Having been reduced to 110-6 in their first innings, the Proteas recovered to 425-9 declared before dismissing Australia for 99 and 295.

Here are five talking points from the victory at St George’s Park.

Bavuma leads from the front

Temba Bavuma delivered one of the finest innings of his Test career, scoring 179 off 334 balls to rescue South Africa from a difficult position.

The Proteas captain occupied the crease for more than nine hours, sharing substantial partnerships with Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer. His career-best knock transformed the contest and gave South Africa the platform for an unlikely victory.

Jansen shows his all-round value

Marco Jansen made telling contributions with bat and ball, further strengthening his reputation as one of the game’s leading all-rounders.

The left-hander struck 85 off 100 balls to help South Africa recover before claiming 5-33 as Australia collapsed for 99 in their first innings. He fittingly took the final wicket of the match to complete a memorable individual performance.

Harmer makes his opportunity count

Simon Harmer justified his selection with a career-best 82, sharing a South African record eighth-wicket partnership of 183 with Bavuma.

Selected ahead of Keshav Maharaj, the off-spinner also contributed two wickets in Australia’s second innings, removing Marnus Labuschagne and Beau Webster. His performance demonstrated the depth available to the Proteas.

Rabada and Mulder deliver under pressure

Kagiso Rabada marked his return to the Test side with another influential performance, taking 4-77 in Australia’s second innings.

Wiaan Mulder provided crucial support with 3-64, dismissing centurion Travis Head, Scott Boland and captain Pat Cummins. Their contributions proved decisive as Australia threatened to escape with a draw after rain washed out the final morning session.

Top-order concerns remain

Despite the emphatic result, South Africa’s batting problems have not disappeared. The Proteas were reduced to 40-4 and then 110-6 before their lower order rescued the innings.

Bavuma, Jansen and Harmer contributed 346 of South Africa’s 425 runs, highlighting how heavily the hosts relied on three players.

With the series decider beginning at Newlands on Tuesday, 27 October, South Africa will want a more substantial contribution from their specialist batters.

Photo: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images