Show caption: South Africa's Simon Harmer, left, celebrates the dismissal …
Simon Harmer picks up 10-wicket haul and Kagiso Rabada becomes fastest to 350 wickets as Proteas win series 2-1
The National
October 31, 2026
World champions South Africa dethroned Australia as the top-ranked Test team in the world and consolidated their position in the World Test Championship race by completing a 176-run win to clinch their three-match series 2-1 at Newlands on Saturday.
South Africa spinner Simon Harmer took a career-best 6-16 and Kagiso Rabada became the fastest to reach 350 Test wickets to secure the series.
Set a target of 288, the Aussies were bowled out for just 111 as South Africa leapfrogged them to go top of the world Test rankings for the first time since January 2016.
Australia's hopes of chasing down the total extinguished at the start of the day as they lost two wickets in the first over of the final day and slumped to 62-8.
Hopes of victory evaporated in the first half hour as Rabada (3-39) removed the top three batters to take his tally to 350 Test wickets.
He took 13,808 deliveries to reach the milestone, fewer than compatriot Dale Steyn (14,719) and Pakistan’s Waqar Younis (14,905).
Show caption: South Africa's Kagiso Rabada was on fire on day five of the …
Rabada removed opener Matt Renshaw (0), caught by wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton down the leg side, and the struggling Marnus Labuschagne (4) leg before wicket in the first over of the innings.
He then had the dangerous Travis Head caught at gully by Marco Jansen to rock Australia early on.
First-innings centurion Josh Inglis (4) was run out attempting a quick single to compound Australia’s woes, and from there Harmer took the last six wickets.
Off-spinner Harmer exploited the conditions to claim a first 10-wicket haul in Tests with figures of 10-120 in the match.
Captain Pat Cummins (11 from 90 balls) and innings top-scorer Nathan Lyon (33 not out) delayed the inevitable with a ninth-wicket stand that lasted 17.2 overs, but Harmer trapped the former lbw and then bowled Josh Hazlewood to seal the win.
Australia captain Cummins said it was a closely fought series which could have gone either way. Australia had taken a 100-run lead in the first innings before South Africa hit back by scoring 387 in the second innings.
“We're a really good side. We came here thinking we are good enough to win, but we weren't. Overall relatively happy. It comes down to the little moments. You wish you had the little moments – a catch went to hand or things like that. South Africa were better than us in those moments,” Cummins said.
South Africa and Australia are still the favourites to qualify for next year's WTC finals, on 124 and 122 ratings points respectively.
New Zealand (106), India (105) and England (102) are a long way behind them. The top two teams at the end of the cycle qualify for the title match.
Updated:
October 31, 2026, 2:20 PM
Source: The National
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