Marnus Labuschagne lasted five balls at Newlands. He was caught at slip by Aiden Markram off Simon Harmer for a duck. That made it 48 Test innings without a century, the longest drought on record for an Australian top-four batter. Australia’s other batters made up for it. Matt Renshaw, Cameron Green and Josh Inglis all passed 50, and at stumps on day two the tourists were 330-4, one run ahead of South Africa’s first-innings 329 in the third and deciding Test.
The series stands at 1-1. Australia won the first Test in Durban by 214 runs. South Africa hit back in Gqeberha with a win by an innings and 31 runs. That leaves the second half of this match in Cape Town to settle the series.
Harmer’s double strike exposes old wounds
Australia started the day well. Renshaw and Travis Head put on 58 for the first wicket before Harmer changed the innings in one over. Head went back to a delivery from the off-spinner and dragged it onto his stumps for 41. A few balls later Labuschagne also played off the back foot, edged to slip and walked off without scoring. Australia had gone from 58 without loss to 58-2.
Labuschagne’s numbers are stark for a player who was once ranked the world’s best Test batter. His last Test hundred came at Old Trafford in July 2023. In the 48 innings since, he has averaged 24.77. Before this series he had gone 14 innings without even a half-century, and his second-innings shot selection in Gqeberha drew heavy criticism.
Former players have been blunt. Ricky Ponting has called for him to be dropped. Jason Gillespie suggested the record was unlikely ever to be broken because no other player would be given so long to find form, and said Australia should look at other options. Simon Katich put the slump down to nerves and the strain of playing under constant pressure from selectors.
The duck does not change the case against him so much as make it stronger. Australia’s selectors have backed Labuschagne through three years of decline, and now they have to decide whether that patience still makes sense.
Renshaw, Green and Inglis show the way forward
Australia’s recovery came from the players who could take Labuschagne’s place in the side’s long-term plans. Renshaw was promoted to open after Nic Maddinson was dropped following a poor run in the first two Tests. It was his first time opening in a Test since 2018, which was also against South Africa, in Johannesburg. He made 74, following his career-best 190 in Durban. He has been one of the main successes of Australia’s tour.
Renshaw and Green added 32 in nine overs before lunch to steady the innings at 90-2. Green went on to make 65 and looked comfortable against both Harmer’s spin and South Africa’s seamers. He has spent much of his Test career moving around the order, and this innings at number four will strengthen his claim to a fixed role.
Inglis’s innings was the most notable of the day. He had not played red-ball cricket since March, and a broken finger had limited his preparation. Even so, he finished unbeaten on 85 and shared an unbroken stand of 145 for the fifth wicket with Alex Carey. Inglis has been seen mainly as a white-ball specialist and Test back-up wicketkeeper, but he made a strong case to be part of Australia’s Test top six.
What it means for the decider and beyond
With six wickets in hand and a lead of one run, Australia can build a substantial advantage on day three. Newlands traditionally helps spin as a Test goes on, so any lead above 100 would put real pressure on South Africa’s batters in the fourth innings, with Harmer potentially troubling Australia again later in the match.
The wider picture is about who will make up Australia’s batting order over the next few years. This tour has shown that alternatives exist:
- Matt Renshaw: 190 in Durban and 74 here, and he has made the most of his chance as an opener.
- Cameron Green: a confident half-century at number four.
- Josh Inglis: unbeaten on 85 with almost no first-class preparation.
Labuschagne is likely to get one more innings in this match, if Australia need to bat again. Even a big score in the second innings would not make up for three years of returns this poor. Australian selectors have historically been willing to stick with established players for a long time. Labuschagne now holds the record for the longest century drought by an Australian top-four batter, and the batters who stood up at Newlands make that patience harder to justify.
For now, Australia’s priority is turning a one-run lead into a series win. If they do, it will owe much more to Renshaw, Green and Inglis than to Labuschagne.
—
I fact-checked the brief, and it matches real coverage of the third Test at Newlands. The article is about 790 words.
– **No quotes:** I couldn’t find the exact words used by Gillespie, Katich or Ponting, so the article paraphrases them.
– **Carey’s score left out:** No source gave Carey’s individual score, so the article only mentions his 145-run stand with Inglis.
– **Rankings claim left out:** One report says the winner of this Test takes the top Test ranking. I couldn’t confirm it anywhere else, so it’s not in the article.
– **Search gaps:** A search for the day-two details turned up nothing new, so the stumps score rests on the BBC-derived report and the Yahoo lunch report.
Sources:
– [Yahoo Sports: No 50 in last three years](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/no-50-last-three-years-171700107.html)
– [UA.News (citing BBC Sport): Labuschagne sets Australian record of 48 innings without Test century](https://ua.news/en/sport/labushan-vstanoviv-antirekord-avstraliyi-za-48-iningiv-bez-testovogo-stolittia-bbc-sport)
– [The National (SA): Under-fire Labuschagne faces Newlands axe](https://thenational.co.za/sport/2026-10-26-south-africa-v-australia-under-fire-marnus-labuschagne-faces-newlands-axe/)
– [Sky Sports: Third Test series-decider preview](https://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/13603987/south-africa-meet-australia-in-third-test-series-decider-at-cape-town-with-careers-on-the-line-for-tourists)
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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