Maddinson falls early again after SA enforce follow-on

South Africa are nine wickets away from squaring the series against Australia after enforcing the follow-on and removing Nic Maddinson early in the second innings of the second Test in Gqeberha. With the drying wind getting stronger through the afternoon, batting conditions are expected to ease, though Australia still need another 276 runs to make South Africa bat again.

It was a heroic bowling performance from the home pack, who are without Anrich Nortje after he left the field with a suspected groin injury. Nortje was confirmed as unavailable for the remainder of the first innings, and with South Africa bowling again on the same day, is unlikely to take part in the remainder of the match.

Instead, it was up to Marco Jansen, who took a second five-for in three Tests and Kagiso Rabada, back in the Test side after recovering from a hamstring injury, to do the bulk of the damage. They took seven wickets between them in the first innings, and will operate with Wiaan Mulder as the third seamer as South Africa look to close out the match.

As he did in the first innings, Rabada accounted for Maddinson again in the second dig. Maddinson scored his first runs of this Test with a boundary off Rabada, doubled up on that, and feathered an edge to Ryan Rickelton to continue a tough comeback. Since making his return to the side in Durban last week, Maddinson has scores of 0, 48, 0 and 8. South Africa had the opportunity to take a second when Travis Head sent Mulder to gully, but Jansen, standing closer than is conventional, could not hold on.

Rabada and Jansen challenged Marnus Labuschagne, who is searching for form after last scoring a century 45 Test innings ago, but made it to the tea break on 16. At the other end, Head is not out on 26.

Already, Australia look more composed than they did earlier in the day when they were bowled out for 99 in response to South Africa's first-innings total of 425. It was Australia's fourth-lowest all-out total against South Africa, and the first time they were shot out for under 100 in 69 innings since they were bowled for 91 by India in Nagpur in 2023.

Steven Smith was Australia's only batter to get past 14. In the process, he became the 12th batter to 11,000 Test runs, and the third Australian after Ricky Ponting and Allan Border.

The first wicket of the day came with Jansen's first ball, which was on a hard length and nipping away. Nightwatcher Scott Boland chased it, and gave Rickelton a simple catch moving to his right. Rabada cranked up his pace early on and hit a top speed of 154.5kph, but it was Jansen who reaped the rewards.

He had Head trapped lbw with a ball that nipped back in and struck him on the front pad, and South Africa thought they had a chance. Jansen's appeal was muted but Simon Harmer convinced Temba Bavuma to review, and replays showed the ball was hitting the top of middle stump. Australia were 22 for 3 in the first half hour of play, and South Africa had their tails up.

An intriguing battle between Labuschagne and Jansen ensued, in what must have been in Afrikaans. Labuschagne won the opening exchanges when he drove Jansen through mid-off twice in an over, but eventually lost the battle, though not at Jansen's hands. Nortje, in his first over, drew Labuschagne into a drive and induced an edge but the wicket belonged to Harmer, who took a stunning one-handed catch to his left at gully. Labuschagne thus went 44 innings without a century, and averages 25.72 since December 2023.

At 45 for 4, South Africa would have been comfortable that the new ball had done its work, and switched Rabada for Mulder after Rabada bowled six overs. With minimal swing available, Mulder's focus was to hold his end, and bowling back of a length and stump to stump. Drinks were taken with the score on 48 for 4, and South Africa in the ascendency.

But barely five minutes later, the mood dampened for them severely when Nortje walked off the field mid-over. He held his shirt over his face as he walked off, and Mulder offered commiserations, suggesting it may be serious. Nortje bowled 40 overs in the Durban Test after not playing any red-ball cricket for more than three-and-a-half years, and was expected to sit out this match but South Africa could not resist the express pace.

Harmer completed the over, and will have to carry a massive workload as South Africa rotate around three seamers, though they also have the option of Aiden Markram's offpsin.

With Smith and Matt Renshaw bedding in, and half an hour left for lunch, Rabada was brought back and almost delivered. Smith edged him short of Markram at second slip, and needed treatment on his neck immediately afterwards. Smith lived dangerously, and in the next over, flashed at a ball but missed. In scenes reminiscent of the 2018 battle between Rabada and Smith, there were words and smiles but no contact, as was the case eight years ago.

While Rabada was stirring the pot, Jansen took the lid off. Renshaw, Australia's best batter from the first Test, opened the face of the bat to steer Jansen to Harmer at wide third slip. Harmer took another excellent catch, low off the ground to continue what has been a good Test for him. Two balls later, Alex Carey got a thin edge to a Jansen ball he tried to steer to deep third, and Rickelton took his second catch.

With tension simmering, Rabada beat Beau Webster with a beauty that straightened and almost took the edge. Jansen then drew two false shots from Smith and hit him on the pad but he survived that and Rabada's last over to take Australia to the break.

Webster was off the mark in the first over of the second session when he drove Jansen over cover point off the 11th ball he faced. He never looked entirely comfortable, though, and was given out two overs later as he tried to force Mulder away on the off side. Webster reviewed immediately, and successfully so. He lasted into the next over, when Jansen did him with extra bounce, and Markram, at second slip, pouched a smart catch.

Smith's milestone, meanwhile, came with a single off Jansen. But he would have been more concerned with an ongoing neck issue that required treatment several times. Mulder increased Smith's discomfort by jagging the ball back as Rickelton stood up to the stumps. One of those deliveries went for four byes; another cut Smith in half and bowled him.

Rabada changed ends to the Duck Pond, and Starc nicked off to give Rabada his 200th Test wicket at home. Mulder ended the innings when Pat Cummins miscued him to deep square leg, 56 minutes into the middle session.