Ken Borland

Two bad days in a row for South Africa at Kingsmead has left them needing a miracle to save the first Test against Australia.

The Ball in Play

Oct 12, 2026

The current Proteas team’s capacity to bounce back from poor performances has been impressive, but after two bad days in a row at Kingsmead, it is going to take something miraculous for them to escape from the first Test against Australia with a draw.

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South Africa go into Tuesday’s final day on 102 for four, chasing 421 for the most unlikely of wins, but more realistically they are going to have to not lose six wickets in at least 75 overs of stern examination from the brilliant Australian attack.

Aiden Markram is holding firm on 45 not out after nearly three hours and 115 balls at the crease. He has Wiaan Mulder for company, with Ryan Rickelton (2), David Bedingham (46), Temba Bavuma (1) and Tristan Stubbs (1) all dismissed and out of the equation.

Keshav Maharaj, who put some of those batsmen to shame in the first innings with his gutsy 34, was the unfortunate player who had to front the media. His bowling has not been much to talk about in this Test – overall figures of 29-0-131-2 – so it was batting that he spoke about, with some honesty.

“We’ve lost a couple of soft wickets again if we’re honest. The application that Aiden has shown is what we’re looking for, but a lot of our dismissals have been self-inflicted rather than due to good bowling. Maybe it’s because of the transition from white-ball cricket and you want to feel bat on ball, which has led to our demise.

“We need to zone in and be strong-minded in terms of shot-selection and match awareness plays a big hand too. Whatever happens, we need to dust ourselves off because there’s still a series at stake. What stands out about this team in the last while has been our ability to find a way in difficult situations. We’re focused on our first task, which is to take care of the first hour tomorrow,” Maharaj said.

What is highly likely is that South Africa will once again be tested by an outstanding attack. The famed Australian quartet is relentless, consistent and highly-skilled. And on Monday Matt Renshaw, fresh from scoring 82 to take his match tally to 272, joined Hazlewood, Cummins, Starc and Lyon in being an absolute handful with his part-time off-spinners.

It was if Renshaw was bowling grenades as he took one for 16 in seven overs, Bavuma being his victim. That was the one South African wicket to fall on Monday for which one could safely give all credit to the bowler.

Renshaw landed his off-break on exactly the right length to have the diminutive Bavuma stretching as far forward as he could, but the delivery turned more than expected, and there was good bounce, an inside-edge going on to the pad and then being snaffled by Nic Maddinson, lunging to his left at short-leg.

As Maharaj correctly pointed out, the other dismissals were down to batsman error.

Rickelton edged behind an attempted hook at a brilliantly-directed Hazlewood bouncer in the fourth over of an innings that was meant to be a rearguard battle for survival and not about flashy strokeplay.

Josh Hazlewood gave Bedingham as strenuous an examination as a proctologist, testing him over and over outside off-stump. Bedingham, despite getting on to off-stump, so he must have known where it was, often sparred well away from his body. Hazlewood kept dragging him across his stumps before the inevitable full in-ducker came and he was trapped plumb lbw for a promising, but ultimately unfulfilling 46.

Stubbs was the last wicket to fall, shortly after Bavuma, and he left the field shouting at himself and little wonder. He reached for a full and wide delivery from Pat Cummins, but was he trying to drive or was he defending? It was the sort of indeterminate shot that is often fatal and he too edged behind.

How Australia, starting the day on 33 without loss and already leading by 139, went about their batting on Monday was similarly clinical.

Nic Maddinson has recently survived cancer, so his controversial selection and then making a 33-ball duck in the first innings were brushed off as he played with tremendous freedom in scoring 48 off 38 balls. He hooked his first ball, a Marco Jansen bouncer the previous afternoon, for four and collected five more fours and two sixes on Monday.

Marnus Labuschagne (37) and Steve Smith (27) added 53 for the third wicket. The former Australian captain was on two when he was belted on the helmet by a fired up Anrich Nortje and, while he lashed the fast bowler through the off-side for three fours soon after, he was being tested for concussion while South Africa batted. He had passed all the tests at the ground, but the Australian medical team will apparently continue the testing until satisfied that he has no symptoms.

Renshaw fell when Smith holed out to off-spinner Simon Harmer, and once again went about his business with clarity and composure. He was understandably more aggressive, however, and once again playing spin superbly, with numerous reverse-sweeps, was how he needed just 99 deliveries for his breezy 82.

Alex Carey (24) and Beau Webster (39 not out) both chipped in, and Cummins’ 32 not out off just 12 balls, hitting Harmer for four sixes in five balls was exactly how to emphasise your sheer dominance over a team that has not been nearly sharp enough.

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In wonderful batting conditions, South Africa dismayed their sparse number of supporters at the ground with a naive, almost clownish batting display.

The Ball in Play

Absorbing intensity and assessing the situation were the two key phrases used by Proteas batting coach Ashwell Prince at the end of the third day of the first Test against Australia at Kingsmead on Sunday.

It was a day which ended with Australia leading by 139 runs with all 10 second-innings wickets intact. That fact alone suggests things did not go well with the bat for South Africa, who had begun the day on 27 for one in reply to Australia’s 390.

While it may seem appropriate to blame the bowlers for allowing the tourists to score so many first-innings runs, having been 124 for six at one stage, Australia’s revival was down to the conditions easing and the brilliance of Matt Renshaw in scoring a career-best 190 which was the epitome of patience and good judgement.

So the template for success with the bat was there, plain to see, and South Africa’s batsmen had seen it up close for the whole of the second day as they toiled in the field under clear blue skies and a north-easterly wind: Leave well, stick to safe shots that fit your game plan and make the bowlers bowl to you.

But the Proteas top-order ignored what had been in plain sight and tumbled to 284 all out. The fact that their first innings made it that far – a deficit of 106 – was thanks to partnerships of 52 for the ninth wicket between Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj (34) and 35 for the last wicket between Harmer (35*) and Anrich Nortje (16).

Those two last partnerships showed up the proper batsmen for their lack of composure and indicated that there were no demons in the Kingsmead pitch. The north-easterly blew again and batting should have been a pleasure. The pace and carry were true, the new ball moved around just a bit and off-spinner Nathan Lyon obtained bounce but not much turn.

Australia bowled full lengths at the start of the day, looking for swing with the ball being nine overs old, and Aiden Markram and David Bedingham capitalised with a series of handsome drives.

They put on 84 for the second wicket in an hour-and-a-half and all seemed right with the world.

But Australia, who have undoubtedly played smarter cricket than the hosts, then switched to back-of-a-length bowling, plugging the line just outside off-stump. Markram fell for 37 trying to punch Mitchell Starc off the back foot through the covers with little footwork; Bedingham did much the same on 49 to give Pat Cummins his first wicket. The back-foot drive is a difficult stroke to play on a pitch renown for the bounce it offers.

Lyon and Starc bowled particularly well to Proteas captain Temba Bavuma, who could only score three runs off 26 balls. And so he tried to relieve the pressure through a reverse-sweep, which was a reasonable option. Except when Steve Smith is at slip and, in a moment of brilliant anticipation, he moved rapidly into the likely path of the ball and made the catch.

Bavuma could maybe be sympathised with, but when Kyle Verreynne (13) did exactly the same thing two-and-a-half hours later, it seemed awfully naive and foolish, notwithstanding the psychic Smith making a sensational one-handed grab.

That was the most frustrating aspect of the Proteas’ batting display, their complete failure to learn from what had happened before. Renshaw had been widely praised for leaving so much during his epic innings; South Africa’s batsmen flashed with abandon outside off-stump.

Cummins then devoured the middle-order as both Wiaan Mulder (30) and Tristan Stubbs (32), who had combined promisingly for a 56-run fifth-wicket stand in just over an hour, tried to hook well-directed bouncers in that off-side channel. Not taking the bait would have been a far better option.

Marco Jansen lifted the mood briefly with six fours in a 26 off just 20 deliveries with powerful pulls and classy drives down the ground. But then he too picked the wrong delivery to attack. Josh Hazlewood hit the deck hard and bowled a straight line, cramping Jansen, who still tried to clear mid-on but with a more vertical bat, only managing to sky the ball to mid-off.

Ashwell Prince is the batting coach of the Proteas and the man who shored up their middle-order in the 2000s was careful to tread gently as a guardian of his charges.

“I don’t think there was too much aggression, it was more the timing of the dismissals, which kept hurting us. Everyone has their individual approaches and we’ve talked a lot about playing positively and being on the front foot.

“In the subcontinent we played spin well and all the sweeps are options there. As long as the guys have been training them and playing them well, then you can accept it when they get out to one. They were a couple of blinders by Steve Smith.

“It was a really good innings by Renshaw and he deserves a lot of credit. He was very patient and he took the approach of wearing the bowlers down. Everyone has their personal approach and some are more aggressive, they go after their shots more and sometimes it does not pay off.

“There’s lots to take away from today, probably the biggest learning is that the make-up of the Australian attack means they are heavily dependent on three seamers and they have a classy spinner, they come at you with a certain intensity, but that can only last for so long. Sometimes you have to absorb intensity, because it can only last so long.

“The pitch so far has been pretty good and most batsmen feel that they can play more strokes. The ball seemed to come on better today, the bounce was consistent. You could trust the bounce and pace, so the confidence is there.

“Maybe we need to be better at sensing the intensity of the bowlers and assessing the situations. Pat Cummins is astute and when he feels they have a sniff, he pushes his fast bowlers. Just when it looked like a partnership was going to wrestle the advantage our way, a wicket would fall. Every time that would energise them and the bowlers would come again,” was Prince’s carefully considered, diplomatic response.

Australia came out to bat for 25 minutes before bad light stopped play and their dominant position allowed them to be aggressive. Nic Maddinson, who had made a 33-ball duck in the first innings, shook off the pressure of being a controversial selection and hooked his first ball from Marco Jansen for four.

The comeback man added one more four and a flick for six over midwicket to reach 17 not out off 19 balls at stumps, with Travis Head on 10 not out off 15 deliveries, out of a total of 33 without loss.

Prince believes they will bring the same aggressive approach on the fourth day.

“Tomorrow we’re going to see a lot more of the same approach, they’re going to come out with a lot of aggression to try and make up time and stretch their lead as much as possible,” he said.

South Africa will need to try and prolong the amount of time Australia spend at the crease, to make their task of saving the match an easier one. To do that, Prince says they will need to attack rather than defend.

“Taking wickets will be our best approach, while trying to control the run-rate at the same time. In the first innings, Australia made a big total, but they scored it at 2.8 runs-per-over. It’s a different scenario now that they are over a hundred ahead and they can take more risks.

“So we have to be positive, we’ll probably see more spin tomorrow and some innovative field placings to put the ball in their court,” Prince said.

Innovative is one thing, but what the Proteas most require is smarter cricket.

South Africa’s two most iconic courses hosted their big events in December and winning scores of just five-under-par at Sun City and 13-under-par at Leopard Creek showed that they were excellent tests for the outstanding fields and the many international golfers included in them.

Johannes Veerman, an American who has campaigned mostly on the DP World Tour, prevailed in the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Gary Player Country Club with an inspired 69 on the gruelling final day.

There was no respite from the searing heat and tough layouts the following week in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, with Shaun Norris also coming through the field, overcoming a six-shot deficit with a 67.

At Sun City, the prestige field had to contend with temperatures that reached 46° as well as the usual treacherous, shifting winds and nefarious pin-placements in the nooks of the clover-shaped greens. The heat was turned up even further in Malelane as a startling temperature of 50° was recorded on the second day, with irregular winds adding to the torment.

Romain Langasque tied for second in the Nedbank Golf Challenge, finishing one stroke behind Veerman after rounds of 70-70-73-71, and the fact that he was pretty chuffed to shoot around par indicated just how tough the conditions were.

“To shoot 70 is actually a very good score. If you shoot under-par here, you have played very well. The course plays very tough mostly because of the wind, which is constantly going anywhere, blowing one way and then completely the other direction. If you are just off the fairway, then it is very difficult to hit the green. You have to stay very patient, take a decision and see where the ball goes.

“The greens get firmer and firmer and it seems to just get tougher and tougher. Sometimes you will land in a very bad place, but that happens to everybody. Your attitude is so important,” Langasque said.

But the Frenchman also spoke about how wonderful the whole Sun City experience was.

“I’ve had good results in South Africa. But it’s not just about the golf, it’s the people too. There’s good food and a good hotel, the hospitality is something I really enjoy. So it’s a good week here, the course is always so unbelievable, but tough,” Langasque said.

Fit-again American star Will Zalatoris was delighted to finally make his Nedbank Golf Challenge debut, having first accepted an invite for the 2022 event but then getting injured. The 28-year-old spoke glowingly about the history of the tournament and how special walking on to the ninth green was with the plaques honouring all the previous winners decorating the pathway.

“I stay up late at night at home and watch this tournament, I’ve been doing it for a decade. So it’s special to play here for the first time, I was really upset to miss out previously because of my back surgery, it’s a tournament I’ve had circled on the calendar for a while.

“It’s Africa’s Major and the 18^th hole is the real deal with an awesome vibe all week, and I think it’s the toughest hole on the course. And the history of the tournament is special, you see all the past champions on the ninth green – that hole is my favourite – and that’s a really strong list with a lot of Hall-of-Famers,” Zalatoris said.

‘Stick to the fairways’ was also the mantra at Leopard Creek, according to Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult, who had to settle for a tie for second after shooting 74 on the last day.

“I enjoy playing this golf course and look forward to the challenge. I like what I see, most holes suit my eye, but some are very tough as well. It’s quite similar to Sun City in that you have to be on top of your game. There’s nowhere to hide, which is what I like, but some Leopard Creek holes do give you more of a margin for error.

“But there’s no way to bail out, you have to take on every shot. The greens are also slopey and they can tuck the pins like at Gary Player Country Club. It was tough out there, the wind was gusty and the temperature is more than 40°.

“But it’s a great course, it’s my first time here and I am really impressed. It’s even more important here to drive well, you’ve got to hit the ball straight, in the fairways, and then you can attack some pins, you expect some to be tucked; be in good positions in order to attack or even just to hit to the fat side of the green,” Kinhult said.

But a few extra minutes spent at the 13^th green, overlooking the Crocodile River and the Kruger National Park, is enough to convince anyone that it will all be okay.

“It’s an amazing course, I’ve never played anywhere with a national park right on their doorstep. The 13^th green is something else with its hippos and crocs. We’re very lucky to get to play here.

“I’m a massive animals fan and there is wildlife everywhere in the park. We were able to see elephant, lion and leopard. We only get a pigeon and a crow at home!,” a delighted Alex Fitzpatrick said.

PRETORIA – Thriston Lawrence and Jacques Blaauw both fired outstanding 10-under-par 62s to share the lead in a meeting of two of South African golf’s most in-form stars in the first round of the SunBet Challenge Times Square Casino at Wingate Park Country Club on Wednesday.

Lawrence, who is currently sixth on the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai, is back in South Africa to complete his rehabilitation from a back injury he suffered after the Open Championship a month ago. His first competitive round since then could barely have gone better as he plundered eight birdies and an eagle on the 6740m course in south-eastern Pretoria.

The winner of eight professional events, including four on the DP World Tour, was part of the morning field, while Blaauw, who is leading the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit delivered by The Courier Guy and is eager to return full-time to the European tour, was off at 11.50am.

The 38-year-old Blaauw made a blazing start to his round as he set out to catch Lawrence, reaching the turn in six-under-par, which included an eagle on the 381m par-four sixth hole. Although he bogeyed the par-four 11^th, Blaauw finished strong with five birdies in the last seven holes.

“I’ve had four weeks off since hurting my back a bit at the Open and I’m not a big fan of hitting lots of balls on the range, so I felt playing this tournament would help my rehab more. And I love to compete,” Lawrence said.

“But I was still quite surprised how well it went because I’ve only played two practice rounds in the last few weeks, I didn’t expect 10-under. But the back is good and game is solid.

“I started on 10 and the eagle came on 18 after I hit a nice drive and had a good number for a nine-iron in; I hit it to three feet for a simple eagle. That got my momentum going, I had four birdies in a row to start the front nine, I was on fire,” Lawrence said.

Blaauw, who is enjoying his best season in nearly a decade with five successive top-10 finishes on the Sunshine Tour, including victory in the SunBet Challenge Sun City event, admitted the presence of Lawrence, and the fact he had shot 62, motivated him.

“What Thriston shot told me there was obviously a low score out there. I started quickly so I knew something was up. I’ve been playing good golf of late and it all came together today,” Blaauw said.

“When our DP World Tour stars play here you always want to beat them and Thriston has been playing some unbelievable golf lately. But I’ve showed I can play great golf at home, hopefully I can do the same elsewhere. Getting full status in Europe has been my plan from January and now it’s just about keeping things going.

“It’s about sticking to the processes, just letting it happen and not trying to force things. Just keep giving myself opportunities because the putter is working,” Blaauw said.

The six-time Sunshine Tour winner’s eagle came when he followed a 300m drive on the sixth with a 90m lob-wedge into the hole.

Another multiple winner on the DP World Tour, George Coetzee, is also making his way back from long-term injury, and he will certainly have a say in where the title goes this week as he shot an eight-under-par 64 on Wednesday.

Young Yurav Premlall also made his presence known with a 66, a score matched by Quintin Wilsnach.