South Africa beat Australia to win Test series 2-1 and take No 1 ranking

South Africa beat Australia in the third Test at Newlands, Cape Town, to win the three-match series 2-1. The result means South Africa replace Australia as the No 1 side in the Test rankings.

Australia were set 288 to win. They were bowled out for 111 on the final day. Off-spinner Simon Harmer took 6 wickets for 16 runs. It was Australia's second heavy defeat in a row, after the second Test.

Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bowl first. That gave Harmer the last use of the pitch.

How the chase collapsed

According to Al Jazeera, South Africa won by 176 runs. Al Jazeera reported that 6-16 was Harmer's best innings return, and that his match figures of 10-120 were also a career best. The Guardian reported that he bowled 21.1 overs.

According to the Guardian, Australia lost two wickets in the first over of the day, four in the first hour and seven by lunch. At one stage they were 42 for 6. Nathan Lyon top-scored with 33 not out. Extras, at 16, were the third-highest contribution.

The Guardian reported that Marnus Labuschagne was given out lbw to Kagiso Rabada after leaving a ball; a review returned umpire's call. Travis Head was caught by Marco Jansen in the gully off Rabada. Josh Inglis was run out for 4 after a call by Cameron Green. Green was bowled by Harmer for 27 off 110 balls. Cummins made 11 from 90 balls.

Rabada took 3 for 39 and reached 350 Test wickets, the Guardian reported. It said he got there faster than any other bowler by almost a thousand deliveries.

On the second Test, Al Jazeera reported that Australia lost by an innings and 31 runs. The Guardian reported they were bowled out for 99 at Gqeberha. According to Al Jazeera, a captain had chosen to bowl first in a Test at Newlands only 11 times since 1889 before this match.

What each side says

Al Jazeera quoted Cummins, speaking to reporters, as saying: "We lost two games in a row. I think it’s fair to be asking questions and we’ll be asking them internally as well." He added: "Maybe that’s a change of style, maybe it’s a change of personnel in some instances. We’ll work it out."

On the toss, he said: "we thought we could get 10 wickets on day one and that would put us right ahead of the game." On the chase: "There were a few really poor decisions. I know it’s a day-five wicket, but I don’t think it was drastic."

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include comments from South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma, from Harmer, or from other South African players or staff.

What the reports do not include

The reports do not give the result of the first Test, full scores for the other innings, or an official source for the rankings change. They do not describe any announced Australian selection changes. According to Al Jazeera, Australia next host New Zealand; the reports do not give dates.

Analysis

The result confirms South Africa, described by the Guardian as reigning world Test champions, as the top-ranked side. For Australia, two heavy defeats have prompted their captain to raise openly the possibility of changes in style or personnel. Whether that leads to selection changes before the home series against New Zealand is not addressed in the reports. The decision to bowl first may draw scrutiny, though Cummins defended the reasoning and placed more weight on batting decisions. Supporters of either view could point to the same scorecard; the reports offer no basis to judge which factor mattered most.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.