England travel to South Africa for a three-Test series starting in December, with a home Ashes on the horizon next summer, so what can they glean from Australia’s 214-run win in Durban to open their own series in South Africa?
England won’t get benefit of rusty-looking Proteas
It’s nearly a year since the Proteas last played Test cricket – an impressive 2-0 series win in India – while this represented their first home Test since winning the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in June 2025.
They looked short of a gallop, as a result.
There were encouraging contributions from Aiden Markram – in particular his 237-ball, near six-hour stay at the crease in the second innings in South Africa’s ultimately futile attempt to bat out for a draw – and David Bedingham, who did well with a couple of 40s at No 3.
But they weren’t telling enough totals for the longer format, with South Africa guilty of throwing away numerous starts in the first innings – six players scoring at least 30 but failing to kick on – as they surrendered a 106-run deficit.
There were a couple of failures from Ryan Rickelton at the top of the order, while the captain’s contribution will also be questioned as Temba Bavuma managed just four runs total across his two innings.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma failed to impact the series opener in Durban
The question is whether this was a sign of deeper problems for the side or simply the inevitable consequence of a rusty return to Test cricket after their extended absence.
England should have their answer by the time they arrive in South Africa ahead of their first Test in Johannesburg on December 17, as the hosts have two further Tests against Australia, followed by a two-match series against Bangladesh in November to get sufficiently up to speed.
Has Renshaw solved Australia’s middle-order issues?
With his first-innings, career-best 190, Matt Renshaw might just have cemented himself a middle-order spot for Australia for the foreseeable future.
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Highlights from day two of the first Test between South Africa and Australia, as Matt Renshaw hit a career-best 190 for the tourists.
The player of the match – who also chipped in with 82 in the second innings and a couple of wickets with his part-time off-spin – helped rescue Australia from 124-6 on day one when in danger of surrendering control of the contest amid familiar top-order batting failings.
Instead, Australia posted a score of 390 deep into day two and never looked back from there.
If Renshaw has indeed grabbed hold of the No 5 position, at least for the rest of the series, there are still questions to be resolved regarding the makeup of the rest of the batting line-up.
Travis Head, for example, had previously made that position his own before being bumped up to open midway through the Ashes last winter. It was a move that paid dividends at the time, as he hit three hundreds in winning causes at Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. However, he has not passed 22 in his three Test appearances since, including falling foul of a couple of soft dismissals in Durban.
Travis Head has struggled for runs at the top of the order since smashing England to all parts last winter
Renshaw has also opened previously for Australia, so might there be a switch of the two at some point? One to revisit prior to their trip to England next summer, perhaps?
For now though, Renshaw will surely get the benefit of a run in the middle order and Australia have bigger batting issues to resolve before determining how to best use Head.
Questions remain over Labuschagne and top order
Marnus Labuschagne’s wait for a 12th Test ton lives on, stretching back to July 2023.
A hundred in the warm-up match prior to the series promised much, as did his pair of 37s in this Test before failing to convert either into a score of note – let alone a century.
Averaging only 25.29 with the bat in his 24 Tests played since last topping three figures at Old Trafford in the 2023 Ashes, Labuschagne was considered incrediblly fortunate to keep his place in this Australian side but it came as a result of a lack of alternative options staking a claim.
Case and point: Nic Maddinson.
Nic Maddinson registered a 33-ball duck on day one upon his return to the Australia Test team
Maddinson last played Test cricket for Australia in late 2016, averaging 6.75 across his three appearances, with his career since stalled by injury, mental health issues, and then a testicular cancer diagnosis that sidelined him for most of last year.
As a result, the 34-year-old hadn’t played a first-class match since March 2025 before returning to the Test team in Durban after injuries to other batting options Cameron Green and Josh Inglis.
His first-innings 33-ball duck was an inauspicious start to his second coming in international cricket, and though he played with a great deal more freedom in the second innings, with Australia well ahead of the game by that stage – striking six fours and a couple of sixes in his 48 off 38 balls – his place in the team will continue to come under scrutiny.
Especially as Green and Inglis are now set to be back available for the second Test in Gqeberha.
To jettison Maddison after only one game back would be incredibly harsh, but Australia will be eager to get golden-boy Green, in particular, back into the team – and Renshaw has blocked his most obvious route for return at No 5.
Could he come in for Labuschagne at No 3, or Beau Webster at No 7 after he was underused as an all-rounder here? There’s still much to be resolved with the look of this batting line-up.
Hazlewood and co prove they’re still a force
If there was one aspect of Australia’s performance that should concern England, however, it’s the continued quality and depth of their bowling attack.
Josh Hazlewood claimed career-best Test figures of 6-49 as Australia won by 214 runs in Durban
Josh Hazlewood’s career-best Test figures of 6-49 in the second innings completed a dominant performance by the visiting seamers. Skipper Pat Cummins had led the attack first time around, taking 3-54 to help dismiss South Africa for a below-par 284 on a decent batting deck.
The evergreen talents of 38-year-old off-spinner Nathan Lyon add a further dimension, while Australia also boast Scott Boland and Michael Neser in reserve.
Will Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins hang around long enough to play in another Ashes next summer?
That depth will matter over the coming months. Australia’s attack is an ageing group, and the demands of an intense Test schedule – a four-match series at home to New Zealand and five away in India – following the trip to South Africa will test their fitness and durability.
How will they be holding up by the time the Ashes comes around on June 18 with the first Test at Trent Bridge?
For the time being though, any optimistic talk of Australia’s attack being past their best by then looks massively premature.
South Africa team selection a head-scratcher
South Africa’s team selection for the series opener raised some questions, particularly the decision to field two specialist spinners in Durban.
South Africa spin twins Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer struggled to make an impact on the first Test
Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer offered a left and right-arm option, but neither proved particularly potent, with just the four wickets shared between them – including only one in the first innings, to Harmer’s name, allowing Australia to recover from 124-6 to post 390.
The absence of Kagiso Rabada, having failed to recover from a hamstring injury in time for this Test, perhaps forced the selectors’ hand, but it left their attack looking a little lopsided and somewhat patched together.
Wiaan Mulder, for example, should not be operating with the new ball in Test cricket.
The batting all-rounder took two wickets with it on the first morning, and burgled a couple more into day two, but was pretty ineffective otherwise for his 31 overs of hard toil through the Test.
The return of Anrich Nortje was encouraging. After an extended absence from Test cricket, the fast bowler showed glimpses of the pace and aggression that made him a major asset during his first stint in the side from 2019 to 2023.
South Africa missed Kagiso Rabada in Durban and will be hoping to have him back from a hamstring injury in Gqeberha
And assuming Rabada is back fit and available for the second Test in Gqeberha, his return would provide greater balance and potency to South Africa’s attack.
The prospect of Rabada, Nortje and the left-arm option of Marco Jansen steaming in would represent a much sterner challenge for Australia, and England in a couple months’ time.
Watch day one of the second Test between South Africa and Australia, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 8am on Sunday (first ball 9am). Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract on NOW
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
