Australia beat South Africa by 214 runs in the first Test in Durban, and the result leaves England with plenty to study before their own series in South Africa, which begins in December ahead of next summer’s home Ashes.
South Africa look short of a gallop
It had been nearly a year since the Proteas last played Test cricket, when they won 2-0 in India. Their Durban match was their first home Test since they lost the World Test Championship final to Australia at Lord’s in June 2025, and they looked short of match practice.
There were encouraging signs. Aiden Markram spent close to six hours at the crease in the second innings, facing 237 balls in a futile attempt to bat out for a draw. David Bedingham made a couple of 40s at No 3.
However, the batting did not convert starts into big totals. South Africa threw away numerous opportunities in the first innings, with six players scoring at least 30 without going on, and they surrendered 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.
The key question is whether these failings point to deeper problems or simply reflect a rusty return to Test cricket. England should have their answer before they arrive in South Africa for their first Test in Johannesburg on December 17. The hosts play two more Tests against Australia, followed by a two-match series against Bangladesh in November, to get up to speed.
Renshaw makes a strong case for the middle order
Matt Renshaw may have secured a middle-order place for the foreseeable future. His career-best 190 in the first innings earned him player of the match honors. 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 were in danger of losing control of the contest amid familiar top-order struggles. Australia posted 390 deep into day two and never looked back.
If Renshaw has taken hold of the No 5 position, at least for the rest of the series, several questions remain about the rest of the batting order. Travis Head made that spot his own before being moved up to open midway through last winter’s Ashes. The switch paid off at the time, as he scored three hundreds in winning causes at Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. Since then, though, he has not passed 22 in three Test innings, including two soft dismissals in Durban.
Renshaw has opened for Australia before, so a swap between the two could be an option to revisit before their tour of England next summer. For now, Renshaw should get a run in the middle order, and Australia have bigger batting issues to resolve before deciding how to use Head.
Labuschagne and the top order remain under scrutiny
Marnus Labuschagne is still waiting for his 12th Test century, a drought that dates back to July 2023. He scored a hundred in the warm-up match before the series, and he made two scores of 37 in Durban without converting either into a significant innings. He averages only 25.29 across 24 Tests since his last hundred, at Old Trafford in the 2023 Ashes. Few considered him secure in the side, and he has kept his place largely because Australia lack alternatives pressing for a spot.
Sean Maddison last played Test cricket for Australia in late 2016, averaging 6.75 across three appearances. His career stalled because of injury, mental health issues and a testicular cancer diagnosis that sidelined him for most of last year. The 34-year-old had not played a first-class match since March 2025 before returning to the Test team in Durban, after injuries to Cameron Green and Josh Inglis.
His first-innings duck came off 33 balls. He played with more freedom in the second innings, when Australia were well ahead, and struck six fours and two sixes in his 48 off 38 balls. His place will still come under scrutiny, especially because Green and Inglis are both set to be available for the second Test in Gqeberha.
Dropping Maddison after one game back would be harsh. However, Australia will be eager to bring back Green, and Renshaw has blocked his most obvious route back in at No 5. Labuschagne could move to No 3, or Beau Webster could be pushed to No 7 after being underused as an all-rounder in Durban. The batting line-up still has much to resolve.
Hazlewood and company remain a major force
If one aspect of Australia’s performance should concern England, it is the quality and depth of the 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, taking 3-54 to help dismiss South Africa for 284 on a decent batting pitch.
The veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon, 38, adds another dimension, and Australia also have Scott Boland and Michael Neser in reserve.
That depth will matter over the coming months. Australia’s attack is an ageing group, and their schedule is demanding: a four-match home series against New Zealand and a five-Test tour of India follow the trip to South Africa. Those commitments will test their fitness and durability before the Ashes begins with the first Test at Trent Bridge on June 18.
For now, any suggestion that Australia’s attack will be past its best by then looks premature.
South Africa’s team selection raises questions
South Africa’s selection for the opening Test 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 potent. Between them they took just four wickets, and only one of those came in the first innings, to Harmer. That allowed Australia to recover from 124-6 to post 390.
The absence of Kagiso Rabada, who did not recover from a hamstring injury in time for the match, may have forced the selectors’ hand. Still, 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 picked up a couple more on day two, but he was largely ineffective across his 31 overs.
The return of Anrich Nortje was encouraging. After an extended absence, 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 for the second Test in Gqeberha, his return would add balance and punch to the attack. A combination of Rabada, Nortje and left-arm seamer Marco Jansen would pose a much sterner challenge for Australia, and for England in a few months’ time.