In the first test match between South Africa and Australia, the Australian team secured a convincing victory, defeating the hosts by a margin of 214 runs. With this impressive win, Australia gained a 1-0 advantage in the three-match test series.
During this contest, the historical record of South African captain Themba Bavuma regarding undefeated captaincy was broken. Until this point, Bavuma had led the South African national team in 13 test matches, winning 11 and drawing one.
Bavuma's win percentage stood at 84.61%, and he had never lost as a test captain. However, in the match against Australia, the Australian team proved stronger, and Bavuma suffered his first defeat in his captaincy career.
In the first innings, Australia scored 390 runs thanks to an outstanding performance by Matt Renshaw, who amassed 190 points. In response, South Africa managed to score 284 runs in their first innings, with David Bellingham earning 49 points. Captain Bavuma himself was removed from play in the first innings, scoring only 3 points.
In the second innings, Australia declared their innings at 314 runs, setting a significant target for South Africa. The South African team, coming to chase, collapsed like a house of cards, ultimately scoring only 206 runs. Bavuma again failed to perform well in the second innings, returning to the field after scoring just 1 run, which allowed Australia to easily win the match.