Riding on a brilliant rearguard effort from Matt Renshaw, Australia fought back strongly on Day 2 of the first Test against South Africa in Durban. Renshaw’s career-best Test score of 190 helped Australia post 390 after they had slipped to 124 for 6. The left-hander added 266 runs with the lower order for the final four wickets to turn the innings around. Bad light again brought an early end to the day’s play, with South Africa at 27 for 1 at Stumps, trailing by 363 runs.
Resuming at 187 for 6, Renshaw and Pat Cummins continued their resistance, rotating the strike and finding occasional boundaries, before Wiaan Mulder broke their 96-run stand. The Australian captain departed for 43, poking at a delivery that shaped away to edge to second slip. Mitchell Starc became Mulder’s fourth wicket soon after South Africa took the second new ball. With Australia in danger of folding below 250, Renshaw took charge, farming the strike while Nathan Lyon offered stubborn support.
Renshaw used his wrists effectively to find boundaries through the leg side and struck Anrich Nortje for successive fours to take Australia to 250. Renshaw then brought up his second Test century, and first in more than nine years, with a well-timed flick through mid-wicket off Nortje. The ninth-wicket pair extended their partnership to 47 at Lunch, with Australia adding 90 runs for the loss of two wickets in the morning session.
Renshaw and Lyon continued to frustrate South Africa as they extended their partnership past 100 in the second session, taking the visitors past 300. Renshaw brought up 150 with a reverse sweep off Keshav Maharaj and continued to find boundaries. Lyon, meanwhile, played a valuable supporting role, contributing 27 off 92 balls with five fours. Their 134-run stand was Australia’s highest ninth-wicket partnership in South Africa.
South Africa struggled to find a wicket, even turning to Aiden Markram’s part-time off-spin, without success. Marco Jansen eventually ended the stand in the 129th over, trapping Lyon lbw for 27 after the batter was caught in the crease by a full delivery. Lyon reviewed the decision, but ball-tracking confirmed the ball was hitting middle stump. Renshaw, however, went on with his marathon innings, striking a six and a four off Nortje as he moved beyond his previous best Test score. He remained unbeaten on 190 at Tea, having struck 21 fours and a six, as Australia added 113 runs in the session.
Renshaw could not add to his score as he fell 10 short of a double century, with Australia’s innings ending on the second ball after Tea. Simon Harmer drew Renshaw into chasing a flighted delivery outside off, and the batter edged it to Aiden Markram at first slip, ending a 397-ball effort featuring 21 fours and a six. Renshaw’s stay was the third-longest in terms of balls faced by an Australian in a Test innings against South Africa, while Australia’s total of 390 was the highest by a team against South Africa after losing six wickets for fewer than 125 runs.
Australia made an early incision through Josh Hazlewood in the third over as Ryan Rickelton fell for a three-ball duck, edging a wide delivery to Beau Webster at third slip. Australia lost a review when Starc thought he had Aiden Markram out lbw, with replays revealing an inside edge. Markram and David Bedingham steadied the innings with a few boundaries but deteriorating light brought the day’s play to an abrupt halt.
Brief scores: Australia 390 all-out in 137.2 overs (Matt Renshaw 190, Pat Cummins 43; Wiaan Mulder 4-68, Marco Jansen 3-68) lead South Africa 27/1 in 8.4 overs (Aiden Markram 15*; Josh Hazlewood 1-9) by 363 runs.
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