Australia tighten grip on first Test after Smith head knock

A head knock to Steve Smith has soured a strong day for Australia as the visitors close in on victory in the first Test against South Africa.

After being hit in the head during his innings of 27, he didn't take the field after the tea break.

Matthew Renshaw was the standout batter again, top-scoring with 82 as the Proteas were set a mammoth 421.

It was then a one-sided final session as Australia took four wickets, aided by the absence of the Durban evening fog that had plagued the opening days, allowing play to continue an hour longer than had been previously possible. 

But the tourists will be sweating on the fitness of Smith.

On the fourth ball of his innings, Smith was hit in the head by an Anrich Nortje bouncer after trying to take evasion action. He was cleared to continue his innings but watched the final three hours from the Australian viewing room.

He will continue to be assessed over the next 24 hours as a precaution. 

As Beau Webster filled Smith's sizeable void at second slip, it was business as usual for the Aussies with the ball. Josh Hazlewood was at his metronomic best with two scalps, Pat Cummins took one and Renshaw continued his stellar match with the wicket of Temba Bavuma. 

Hazlewood showed an uncharacteristic amount of emotion when he trapped David Bedingham (46) dead in front after another positive start from the SA No.3. That was Hazlewood's second wicket, after claiming Ryan Rickelton (2) for the second time, and triggered a collapse of 3-13 as the hosts stumbled towards stumps. 

The decision to bring the hot-handed Renshaw into the attack proved a smart one, with the Queenslander picking up his maiden Test wicket with a ball that gripped and bounced and had Bavuma caught at short leg. A loose shot from Stubbs (1) sealed his fate and put the full stop on another torrid day for SA. 

The Proteas had been set a target of more than 400 after some lusty hitting from Cummins elevated the equation into world-record territory.

Highest successful run chases in men's Tests

 

418 - West Indies def Australia by three wickets, 2003

 

414 - South Africa def Australia by six wickets, 2008

 

404 - Australia def England by seven wickets, 1948

 

403 - India def West Indies by six wickets, 1976

The Aussies batted long into the middle session, eventually declaring 30 minutes before the scheduled tea break, prompting the umpires to call for an early interval.

The sparse crowd came to life when Cummins began heaving sixes off Simon Harmer – the Australian captain launched four sixes in his 12-ball innings as the lead grew past 400. The Aussies cleared the rope nine times, taking the match total of sixes to 16, a new venue record.

While the official crowd figures for the first three days all ranged between 8,500 and 10,000, the attendance for day four felt more like a Sheffield Shield fixture than Test match. Unrest and riots in the city centre, broader economic issues and the fact it was a Monday were all factors in the dwindling attendance.  

Following his 190 in the first innings, Renshaw was again in complete control, especially against SA's spinners Harmer and Keshav Maharaj. His ability to reverse sweep both in front and behind point forced Bavuma to regularly change field placement and plans. The Queenslander's 272 runs for the match was the most by an Australian in an away Test since Steve Smith during his dominant 2019 Ashes campaign (293 in Manchester and 286 in Birmingham). 

It was the fastest 300+ total for Australia in men's Tests as they sped to 314 in only 58 overs (5.41 runs per over).

Earlier, the Durban CBD, and Kingsmead Stadium, lost power in the hour before play started, causing broadcasters and stadium operations personnel to scramble for the back-up generators. Thankfully the city's grid was back online just in time for Nic Maddinson's flaying, slashing and cutting on his way to a highest Test score of 48.

His rollicking knock, off only 38 balls, ended in spectacular fashion though as Nortje did a demolition job on his stumps.

The full in-swinger snuck through pad and bat, ripping both middle and leg stumps out of the ground. It bore an uncanny resemblance to Maddinson's first Test dismissal to Kagiso Rabada almost 10 years ago.

Marnus Labuschagne got another start but was once again unable to push on, out for the exact score, 37 off 58 balls, as his first innings.

Smith (27) was caught on the boundary by Marco Jansen seeking another six off Harmer while Carey (24) was dismissed by Nortje for the second time, bowled after chopping on.

Webster (39no) played several nice shots to get some much needed runs to his name as he watched his captain's fireworks from the non-striker's end.

Qantas tour of South Africa 2026

All matches to be broadcast exclusively in Australia on Kayo and Fox Cricket

First Test: October 9-13, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban, 6:30pm AEDT (9:30am local)

Second Test: October 18-22, St George's Park, Gqeberha, 7pm AEDT (10am local)

Third Test: October 27-31, Newlands, Cape Town, 7:30pm AEDT (10:30am local)

South Africa's first Test squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Sam Harper, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (second Test onwards), Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nic Maddinson, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster