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Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Starc, Hazlewood swing Australia to 118-run win

play

Australia 351 (M Marsh 96, Smith 56, Warner 51, Maharaj 5-123, Philander 3-59) and 227 (Bancroft 53, Maharaj 4-102, Morkel 3-47) beat South Africa 162 (de Villiers 71*, Starc 5-34) and 298 (Markram 143, de Kock 83, Starc 4-75, Hazlewood 3-61) by 118 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Mitchell Starc missed out on a hat-trick but Australia had little trouble in wrapping up a 118-run win on the fifth morning in Durban, where they took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. Bad light had halted Australia's march to victory on the fourth evening with just one wicket required, so it was possible that it could have taken just a single ball to end the game on day five. In the end, it took 22 deliveries.

Josh Hazlewood confirmed the result by trapping Quinton de Kock lbw for 83 in the fourth over of the day, as South Africa were dismissed for 298. Morne Morkel finished not out on 3. Starc had been denied the chance to bowl for a hat-trick late on day four after he bowled Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada with what became his last two balls of the day, as the umpires declared that the light was sufficient only for spin bowling. He instead bowled for his hat-trick with the first ball of the fifth day and rapped de Kock on the pads, but the ball was sliding down leg.

The result gives Australia a good start as they aim to maintain their remarkable record of having not lost a Test series in South Africa since readmission. The teams now move on to Port Elizabeth for the second Test, which begins on Friday.

Markram's mark

2

No. of fourth-innings centuries in Durban since 1992, including Markram's in this match. The only other was Herschelle Gibbs' 104 also v Aus in 2002. SA had chased down 335 in that Test.

Rare dismissal for ABD

6

Instances of AB de Villiers being run out in Tests. This was his first such instance since Oct 2013. It's also his first duck in 39 Test innings v Australia

Tough for SA

370

The highest 4th-innings total in a Durban Test since South Africa's return to Test cricket. SA made that score v Australia in 2009, in a Test they lost by 175 runs

Maharaj's marches ahead

0

No. of SA spinners to take more than six wickets in a Test at Durban since readmission before this Test. Keshav Maharaj has taken nine in this match.

Bancroft gets one

2

No. of 50s for Cameron Bancroft in his 10 Test innings, including the one in the second inns of this Test. He hasn't crossed 30 in rest of the 8 inns.

Warner in SA

90.50

David Warner's average in Tests in South Africa, before this match. In the 2013-14 tour he had scored 543 runs in three Tests with three centuries and two fifties. He's got to another fifty in this match.

Smith's Streak

5

No. of consecutive 50+ scores for Steven Smith in Tests, including his 56 in this inns. He had scored 239, 76, 102* and 83 in last two Ashes Tests before this series.

Home disadvantage

0

No. of Test series wins for South Africa against Australia at home since readmission. They have played 7 series in SA of which Aus won 5 and 2 were drawn.