Cummins concerns and weaknesses to target - takeaways from SA-Australia

The final day of Australia's series against South Africa against South Africa highlighted the challenges facing both teams for upcoming matches, particularly England's Tour of South Africa in winter. South Africa's impressive victory on the final day reaffirms their status as the world's best side, while Australia's captain Pat Cummins acknowledged their continued strength despite a difficult series.

Australia's bowling attack suffered a significant blow with one-third of the iconic pace trio, including star players Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, unable to take any wickets in the second innings of the first Test. Cummins, who has only managed a better bowling average than 53.66 in one instance in his past 20 series, faced questions regarding his captaincy abilities and tactical decisions, such as bowling first in Cape Town.

South Africa's success in the third Test against England suggests they may need a new frontline spinner, with Simon Harmer leading the charge. Harmer's exceptional performance, taking 10-120 and benefiting from improved turn, indicates a potential path forward for England in addressing their longstanding spin issues.

While South Africa's batting order has shown strength, their batting record against short balls has been a persistent weakness. Captain Temba Bavuma's batting average against off-spin has dropped since the start of 2025, underlining the challenge of countering this trend. Matt Renshaw's performances for Australia, combined with the lack of experience at number three, highlights the need for England to address their lower-order batting issues before facing Renshaw in the upcoming Ashes series.