Australia beat South Africa by 214 runs in the first Test in Durban, and England will study the result closely before their own three-Test series in South Africa, which starts in December. It also gives England a sense of what awaits them ahead of next summer’s home Ashes.
England won’t get benefit of rusty-looking Proteas
It is nearly a year since South Africa last played Test cricket, when they won a 2-0 series in India. The Durban match was their first home Test since losing the World Test Championship final to Australia at Lord’s in June 2025, and they looked short of match fitness.
There were encouraging contributions. Aiden Markram spent 237 balls at the crease, close to six hours, in the second innings as South Africa tried in vain to bat out for a draw. David Bedingham also impressed at No 3, scoring a couple of 40s.
However, the totals were not big enough for the longer format. South Africa threw away numerous starts in the first innings, with six players scoring at least 30 but none going on to a major score, and they conceded a 106-run deficit. Ryan Rickelton failed twice at the top of the order, and captain Temba Bavuma managed just four runs across his two innings, which will invite questions about his form.
The key question is whether these performances signal deeper problems or simply reflect a rusty return after a long absence from Test cricket. England should have their answer before they arrive in South Africa for their first Test in Johannesburg on December 17. The hosts have two more Tests against Australia and a two-match series against Bangladesh in November to find their rhythm.
Has Renshaw solved Australia’s middle-order issues?
Matt Renshaw may have secured a place in the middle order for the foreseeable future. His career-best 190 in the first innings earned him the player of the match award. He also scored 82 in the second innings and took a couple of wickets with his part-time off-spin.
Renshaw helped rescue Australia from 124-6 on day one, when they risked losing control of the contest because of familiar top-order failings. Australia then posted 390 deep into day two and never looked back.
If Renshaw has taken the No 5 position for the rest of the series, several questions remain about the rest of the batting order. Travis Head made that spot his own before Australia moved him up to open midway through last winter’s Ashes. The move paid off at the time, as he hit three hundreds in winning causes at Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. Since then, however, he has not passed 22 in three Test innings, including two soft dismissals in Durban.
Renshaw has opened for Australia before, so a switch between him and Head could be worth considering, perhaps before the trip to England next summer. For now, Renshaw will almost certainly get a run in the middle order, and Australia have bigger batting issues to resolve before deciding how best to use Head.
Questions remain over Labuschagne and top order
Marnus Labuschagne has not scored a Test century since July 2023, when he last reached three figures at Old Trafford in the Ashes. He hit a hundred in the warm-up match before the series, and he made a pair of 37s in this Test, but he failed to convert either into a score of note. He averages 25.29 in the 24 Tests since that Old Trafford hundred.
Labuschagne was considered fortunate to keep his place, largely because Australia lacked alternatives who had made a convincing case for selection. Jake Maddinson last played Test cricket for Australia in late 2016, averaging 6.75 across three appearances. His career has since stalled through injury, mental health issues and a testicular cancer diagnosis that kept him out for most of last year. The 34-year-old had not played a first-class match since March 2025 before being recalled to the Test team in Durban, after injuries to Cameron Green and Josh Inglis.
Maddinson’s first-innings duck came on his return, scoring 0 from 33 balls. He played with much more freedom in the second innings, when Australia were well ahead, striking six fours and two sixes in his 48 off 38 balls. His place will still come under scrutiny, especially now that Green and Inglis are set to be available again for the second Test in Gqeberha.
Dropping Maddinson after one match back would be harsh, but Australia will be keen to return Green to the side. Renshaw has blocked his most obvious route back at No 5. Could Green come in for Labuschagne at No 3, or for Beau Webster at No 7, given Webster was underused as an all-rounder in Durban? The batting line-up still has much to resolve.
Hazlewood and co prove they’re still a force
If one aspect of Australia’s performance should concern England, it is the continued quality and depth of their bowling attack. Josh Hazlewood took career-best Test figures of 6-49 in the second innings, completing a dominant performance by the visiting seamers. Captain Pat Cummins led the attack in the first innings with 3-54, helping dismiss South Africa for a below-par 284 on a decent batting pitch.
The evergreen Nathan Lyon, who is 38, adds another dimension as an off-spinner. Australia also have Scott Boland and Michael Neser in reserve.
That depth will matter in the coming months. Australia’s attack is ageing, and a demanding schedule will test its fitness and durability. After the South Africa tour, they face a four-match home series against New Zealand and a five-match tour of India.
How will the bowlers be holding up when the Ashes begins on June 18 with the first Test at Trent Bridge? For now, any suggestion that Australia’s attack will be past its best by then looks premature.
South Africa team selection a head-scratcher
South Africa’s team selection for the series opener raised eyebrows, particularly the decision to field two specialist spinners in Durban. Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer offered left-arm and right-arm options, but neither was particularly threatening. Between them, they took just four wickets, and Harmer’s only first-innings wicket allowed Australia to recover from 124-6 to 390.
The absence of Kagiso Rabada, who did not recover from a hamstring injury in time for this Test, may have forced the selectors’ hand. Even so, the attack looked lopsided and patched together. Wiaan Mulder, for example, should not be opening the bowling with the new ball in Test cricket. The batting all-rounder took two wickets with it on the first morning and added a couple more on day two, but he was largely ineffective across his 31 overs.
The return of Anrich Nortje was encouraging. After a long absence from Test cricket, the fast bowler showed glimpses of the pace and aggression that made him a major asset during his first spell in the side from 2019 to 2023.
If Rabada is fit and available for the second Test in Gqeberha, he would add balance and penetration to the attack. A combination of Rabada, Nortje and left-armer Marco Jansen would present a much sterner challenge for Australia, and for England in a couple of months.