South Africa went from having Australia on the ropes to watching the visitors take control of the opening Test in Durban.
Australia recovered from 124-6 on the opening day to post 390, with Renshaw producing a remarkable innings to frustrate the Proteas attack.
South Africa then lost Ryan Rickelton early in their reply before reaching 27-1 at stumps, still trailing by 363 runs.
Here are five takeaways from day two at Kingsmead.
1. Renshaw shows the value of patience
Matt Renshaw provided a reminder of what patience can achieve in Test cricket.
The left-hander struck a career-best 190 off 397 deliveries, including 21 fours and a six, to register his first Test century in almost a decade.
His previous hundred came against Pakistan in Sydney in January 2017, when he scored 184.
Renshaw’s innings was very disciplined. He was happy to leave deliveries outside off stump, defend against the quicks and use the sweep and reverse sweep to keep the spinners from settling.
He also broke several records, including the highest individual Test score by a No 5 batter at Kingsmead.
Perhaps most impressive was his ability to control the innings while batting with Australia’s lower order.
Even with eight wickets down, Renshaw rarely looked rushed and continued to find ways to score.
His approach offered South Africa a valuable lesson ahead of their own batting innings.
Highlights: South Africa vs Australia
2. Proteas struggle to finish the job
South Africa will look back at Australia’s recovery as a major missed opportunity.
Having reduced the visitors to 124-6 on Friday, the Proteas were well placed to dismiss them for a manageable first-innings total.
Wiaan Mulder gave them further encouragement on Saturday, removing Pat Cummins for 43 before bowling Mitchell Starc for six to leave Australia on 230-8.
But what followed was a frustrating period for the home side.
Renshaw and Nathan Lyon added 134 runs for the ninth wicket, setting a new Australian record for that wicket against South Africa and a new Kingsmead record.
Lyon contributed just 27 off 92 deliveries but occupied the crease for 190 minutes, allowing Renshaw to continue scoring.
South Africa struggled to prevent Renshaw from controlling the strike, with the Australian repeatedly turning down singles early in an over before taking one towards the end.
Australia eventually added another 160 runs after losing their eighth wicket, transforming what should have been a difficult position into an imposing first-innings total.
3. Mulder delivers, but spinners struggle
Wiaan Mulder was South Africa’s most successful bowler, finishing with 4-68 from 27 overs.
The all-rounder struck twice on Saturday morning, removing Cummins and Starc to give the Proteas an opportunity to take control of the contest.
His fuller length proved effective when the short-ball approach from the other quicks failed to produce the desired results.
Marco Jansen finished with 3-68, while Anrich Nortje claimed 2-88 on his return to Test cricket after more than three years.
However, South Africa received little assistance from their specialist spinners.
The decision to field both Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer was one of the major talking points heading into the first Test, but the combination managed just one wicket between them.
The pair bowled a combined 48 overs, with Harmer eventually dismissing Renshaw for 190 shortly after tea.
Perhaps more concerning was their inability to establish pressure. Despite their lengthy spells, Maharaj and Harmer managed just one maiden between them.
Renshaw was particularly comfortable against the pair, using his sweep shots and footwork to disrupt their lengths.
The Kingsmead surface offered little assistance to spin, but South Africa will still be disappointed with the return from their two specialist spinners.
Whether the selection pays off later in the Test remains to be seen.
READ: Renshaw overcomes doubts to end nine-year century wait
4. Rickelton’s dismissal offers a warning
If South Africa are to find a way back into this Test, their batters will have to show considerably more patience than Ryan Rickelton did.
After watching Renshaw demonstrate the importance of leaving the ball outside off stump, Rickelton departed attempting an expansive drive in just the second over of South Africa’s reply.
The left-hander went after a delivery from Josh Hazlewood outside off stump, only to edge it to Beau Webster at third slip for a three-ball duck.
It was an unnecessary shot so early in the innings, particularly with South Africa facing such a substantial first-innings deficit.
Renshaw had spent nearly eight hours at the crease, carefully selecting which deliveries to attack and which to leave alone.
Rickelton’s dismissal was a reminder of how quickly a batter can undo that work by chasing a delivery they could have left.
If the remaining Proteas batters continue playing loose shots outside off stump, Australia could make short work of their batting line-up.
Aiden Markram and David Bedingham prevented further damage, reaching 15 and 12 respectively before bad light brought another premature end to proceedings.
South Africa remain 363 runs behind, but with nine wickets in hand, there is still an opportunity to respond.
The key will be spending time at the crease, resisting the temptation to chase Australia’s total too quickly and showing the same discipline that carried Renshaw to 190.
5. Where are the Durban supporters?
For a series between the reigning World Test Championship winners and Australia, the number of empty seats at Kingsmead has been difficult to ignore.
The opening two days have been played in front of relatively small crowds, despite the significance of the contest and Australia’s first Test tour of South Africa since 2018.
Ahead of the match, just over 15,500 tickets had reportedly been sold for the opening two days combined, out of 50,000 available places.
While Friday’s attendance could partly be explained by it being a working and school day, Saturday’s turnout was also disappointing.
It raises questions about why one of Test cricket’s biggest rivalries has struggled to attract spectators in Durban.
The Proteas are playing their first home Test series as world champions, while Australia remain one of their fiercest rivals.
Yet the opening two days have not attracted the crowds such an occasion might have been expected to draw.
With three days remaining, the hope will be that more supporters make their way to Kingsmead, particularly if South Africa can find a way back into the contest.
Source: www.sacricketmag.com
