CricketSouth Africa

Harmer’s 6 for 16 completes a Proteas comeback to beat Australia 2-1

From a first-Test defeat to No 1 in the world, settled on a dramatic last day at Newlands.

By SitesNG Sports Desk · 31 October 2026 · 2 min read

Simon Harmer in a green South Africa cap and sunglasses at Newlands — Simon Harmer during the third Test against Australia at Newlands, 28 October 2026. Photo: EGilham, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

South Africa have completed a remarkable comeback. The Proteas beat Australia by 176 runs in the third Test at Newlands, Cape Town, on Saturday 31 October 2026 to win the series 2-1, after losing the first Test. The result lifted them to No 1 in the Test rankings.

Australia led by 100 on first innings after a century from Josh Inglis. South Africa replied with second-innings hundreds from Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder (115), and Kagiso Rabada led a tail-end fightback from 351 for 9 to set Australia 288.

Harmer’s day

Australia were 42 for 6 and 60 for 7 at lunch on the final day, and were bowled out for 111. Off-spinner Simon Harmer took a career-best 6 for 16, and Rabada removed the top three and reached 350 Test wickets when he dismissed Travis Head.

All three Tests went to a fifth day. Read about the game in Nigeria on our cricket pages.

Reporting by the SitesNG Sports Desk, based on reports from EWN, Gulf News, Outlook India. Published 31 October 2026 in the African Sports News weekly edition of 10 November 2026.