SA vs AUS 3rd Test Match Result: South Africa Beat Australia by 176 Runs to Win Series 2-1 at Newlands

South Africa have won the third and deciding Test against Australia by 176 runs at Newlands, Cape Town, sealing a memorable 2-1 series victory in front of their home crowd. Chasing 288 to win the match and the series on the fifth day, Australia were bowled out for just 111 in their second innings, as Kagiso Rabada and Simon Harmer tore through the tourists’ batting on a turning final-day pitch.

The win completes a remarkable comeback in the series for the Proteas. Australia won the first Test in Durban by 214 runs and South Africa hit back in Gqeberha, winning the second Test by an innings and 31 runs. This Newlands decider, like both earlier Tests, produced a result on the fifth day — and it is South Africa who finish on top, also climbing to the top of the ICC Test rankings.

SA vs AUS 3rd Test Match Result Summary

Team	First Innings	Second Innings
South Africa	329 all out	387 all out
Australia	429 all out	111 all out

Result: South Africa won by 176 runs. Series: South Africa win the three-match series 2-1. Venue: Newlands, Cape Town. Dates: October 27-31, 2026. Toss: Australia won the toss and elected to field. Player of the Match was not officially confirmed in the sources available at publication time.

South Africa First Innings: Ackerman and Markram Set the Platform

Put in to bat after Australia won the toss, South Africa were given a flying start by their openers. Aiden Markram scored 78 off 141 balls and Marques Ackerman smashed 95 off 94 deliveries, the pair adding 158 runs for the first wicket. It was an innings that immediately put Australia’s decision to bowl first under pressure.

Mitchell Starc dragged Australia back into the contest with a devastating spell in the final session, finishing with 6 for 72, including four wickets for just two runs at one stage. A 95-run seventh-wicket stand between Ryan Rickelton (42) and Marco Jansen (52) carried South Africa to 329 all out at the close of the first day — a competitive total, but one that left the match finely balanced.

Australia First Innings: Inglis Century Earns a 100-Run Lead

Australia’s reply was built around a superb fifth-wicket partnership. Matt Renshaw scored 74, Travis Head made 41 and Cameron Green contributed 65, but it was Josh Inglis (102) and Alex Carey (80) who took control, their stand reaching 185 runs. Australia ended the second day in a powerful position and were eventually dismissed for 429 shortly after lunch on the third day, taking a 100-run first-innings lead.

South Africa’s fightback with the ball was led by Simon Harmer, who took 4 for 104, removing Inglis, Carey, Head and Marnus Labuschagne, while Marco Jansen finished with 3 for 60. Australia lost their last six wickets for just 59 runs, a collapse that kept the Proteas firmly in the Test despite conceding the lead.

South Africa Second Innings: Rickelton and Mulder Centuries Turn the Test

Trailing by 100 runs, South Africa were in trouble at 140 for 4 at the end of day three, with captain Temba Bavuma (35) dismissed just before the close. Marques Ackerman again stood firm with 62, but the match-defining passage came on day four, when wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton and all-rounder Wiaan Mulder produced magnificent centuries.

Rickelton scored 101 off 219 balls — his third Test century, taking him past 1,000 Test runs — while Mulder made 115 off 221 balls, marshalling the tail superbly before being last man out. Their 154-run partnership lifted South Africa from a precarious position to 387 all out in 134.4 overs, setting Australia a target of 288 runs on the final day. Mitchell Starc was again Australia’s best bowler in the innings with 3 for 65.

Australia Second Innings Collapse: Rabada and Harmer Run Riot on Day Five

Australia began the fifth day needing 288 runs to win, but their chase was over almost before it started. Kagiso Rabada struck twice in the first over, dismissing Matt Renshaw for a first-ball duck, caught behind down the leg side, and then trapping Marnus Labuschagne lbw for 4. When Rabada had Travis Head caught at gully by Marco Jansen for 14, Australia were 22 for 3 — and Head’s wicket was Rabada’s 350th in Test cricket.

Rabada reached 350 Test wickets in just 13,808 deliveries, the fewest balls ever needed for the milestone, ahead of Dale Steyn (14,719) and Pakistan’s Waqar Younis (14,905). It was a landmark moment in a devastating opening spell of 3 for 14.

Off-spinner Simon Harmer then took over on the turning Newlands surface. He dismissed Alex Carey, caught off a reverse sweep, and Cooper Connolly, edged behind, in the space of two balls to leave Australia 42 for 6. Josh Inglis was run out, Mitchell Starc was caught at short leg, and Australia limped to 60 for 7 at lunch. Pat Cummins resisted for 90 balls for 11, but Harmer eventually trapped the Australian captain lbw to finish with career-best figures of 6 for 16 in 21.1 overs, including 14 maidens. Nathan Lyon top-scored in the second innings with 33 off 57 balls as Australia were bowled out for 111 shortly before tea.

Key Turning Points of the Newlands Decider

• Rabada’s first over on day five: Two wickets in the opening over — Renshaw first ball and Labuschagne three balls later — broke Australia’s belief before the chase had begun.
• The Rickelton-Mulder partnership: South Africa were 140 for 4 and trailing when the pair came together; their 154-run stand turned a deficit into a match-winning lead of 287.
• Harmer’s spin on a turning pitch: The off-spinner’s 6 for 16 on day five, backing up his 4 for 104 in the first innings, gave South Africa 10 wickets in the match and decided the series.
• Australia’s first-innings collapse: From a dominant position, the tourists lost their last six first-innings wickets for 59 runs, handing South Africa the opening they needed.
• Starc’s first-day burst: The left-arm quick’s 6 for 72 kept Australia in the game after Ackerman and Markram’s 158-run opening stand, but it was not enough across five days.

What the Result Means for the Series and the WTC Race

South Africa’s 2-1 series win is a significant statement from the defending World Test Championship winners. Having lost the first Test heavily in Durban, they responded with an innings victory in Gqeberha and then this commanding decider at Newlands, winning all three Tests’ decisive moments on the fifth day.

The victory also lifts South Africa above Australia to the top of the ICC Test team rankings, with the Proteas gaining five rating points and Australia dropping to second. In the World Test Championship race, South Africa have closed the gap at the top and underlined why they remain the team to beat in the current cycle, while Australia must regroup after a second-innings collapse that undid much of their good work earlier in the match.

For Australia, the defeat will sting. They led by 100 runs after the first innings and had South Africa 140 for 4 in the second innings, yet still lost by 176 runs. The turning Newlands pitch on day five, combined with Rabada’s pace and Harmer’s control, proved too much for a batting line-up that had no answer once the top order fell in the first hour of the final day.

What’s Next After the South Africa vs Australia Test Series

With the three-match series decided, both teams now turn to their next assignments in a busy international calendar. South Africa will carry huge confidence from this comeback — two wins in a row after losing the opener — and from the form of Rickelton, Mulder, Rabada and Harmer. Australia, meanwhile, will want to quickly address a final-day batting collapse that cost them a series they had led after the first Test.

Our prediction pick for this match was South Africa to win the decider 2-1 — and that pick was RIGHT.

Read our SA vs AUS 3rd Test prediction for how the decider was previewed, and our AUS vs SA 2nd Test result for the innings victory that levelled the series before Newlands.