Rain rules opening Test day in Gqeberha

Rain, and more rain, reduced the second Test between SA and Australia to little more than a stop-start opening act at St George’s Park on Sunday, with the weather threatening to wash out most of the day.

When stumps were called on the stroke of 4pm on Sunday afternoon, the home side sat precariously on 20/2 with skipper Temba Bavuma (4) and Test debutant Marques Ackerman (5) unbeaten in the middle with an early start of 9.45am on Monday.

After persistent showers delayed the start, play finally got under way shortly after midday, only for the hosts to lose Aiden Markram for 11 runs and David Bedingham (0) in the space of two deliveries from Scott Boland.

At 12 for two, the Proteas were in trouble before Bavuma and Ackerman began trying to rebuild.

The rain soon returned, forcing another interruption, with SA reaching 20 for two before the players were again ushered from the field.

With further showers sweeping through Gqeberha, the first day was heading towards frustration with the forecast for Day Two no more promising than it looked on the opening day.

It was an inauspicious start for a South African side that arrived at its home venue needing to respond after being comprehensively outplayed in Durban.

The tourists won the opening Test at Kingsmead by 214 runs after recovering from 124 for six to post 390 in their first innings, with Matt Renshaw making 190.

SA were then dismissed for 284 before the Aussies set an imposing 421-run target for victory, with Josh Hazlewood’s six for 49 completing the job.

The defeat prompted changes to the SA lineup as head coach Shukri Conrad wielded the axe ahead of the second encounter.

Kagiso Rabada returned after missing the Durban Test with a hamstring problem, while Matthew Breetzke came back into the side after his strong ODI series against Australia.

Ackerman was handed his Test debut, while Ryan Rickelton took over the wicketkeeping duties from Kyle Verreynne.

Tristan Stubbs was the notable omission after scores of 32 and one in Durban.

The changes reflected SA’s desire for greater batting depth after Markram’s 75 was their only substantial contribution.

With Rickelton moving down the order to keep, Ackerman was given the opportunity to open alongside Markram.

Australia, meanwhile, made one change, bringing Boland into the XI for Nathan Lyon.

The decision was shaped partly by the weather and the prospect of a pace-heavy attack, and Boland wasted no time justifying his selection with those two early wickets.

The backdrop to the Test is striking.

SA and Australia had not played a Test since the Proteas’ historic five-wicket victory at Lord’s in June 2025, when Markram’s 136 helped secure the World Test Championship title.

That victory gave the WTC Champions their first major ICC men’s trophy since 1998, but Australia now hold the immediate advantage after the Durban result.

History at the two South African venues also offers contrasting encouragement.

Australia have enjoyed a formidable record at Kingsmead, winning seven of their last 12 Tests against SA there.

St George’s Park has been a very different story, where SA lead the head-to-head 4-3 at the venue, with Australia’s last win there coming in 1997.

For now, though, history and selection are secondary to the weather.

The hosts need a result to keep the three-Test series alive, but after a day dominated by rain, their first task may be getting back onto the field.

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