onwards), Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nic Maddinson, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster