Player of the Match
Player of the Match
1866dThe Report by Brydon Coverdale

De Villiers and Rabada tighten South Africa's grip

After the batsman hit his first Test century in more than three years and one of his finest, the quick took three wickets to hurt Australia further on the third day in Port Elizabeth

Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers
126(146) 20x4 - 1x6
Control %86%
  • Productive Shot
  • steered
  • 27 runs
  • 6x4 - 0x6
25 6 15 14 24 3 4 35
UT Khawaja
75(136) 14x4 - 0x6
Control %76%
  • Productive Shot
  • defended
  • 15 runs
  • 3x4 - 0x6
8 21 11 7 3 1 4 20

Best performances - Bowlers

K Rabada
K Rabada
O22
M9
R54
W6
Eco2.45
RHB
OFFLEG
2W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W2W1W
K Rabada
K Rabada
O21
M2
R96
W5
Eco4.57
RHB
OFFLEG
3W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W1W

Scorecard Summary

AUSTRALIA 243(71.3 OVERS)
1ST INNINGS

SOUTH AFRICA 382(118.4 OVERS)
1ST INNINGS

AUSTRALIA 239(79 OVERS)
2ND INNINGS

SOUTH AFRICA 102/4(22.5 OVERS)
2ND INNINGS

Scorer: Raghav MV | Commentator: Nikhil Kalro

1.53pm Another terrific game of Test match cricket. South Africa win by six wickets to level the series in Port Elizabeth, setting up their series very very well. There has been a lot of off-field noise, so loud that is threatened to spoil the activities on the field. But the cricket has let no one down. Australia were just maybe 100 runs short, just like SA were in Durban.

Two standout performances from South Africa this Test: AB de Villiers with the bat, one of his best Test innings ever to lead South Africa to a match-winning lead, and Kagiso Rabada, who took 11 wickets in the Test to lead the bowling effort. Australia just did not have enough to deal with the pyrotechnics of those two.

A good bowling performance from Australia in the fourth innings, taking four wickets, but again, just not enough runs to force the batsmen into mistakes.

Meanwhile, live updates of the World Cup Qualifier right here.

Time for the presentation.

Kagiso Rabada is the Man of the Match: "I'm glad, put in the preparation and things happened for me this Test. Always nice bowling with the hard, new rock. Always enjoyable. Something that needs to be on point against good batters (lengths). I don't think so (a batting promotion), I'll stick to nightwatchman. The one to Warner was special. Australia are not going to roll over easily."

Faf du Plessis: "Serious character, we absorbed pressure well. Amla and Elgar in the first innings, if you have AB, he can transfer pressure back. Great turnaround from the previous Test, where it was the opposite. The first hour was pretty well, we then went to the beach for a little bit. Absolute champion of a bowler, Rabada. AB looked like he batted on a different pitch. Two bowlers get excessive reverse swing, Starc and KG. If we can keep Australia quiet, that's half the battle. It's disappointing for the series (Rabada's impending hearing), you want your best players to play the series. We'll challenge that to keep him in the series."

Steven Smith: "They outplayed us in every aspect of the game. AB was a big difference between the sides, we weren't too far away. 75 runs in the first innings, 50 in the second, and it could have gone either way. Rabada bowled exceptionally well. Yesterday morning was a tough one, we hoped we could get them quickly, keep their lead to 50. 140 was a lot. We came out really well, got AB out conventionally out for the first time this series, gives us confidence."

22.5
4
Cummins to de Bruyn, FOUR, full outside off, drilled through cover. SA level the series 1-1. No man there, vast expanses. And SA bounce back after Durban. Port Elizabeth is theirs, in a Test against Australia again.

Michelle: "So glad Australia won the toss in this game! I have a feeling it would have gone their way had SA won the toss and possibly chose to bat first."

22.4
0
Cummins to de Bruyn, no run, short, outside off, de Bruyn this time gets underneath
22.3
1
Cummins to du Plessis, 1 run, 139 kph, on the pads, clipped away to deep square leg for one
22.2
0
Cummins to du Plessis, no run, full outside off, pushed towards mid-off
22.1
0
Cummins to du Plessis, no run, digs this in, Faf gets underneath

4 more required, the brass band is in full flow.

END OF OVER:
22 | 8 Runs | SA: 97/4

  • Theunis de Bruyn11 (12b)
  • Faf du Plessis1 (7b)
  • Nathan Lyon9-0-44-2
  • Pat Cummins4-0-8-1
21.6
4
Lyon to de Bruyn, FOUR, four of them. Shortish and wide, carved away in front of point for four. Good batting from de Bruyn.

Rabada equals Waqar

4

No. of 10-wkt hauls for Rabada in Tests, at age of 22 - the joint-most for any bowler before turning 23. Waqar Younis had also picked 4 10-fors before ageing 23.

AB triumphs

197*

Runs scored by AB de Villiers in this series, in 3 innings, without getting out to any bowler. He remained not out in first inns of both the Tests while in the second inns of last Test he was run out.

Elgar's fruitful venue

5

No. of 50+ scores for Dean Elgar in 8 Test inns at Port Elizabeth, including his fifty in this game. He has scored over 500 runs at the venue with two centuries and two other fifties.

Rabada's roar

18

No. of balls of a span in which Rabada took five wickets and that induced Australia's collapse.