South Africa were 20-2 at stumps on a rain-hit first day of the second Test against Australia at St George's Park, Gqeberha, on 18 October 2026. Only 12.2 overs were possible, and Scott Boland claimed two wickets in two balls to leave the hosts in early trouble.
Australia won the toss and chose to field. Play began about two hours later than scheduled because of the weather. Rain then forced an early lunch after just 5.3 overs, and a second downpour led to play being abandoned at 4.15pm local time.
Boland made the breakthroughs in the ninth over. He bowled Aiden Markram for 11 off an inside edge, then had David Bedingham caught off a nick with his next delivery, so that Bedingham departed for 0. Boland finished with figures of 2-5 from 3.2 overs.
Boland was on a hat-trick after Bedingham's dismissal. Temba Bavuma then got an inside edge into his pads, which brought only muted appeals from the Australians. Marques Ackerman was 5 not out off 32 balls at stumps, with the other batter's score not given.
Ackerman had never opened the batting before in his first-class career. He got off the mark after 14 balls on 0, with a thick edge that went past gully. South Africa made three changes, bringing in batters Ackerman and Matthew Breetzke and the fit‑again paceman Kagiso Rabada.
Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Verreynne and Tristan Stubbs were left out. Rabada returned after his first outing since the IPL in May. Bavuma, by contrast, had a poor Test with the bat in Durban.
Australia made one change from the first Test, with Boland replacing off‑spinner Nathan Lyon as they went in with a four‑man pace attack. Lyon missed a red‑ball Test in which he was fit to play for the first time since 2013. Australia lead the three‑match series 1-0 after a 214‑run win in Durban, where South Africa were bowled out for 206 on the final day and Josh Hazlewood took a career‑best 6-49. The matches form part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27. The second Test runs until 22 October, and the third is in Cape Town from 27 to 31 October.
