South Africa v Australia first Test: Day two takeaways

In the second day of the second Test match between South Africa and Australia at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban, Australia staged a remarkable comeback. Following their first innings total of 390 all out, the home team managed to reach 27/1 by the close of play, falling 363 runs behind with nine wickets remaining. Matt Renshaw, in particular, shone, scoring a career-best 190 off 397 balls after more than eight hours on the field.

This innings, coupled with contributions from Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, formed the highest ninth-wicket partnership in a Test match for Australia, totaling 134 runs.

Simon Harmer's dismissal of Renshaw did not dampen the spirits of the Australian bowlers, as Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen continued to trouble the Proteas. Mulder's 4/68 and Jansen's 3/68 significantly contributed to breaking crucial partnerships. Despite the lively bowling displays, the stadium's attendance was notably low, with Durban residents preferring to spend their time at the beach during the warm weather.

While the stadium's capacity is 25,000, only around 15,500 out of 50,000 tickets for the first two days had been sold, indicating a relatively sparse crowd.