Harmer's Career-Best 6/16 Bowls Australia Out for 111 as South Africa Win Third Test by 176 Runs
South Africa beat Australia by 176 runs in the third and final Test at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday, October 31. Chasing 288, Australia were bowled out for 111 on the fifth day. Off-spinner Simon Harmer took a career-best 6 for 16. He finished with match figures of 10 for 120 and was named Player of the Match.
Australia needed 288 after South Africa recovered strongly in their second innings. Kagiso Rabada then struck early on the final morning. He removed Matt Renshaw for a duck, Marnus Labuschagne for 4 and Travis Head for 14. Australia were 22 for 3. Josh Inglis was run out for 4, and the tourists were 40 for 4.
Harmer took over from there. He dismissed Alex Carey for 2 and Cooper Connolly for a duck, and then Mitchell Starc, who also failed to score. Australia were 60 for 7 and 62 for 8 after Green was bowled for 27. Pat Cummins held on for 11 off 90 balls before Harmer trapped him lbw at 107 for 9. Harmer then bowled Josh Hazlewood to end the match. Rabada finished with 3 for 39, and he reached 350 Test wickets in the match.
Harmer became the third South African spinner to take 10 wickets in a Test against Australia. The others were Charlie Llewellyn in 1902 and Hugh Tayfield in 1952. He is also the first South African spinner to take a 10-wicket haul at Newlands. It was his first 10-wicket haul in Tests.
The win was set up by a fightback with the bat. South Africa made 329 in their first innings, with Marques Ackerman scoring 95, Aiden Markram 78, Marco Jansen 52 and David Bedingham 50. Starc took 6 for 72. Australia replied with 429, including 102 from Josh Inglis, 80 from Alex Carey, 74 from Matt Renshaw and 65 from Cameron Green. Harmer took 4 for 104 and Jansen took 3 in that innings.
Trailing by 100 runs, South Africa batted again and made 387. Wiaan Mulder scored 115 off 221 balls, with 10 fours and four sixes. Ryan Rickelton hit 101 off 219 balls. Ackerman added 62, Matthew Breetzke 43 and captain Temba Bavuma 35. Starc took three wickets and Cummins took two.
It was only the third time South Africa have won a Test at Cape Town after batting first. The result gave the home side a 2-1 series win and took them to the top of the ICC Test rankings.