Brilliance of Rabada and AB thrusts South Africa back into the series

MATCH CENTRE

Kagiso Rabada completed his fourth 10-wicket haul in only his 28th Test as South Africa levelled the four-match series with Australia after an absorbing Test in Port Elizabeth.

But the 22-year-old fast bowler was left to sweat about his availability for the rest of the series after being reported for his second ICC Code of Conduct breach of the match. The teams now move on to Cape Town for the third Test of another epic encounter between these two pugnacious sides.

South Africa have failed to win any of their seven home Test series against Australia since they were readmitted to the international game in 1992 and Rabada’s presence would seem to be central to their chances of breaking that run.

Australia, who began the fourth day 41 runs ahead on 180/5, were dismissed for 239, setting South Africa 101 to win. It was not entirely plain sailing for South Africa, who lost four wickets including Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers in successive overs.

Rabada had made the vital breakthrough for his side on the third evening when he trapped top-scorer Usman Khawaja lbw for 75. On the fourth morning he added three more wickets to finish with match figures of 11 for 150, which were the second-best by a South African against Australia.

The only South African to have taken more 10-wicket hauls in Tests is Dale Steyn but he has played 86 matches for his total of five. Rabada now has the second-best Test strike rate of all time (38.9) among bowlers who have taken 100 or more wickets. Only the 19th-century England medium-pacer George Lohmann is ahead of him.

He bowled Mitch Marsh through the gate for 45 with the last ball of the first over of the day, eight balls later had Pat Cummins caught in the gully and then had Mitchell Starc caught behind.

Lungi Ngidi had Nathan Lyon caught behind, before last man Josh Hazlewood smashed a run-a-ball 17 as Australia added 28 for the 10th wicket.

South Africa lost Dean Elgar before lunch, caught and bowled by Nathan Lyon for 5, but it could have been worse for them if Mitch Marsh had held on to a slip catch off Hazlewood to dismiss Aiden Markram when he had only 7.

Hazlewood did get Markram in the end, well caught in the slips by Steve Smith for 21, but that only brought to the crease de Villiers, whose first-innings unbeaten 126 was the defining contribution of the Test – even though Rabada won the Player of the Match award. De Villiers was in a mood to finish the match quickly and set about Lyon, hitting him for four and six almost immediately.

He was severe on Hazlewood too and South Africa were within sight of victory at 81/2 when Amla chased a wide one from Cummins and was caught behind for 27. De Villiers went three balls later, neatly pouched at short leg by Cameron Bancroft after prodding a ball from Lyon which bounced more than expected. But there was to be no collapse and Theunis de Bruyn saw South Africa over the line when he crunched Cummins through the covers to complete the six-wicket victory.