Mulder breaks Australian resistance as Proteas level series

South Africa levelled the series against Australia by winning the second Test by an innings and 31 runs in Gqeberha on Thursday 22 October. The Proteas wrapped up victory in the final session of the fifth day, after lengthy Australian resistance led by Travis Head and Scott Boland.

The result leaves the two sides level at one win apiece ahead of the third Test, scheduled for 27 to 31 October in Cape Town. It rewards a turnaround built over several days: first with the bat around Temba Bavuma, then with the ball, culminating in Wiaan Mulder's decisive breakthroughs on Thursday.

Head and Boland keep the doubt alive

Rain had wiped out the first session of the final day. South Africa still needed six wickets, while Australia were looking to hold out long enough to save a draw. The visitors had resumed their second innings on 156 for four, still a long way from clearing their deficit.

Head took his score to 121 off 190 balls. Alongside him, Boland, usually found at the very bottom of the batting order, produced a 166-ball stand for 40 runs. The number of balls faced matters as much as the runs here: in Test cricket, eating up time without losing your wicket can stop the opposition from winning before the match is over.

Mulder eventually dismissed Head, then removed Boland and captain Pat Cummins. He finished the innings with three wickets for 64 runs conceded. Kagiso Rabada took four for 77, and Marco Jansen claimed the last. Australia were bowled out for 295, despite Alex Carey's unbeaten 37.

Bavuma's rescue act proves its worth

This win cannot be put down to the final hours alone. In the first innings, South Africa had slumped to 110 for six. Bavuma's 179, backed notably by Jansen's 85, allowed the hosts to declare on 425 for nine.

Australia were then dismissed for just 99, with Jansen taking five wickets for 33 runs conceded. The South Africans enforced the follow-on, making them bat again immediately. Under that rule, the side with a big lead can ask its opponent to bat a second time straight away.

The two Australian totals combined, 99 and 295, still fall short of South Africa's 425. The Proteas therefore won without needing to bat again. Bavuma, named player of the match, and his bowlers have thus restored parity in the series, after Australia's 214-run victory in Durban.