DURBAN – Australia needed just 22 balls and 20 minutes of playing time on day five to win the first Test against South Africa by 118 runs at Kingsmead on Monday morning.
Quinton de Kock (83 off 149 balls, 11 fours) and Morne Morkel added five runs to the total to reach 298 all out before Josh Hazlewood dismissed De Kock lbw to back up Mitchell Starc (4/75 and a match return of 9/109) with figures of 3/61.
Starc was named Man of the Match.
Apart from the Proteas disappointing batting performance in the first innings, the essential difference between the two sides was the lower-order batting. Australia were able to make 100 runs for their last three wickets in the first innings while Starc blew away the South African lower order in both innings.
Aiden Markram’s second innings century made him the fourth South African to score a century in his debut Test against Australia. He follows Eddie Barlow, Jacques Rudolph and current captain Faf du Plessis in this achievement.
The second Test match starts at St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, on Friday.