South Africa Beat Australia By An Innings After Bavuma's 179

South Africa beat Australia by an innings and 31 runs at St George's Park on Thursday, levelling the three-match series at 1-1. Temba Bavuma made 179. Australia were bowled out for 99, asked to follow on 326 behind, and dismissed a second time for 295 on the final afternoon in Gqeberha.

It did not look like that for two days. Rain took chunks out of the early play. South Africa lost wickets in the gaps between showers. They were 110 for 6 and the Test was drifting away from them.

Boland's spell and the rain

Scott Boland found the conditions first. He took two wickets in two balls on a rain-wrecked day, Radio X reported. Crickslab reported his figures at 4 for 31 with South Africa 97 for 5. Australia had the match in hand at that point and did not know it was the high-water mark.

Play was interrupted repeatedly across the first two days. The second day's start was delayed by rain. A wet outfield held things up again. Losing that time should have pushed the Test towards a draw.

Instead it compressed the game into three playing days and one side used them better.

Bavuma and the 315-run recovery

Bavuma stopped the slide. He faced 334 balls. He hit 18 fours and a six. Marco Jansen made 85 from 100 balls with nine fours and three sixes. Simon Harmer added 82 from 157 balls, ANI reported. South Africa declared on 425 for 9.

Three hundred and fifteen runs arrived after the sixth wicket fell. Bavuma, Jansen and Harmer made 346 between them. That is more than Australia managed in either innings. It is also more than the margin and the follow-on deficit combined.

The lower order did the work twice over. Jansen's 85 came at better than a run a ball. Harmer's 82 took 157. One gave the innings speed, the other gave it length.

Jansen's five and a 99 all out

Australia's reply lasted 42.3 overs. Jansen took 5 for 33. He finished with six wickets in the match, Sky Sports reported. Wiaan Mulder took 2 for 14. Kagiso Rabada took 2 for 33.

Steve Smith top-scored with 28 from 88 balls. Nobody else reached 30. Marnus Labuschagne was dismissed twice in the match, the ABC's day-five coverage noted. Ninety-nine all out left South Africa a simple decision, and they enforced the follow-on.

Head's hundred delays the end

Travis Head made the innings that pushed the match into day five. He scored 121 from 190 balls with 15 fours. It was his 13th Test century. Scott Boland took 166 balls over 40 at the other end. Alex Carey finished unbeaten on 37.

Australia reached 295 in 107.1 overs. Rabada took 4 for 77 in that innings. Mulder took 3 for 64. Six of Australia's 20 wickets in the match fell to Jansen.

Australia had won the first Test in Durban by 214 runs. Eight days later they lost by an innings. Few series reverse that hard that quickly.

Championship table and Cape Town

Australia stay top of the World Test Championship. South Africa remain third. Wisden's updated table after the result reads:

• Australia, 12 matches, 75.00 percent
• New Zealand, 6 matches, 72.22 percent
• South Africa, 6 matches, 66.67 percent
• Bangladesh, 6 matches, 55.56 percent

South Africa's 66.67 percent comes from four wins in six matches. A third would move them again. Australia have played twice as many Tests in this cycle. Each individual result is worth less to their percentage, and each defeat is harder to absorb.

New Zealand sit second on 72.22 percent from six matches. They are not playing in this window. A win at Newlands would put the top three within a few points of each other. The series now moves to Cape Town, where Sky Sports lists the third Test as starting on 27 October. South Africa have five days to repeat what took them four here. Australia have the same five days to avoid losing a series they led a week ago.

Four days separate the two matches. Bavuma batted for 334 balls in this one and Harmer for 157. Rabada and Jansen bowled through two Australian innings. Recovery time, not form, may decide what South Africa can field at Newlands.