After Bavuma's 179 and Jansen's Five-for, South Africa Finish the Job: Australia Crushed by an Innings and 31 Runs

GQEBERHA, South Africa — Three days after Temba Bavuma's 179 rescued South Africa from 110-6, and one day after Marco Jansen's 5-33 ripped Australia out for 99, the Proteas finished the job in style. Bowling Australia out for 295 in the final session of the fifth day, South Africa won the second Test at St George's Park by an innings and 31 runs on Thursday to level the three-match series 1-1 and set up a decider at Newlands in Cape Town starting Tuesday.

It was a comeback nobody saw coming. Most of the first two days had been washed out by rain, and when the sun finally came out on the morning of the third day, South Africa — sent in to bat — were reeling at 110 for 6 as Australia looked to build on their 214-run victory in the Durban series opener.

Instead, Bavuma produced the defining innings of his career. The South Africa captain made a monumental 179 off 334 balls — 18 fours and a six — in match-changing partnerships with Marco Jansen (85 off 100 balls, nine fours and three sixes) and Simon Harmer (82 off 157), the Bavuma-Harmer stand worth a record 183 for the eighth wicket. South Africa declared on 425 for 9, and the Test had turned on its head.

What followed was carnage. Jansen, the tall left-armer, exploited steep bounce and sharp seam movement to spearhead a stunning collapse: Australia were skittled for 99, Bavuma enforced the follow-on, and on Wednesday the tourists lost 13 wickets across the two innings combined — remarkable for a single day of a rain-wrecked Test.

The injury to Anrich Nortje made the achievement even more extraordinary. The express quick left the field with a suspected groin injury three balls into his fourth over of Australia's first innings and did not bowl again for the rest of the match, leaving Kagiso Rabada, Wiaan Mulder, Jansen and Harmer to shoulder the entire load.

Day five demanded 81 overs of resistance from Australia, but rain wiped out the entire morning session before play began with the tourists on 156 for 4. Overnight centurion Travis Head, 87 at the restart, completed his 13th Test century — only his second outside Australia — before his natural aggression undid him: on 121, he chopped a rising Mulder delivery onto his own stumps.

Head's dismissal, after 190 balls, broke Australia's spine. Steve Smith, battling a kinked neck picked up in the first innings and pushed down to No. 7, lasted 20 balls for his 3 before mis-hitting Rabada to midwicket, where Matthew Breetzke juggled the catch and held it at the second attempt. Mulder tested Smith's neck with a first-ball bouncer — the moment summed up a ruthless home attack.

Nightwatchman Scott Boland provided immense frustration, batting 166 balls for a career-high Test 40 before Mulder breached his defence through the gate soon after tea. Captain Pat Cummins fell for 4 in Mulder's next over, Rabada bowled Mitchell Starc for 11 with an inside edge, and fittingly Jansen ended it — Josh Hazlewood nicking behind to the slips first ball. Alex Carey was left unbeaten on 37.

Rabada, playing his first Test after a lengthy injury layoff, took 4 for 77; Mulder, wicketless and expensive the previous day, took 3 for 64 on the final day; Harmer added 2 for 93 to go with his 82; and Jansen finished with six wickets in the match. South Africa, Bavuma admitted, had been "scrambling a bit, not sure about the weather," before the final six wickets fell.

The result shakes up the World Test Championship table. Australia stay top but their points percentage dropped from 81.82 to 75.00; New Zealand sit second on 72.22; and South Africa's innings win lifted them from 60.00 to 66.67 PCT and third place — just 8.33 points off the leaders, a far tighter race at the summit than it was a week ago.

Cummins was blunt: "I thought we showed some good fight but it wasn't quite enough. We were a long way from our best." The Australia captain now faces hard selection calls ahead of Cape Town, where the series, and potentially the WTC final race, goes on the line.

Bavuma, named player of the match, said his side won by playing "good old Test cricket" — wear the opposition down, then take them down when the moment comes. But he was in no mood to celebrate too long. "There's still a job at hand with another match still to go," he said. The decider starts Tuesday at Newlands.