Matt Renshaw has likely secured a middle-order place for Australia for the foreseeable future after his career-best 190 in the first innings of the first Test in Durban, which Australia won by 214 runs. England, who open their own series in South Africa in December, can take several lessons from the match.
South Africa’s rusty return
It was nearly a year since the Proteas last played Test cricket, an impressive 2-0 series win in India, and this was their first home Test since losing the World Test Championship final to Australia at Lord’s in June 2025. They looked short of a gallop as a result.
There were encouraging contributions. Aiden Markram spent 237 balls at the crease, close to six hours, in the second innings in a futile attempt to bat out for a draw. David Bedingham passed 40 twice at No 3.
However, South Africa did not convert enough starts into big totals. Six players scored at least 30 in the first innings but failed to go on, and they surrendered a 106-run deficit. Ryan Rickelton made a couple of failures at the top of the order, and captain Temba Bavuma scored just four runs across his two innings, which will invite scrutiny.
The question is whether this reflects deeper problems or simply the inevitable consequence of a rusty return to Test cricket. England should have their answer before they arrive in South Africa for the first Test in Johannesburg on December 17, as the hosts play two more Tests against Australia and a two-match series against Bangladesh in November to get up to speed.
Has Renshaw solved Australia’s middle-order issues?
Renshaw, the player of the match, also scored 82 in the second innings and took a couple of wickets with his part-time off-spin. His innings in the first innings helped rescue Australia from 124-6 on day one, when they were in danger of losing control of the contest amid familiar top-order failings. Australia then 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 line-up. Travis Head made that position his own before being moved up to open midway through the Ashes last winter, a switch that paid off with three hundreds in winning causes at Perth, Adelaide and Sydney. Since then, however, he has not passed 22 in three Test appearances, including two soft dismissals in Durban.
Renshaw has also opened for Australia previously, so a switch between the two could be considered at some point, perhaps before their trip to England next summer. For now, though, Renshaw is sure to get a run in the middle order, and Australia have bigger batting issues to resolve before deciding how best to use Head.
Questions remain over Labuschagne and the top order
Marnus Labuschagne is still waiting for his 12th Test century, a drought stretching back to July 2023. He hit a hundred in the warm-up match before the series, and scored two 37s in this Test without converting either into a score of note. He has averaged only 25.29 in his 24 Tests since his last three-figure score at Old Trafford in the 2023 Ashes. He has been considered fortunate to keep his place, largely because no alternative has staked a convincing claim.
Jake Maddison last played Test cricket for Australia in late 2016, averaging 6.75 across three appearances. His career then stalled through 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.
He made a 33-ball duck in the first innings, an inauspicious start to his second spell in international cricket. He played with far more freedom in the second innings, when Australia were well ahead, striking six fours and two sixes in his 48 off 38 balls. His place will still come under scrutiny, especially as Green and Inglis are set to be available for the second Test in Gqeberha.
Dropping Maddison after one match back would be harsh, but Australia will be keen to return Green to the side. Renshaw has blocked his most obvious route back at No 5. Could Green come in for Labuschagne at No 3, or could Beau Webster return at No 7 after being underused as an all-rounder in Durban? Much remains to be resolved in this batting line-up.
Hazlewood and co prove they remain a force
If one aspect of Australia’s performance should concern England, it is the continued quality and depth of their bowling attack. Josh Hazlewood took career-best Test figures of 6-49 in the second innings, completing a dominant performance by the visiting seamers. Skipper Pat Cummins led the attack in the first innings, taking 3-54 to dismiss South Africa for a below-par 284 on a decent batting pitch.
The evergreen Nathan Lyon, 38, adds another dimension as an off-spinner, while Scott Boland and Michael Neser provide cover in reserve. That depth will matter. Australia’s attack is an ageing group, and their intense schedule, with a four-match home series against New Zealand and a five-match tour of India to follow the trip to South Africa, will test their fitness and durability. Even so, any suggestion that the attack will be past its best by the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge on June 18 looks premature.
South Africa’s selection raises questions
South Africa’s team selection for the series opener raised eyebrows, particularly the decision to field two specialist spinners in Durban. Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer offered left- and right-arm options, but neither was particularly potent. Between them they took just four wickets, and only one of those, to Harmer, came in the first innings, which 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, perhaps forced the selectors’ hand, but it left their attack looking lopsided and 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 picked up a couple more on day two, but was otherwise ineffective across 31 overs of hard toil.
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 and available for the second Test in Gqeberha, his return would add balance and potency. With Rabada, Nortje and left-armer Marco Jansen all firing, South Africa would present a much sterner challenge for Australia, and for England in a couple of months’ time.