South Africa secured an emphatic innings-win over Australia to level their three-Test series with one to play. The Proteas won by an innings and 31 runs at St George's Park in Gqeberha to set up a series decider in Cape Town next week. Australia had won the first Test in Durban by a huge margin, only for South Africa to roar back and answer them in kind.
Despite the morning session being a washout and without one frontline bowler in Anrich Nortje, South Africa bowled out Australia for 295 in its second innings an hour after tea. The result ties the series at 1-1 and the top two in the World Test Championship will play for the series win in Cape Town from Tuesday, live on Sky Sports. WTC holders South Africa rallied to seemingly save a draw when they wrapped up their rain-affected first innings late on day three after captain Temba Bavuma's 179 and Marco Jansen's rapid 85.
But Australia were then shot out for 99 in their first innings by Jansen's 5-33. They were forced to follow on, and remarkably lost 13 wickets in total on Wednesday. South Africa's pace attack lost Nortje to a suspected groin injury in his fourth over and he didn't bowl for the rest of Australia's second innings.
Australia, resuming the final day on 156-4, still 170 runs behind, hoped on Thursday for a reduced 81 overs of rearguard action with Steve Smith and Alex Carey in reserve but unravelled once chief holdout Travis Head was dismissed. Wiaan Mulder rebounded from a wicketless and expensive second innings on Wednesday by taking three of the six wickets South Africa needed on the fifth and final day. Mulder bowled century-maker Head, fellow overnight fighter Scott Boland as well as Australia captain Pat Cummins.
Head, on 87 overnight, posted his 13th Test century with his 12th boundary. But his natural positive intent undid him on 121 when he chopped on against Mulder. Smith came in at No 7, three places lower than usual after he got a kink in his neck in the first innings.
Mulder tested Smith's neck with a first-ball bouncer. Smith endured the last five overs of the old ball, but was out for three in the third over of the new ball when he mis-hit pacer Kagiso Rabada. The ball caught the wind and Matthew Breetzke bobbled the ball at midwicket but took it at the second attempt.
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