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South Africa vs Australia 2nd Test Preview & Tips - Australia tipped for another Test win over South Africa

By Ben Darvill

58 minutes ago

Ben Darvill 58 minutes ago

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Australia lead the three-match series 1-0 after one game
Aiden Markram scored 37 and 75 for South Africa in the first Test
Preview, stats & head to head

Australia's Matt Renshaw (Getty Images)

South Africa vs Australia 2nd Test Preview & Tips
Head To Head
South Africa Form
Australia Form

South Africa vs Australia 2nd Test Preview & Tips

South Africa were unable to make the most out of restricting Australia to 124/6 in their first innings as they saw the touring side battle back to claim a 214-run win.

Australia impressed with the ball in the first Test as they bowled South Africa out for 284 and 206.

Aiden Markram is averaging 56.00 in Tests in 2026
Australia have won their last two Tests against South Africa

Head To Head

Across their last 10 Test match meetings, Australia have won five times while South Africa have won five games.

South Africa Form

South Africa were not good enough in the first Test as they failed to take advantage of being well on top in Australia's first innings before being twice being bowled out for short of 300 runs.

Wiaan Mulder (4/68) was the pick of the bowlers in the first innings, but even he could not remove Matt Renshaw (190) before he had steadied the ship and led Australia to 390. In reply, there were a lot of starts for South Africa's batters as only two of their 11 failed to make it into double-figures. However, a top score of 49 from David Bedingham shows no home batter could match Renshaw's heroics.

Matt Renshaw starred again in the second innings with 82 from 99 as Australia set South Africa an improbable 421 to win. They fell 214 runs short of their target as they were bowled out for a measly 206.

The two sides are a lot closer than the 214-run deficit suggests. However, South Africa could not put their best foot forward in a match in which the Aussies really fought back.

The second Test provides another chance to impress, but they will need to give some support to Aiden Markram. Markram scored 37 and 75 in the first Test and I back him to go well again, but if the home side are unable to deal with Australia's bowling attack, then they will lose again.

Australia Form

Australia's ability to rally and soak up pressure was on full show in the first Test as Renshaw's stunning 190 saw them go from potentially posting a score of well below 200 to posting an impressive 390.

In a Test in which the conditions gave the bowlers more than enough to work with, Australia were able to come out on top. Of particular interest in the second test will be the form of their top four batters. Nic Maddison (zero and 48), Travis Head (nine and 11), Marnus Labuschagne (37 and 37) and Steve Smith (25 and 27) hardly lit the game alight, with the four unable to post big scores.

Head and Smith are two that most expect to come good, but Maddison and Labuschagne need a good score as they try to prove they are worth their place in the team. Matt Renshaw (190 and 82) was excellent in the first Test, but players often struggle for consistency in the Test match format due to the physical and mental toll playing a big innings in the longest format can have. I do not expect him to repeat his big scoring in the second Test.

I predict that Australia will win the second Test as they continue to show they are one of the best teams in the men's game. They have the players to beat anyone, and consecutive wins over the Proteas will underline this.

Verdict

South Africa v Australia 2nd Test

While I back Aiden Markram to score runs in South Africa's first innings, I am not backing him to end on the winning side as Australia surge into a 2-0 lead.

Markram 50+ Runs

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