Australia’s patched-up batting has reached boiling point. It must change for Cape Town

October 23, 2026 — 5:22am

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Gqeberha: “It’s not that hard!” At tea on day five, Jason Gillespie exclaimed these words while admiring the way Scott Boland had held up South Africa for three hours with a straight bat, the occasional cut shot, and a heap of determination.

Twenty-nine years ago, Gillespie had played an underrated role in what is still Australia’s most recent Test victory at St George’s Park, taking eight wickets then surviving a critical over from Jacques Kallis. Ian Healy sealed the epic, by a two-wicket margin, with a mighty six over square leg the following over.

Gillespie’s statement was also tinged with the same exasperation felt by Australian cricket followers both here and back home. The rush of wickets that made this innings defeat possible was the boiling of water that has grown steadily hotter for an ageing and patched-up Test batting order for some considerable time.

Though coach Andrew McDonald had been keen in mid-game to take the view that the day four loss of 13 wickets in a single day was not representative of the team he has mentored since early 2022, skipper Pat Cummins was a little more forthcoming at game’s end.

He did not have much choice. To suggest that Australia does not have significant problems in the batting order, issues that have attempted to be band-aided by the........

© The Age