Cricket: South African world champions stifle Australia (187-6) on day one in Durban
South Africa began their series against Australia in the best possible way on October 9, 2026, at the Kingsmead Oval in Durban: the World Test champions held the Australians to 187 runs for 6 wickets at the end of a first day halted by insufficient light, with 24.4 overs remaining to be played, according to the Associated Press.
Having won the toss, Australia chose to bat first. The decision proved costly. Opener Nic Maddinson departed without scoring a single run after 33 balls, beaten by Marco Jansen. Travis Head (9) was caught behind off a ball from Wiaan Mulder, who then trapped Marnus Labuschagne (37) leg before wicket just before the lunch break. Steve Smith, the most anticipated man, was caught at gully off Jansen for 25 runs.
Nortje turns the 42nd over
The return of Anrich Nortje did the rest: the fast bowler took two wickets in the same series, the 42nd over, by dismissing Alex Carey (13) and Beau Webster (4). At 124 for 6, the visitors were reeling. It took a stand from Matt Renshaw (46 not out) and captain Pat Cummins (33 not out), who combined for 63 runs for the 7th wicket, to avoid a complete collapse before the umpires called a halt to play.
The match marks the first trip by an Australian team to South Africa since the 2018 sandpaper scandal. Since then, the Proteas have taken historic revenge by winning the World Test Championship final against these same Australians in June 2025 at Lord's: the first major title for South African cricket after decades of missed opportunities.
Three Tests, and the race for the world title at stake
In the 2025-2027 World Championship cycle, Australia occupies first place and South Africa second, according to CricketTimes: every wicket in this series will therefore weigh heavily in the race for the next final. The Proteas had already won the one-day series 2-1 at the start of the tour.
Two more Tests will follow: October 18, 2026, at St George's Park in Gqeberha, and October 27, 2026, at Newlands in Cape Town. Both teams are dealing with absences: Cameron Green (abdominal strain) and Josh Inglis (fractured finger) are missing for Australia, which must also do without the retired Usman Khawaja; on the South African side, Tony de Zorzi is out for this first Test and the formidable Kagiso Rabada, suffering from a hamstring injury, was not in the eleven fielded in Durban, according to CricketNews.
The second day resumes on October 10, 2026, in Durban, with a clear objective: to wrap up the Australian innings before taking the bat.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
