SA level series 1-1 with innings and 31-run victory

South Africa’s innings and 31-run victory over Australia on Thursday, has its roots in something that can’t be practiced - character.

That character breeds resilience and in the period in which Temba Bavuma has captained the Proteas, they’ve shown a level of toughness, for which they often aren’t credited.

Be it Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, with the bat at SuperSport Park in 2024, Aiden Markram and Bavuma - on one-leg - in the second innings at Lord’s last year or scrapping to a stunning victory on turning track at Eden Gardens against India, these Proteas thrive, with their backs against the wall.

St George’s Park in 2026, must go in the pantheon of great ‘bounce back’ displays under Bavuma’s leadership. They’d been trounced in the first Test, then lost the toss and saw their first innings laying decimated at 110/6 on the third morning, with Australia’s Scott Boland wreaking havoc.

The game had already lost 139 overs by the end of day two, and victory would have been the farthest thing from anyone’s mind as Marco Jansen made his way to the crease on Monday morning to join his skipper.

But there the turnaround started. Jansen was driving Boland on both sides of the wicket - through and over the field - as the Proteas quickly wrestled the momentum away from Australia.

It was bold and forced Pat Cummins into a defensive mindset. Bavuma played one of the great Test innings by a South African, a nine hour vigil, that mixed courage, solid technique and clear thinking.

Like Matt Renshaw had done to them in Durban, now South Africa, thanks to their captain, with help from Jansen and later Simon Harmer, rattled the Australians.

Boland and the rest of that much vaunted pace attack, now looked impotent. From 110/6, 77 overs later, Bavuma declared SA’s first innings on 425/9.

In the first Test Renshaw had masked the batting problems everyone knew Australia had. The Proteas let slip an advantage at Kingsmead, where Kagiso Rabada’s absence proved pivotal.

Back leading the attack in Gqeberha, Rabada’s mere presence liberated Jansen, who backed up his batting with a remarkable, nasty bowling performance, taking 5/33, and exposing the frailties of the Australian batters. They were bowled out for 99 in 42.3 overs and the fury that display unleashed Down Under, will be felt by Cummins, head coach Andrew McDonald and chief selector George Bailey - who is on tour - over the next few days.

They showed more tenacity in their second innings, but the fact that Boland, batted for three hours will only lead to more scrutiny of the likes of Nic Maddinson - a makeshift opener - and especially Marnus Labuschagne, who succumbed to pressure - both in terms of the match situation and all the talk about his continued presence in the team - playing poor shot against Harmer.

Again how the Proteas were tested on the last day. No rain was forecast for Gqeberha, but for two hours no play was possible as the heavens opened over St George’s Park on Thursday morning.

The start was delayed by two hours. “We were scrambling a little bit in the change-room because we were not too sure about the weather,” Bavuma admitted.

Boland and Travis Head, who notched up just his second hundred outside Australia, stayed firm for 82 minutes, until Wiaan Mulder, made the second of four crucial contributions. Having already bowled Steve Smith with a peach in the first innings, he had Head chopping the ball onto his own stumps, five overs before the arrival of the second new ball.

Rabada got Smith to misjudge a pull shot - with a nervous Bavuma refusing to watch Matt Breetzke’s juggling act before holding onto a crucial catch.

Boland’s resistance was ended by a beautiful in-ducker from Mulder, who was surprisingly given the ball after tea. “Lots of guys had already contributed, I felt it was my turn. I just wanted to keep the ball on the stumps,” he said.

Cummins’ wicket came a short while later, also a stunning delivery, that straightened off the pitch, beat the outside edge of the bat, and clipped off-stump. Mulder’s post-tea spell, read: 6-1-11-2.

Rabada and Jansen ended the match with a wicket each.

By the bare numbers, this win scarcely makes sense. Almost 200 overs were lost to the weather, Australia were on such a high after Durban too and the one change they made took five wickets in South Africa’s innings.

But from somewhere deep inside themselves the Proteas summoned what is now becoming their customary ‘gees.’ This extremely tough team, have got themselves back in the series.

Newlands is going to be a lot of fun.