BANGALORE: First, let the numbers sink in. Since December 2014, Steve Smith — who will lead Australia against South Africa in a four-Test series that begins in Durban on Thursday — averages 79.33 across 39 Tests. There have been 19 centuries — as many as Mark Taylor, one of his predecessors, made in 104 matches — and 15 other scores in excess of 50.
Those figures indicate why the visitors, who have not lost a series in South Africa since 1970, are marginal favorites. There will be some great batsmen on view at Kingsmead, but for the moment, Smith operates on another plane.
If South Africa do want to clutch at straws, they can look at his record in conditions when the ball has moved extravagantly off the seam. In the 2015 Ashes, sandwiched between scores of 215 at Lord’s and 143 at The Oval, he made seven and eight at Edgbaston and six and five at Trent Bridge. Australia were routed in both Tests, and lost the Ashes. Then, under lights in Adelaide last December, he made 40 and six against the pink ball.
Unfortunately for South Africa, the ball used in Durban will be red, and the pitch is likely to be on the slow side. On his last trip across the breadth of the Indian Ocean four years ago, Smith scored 269 runs in three Tests at 67.25. South Africa will need to restrict him to below 300 runs if they are to stand any chance of reversing what is one of the more mystifying home jinxes in cricket.
Having tonked England 4-0 in the Ashes, Australia keep faith with the same XI that won in Sydney in early January. That means another opportunity to impress for Cameron Bancroft, the opener whose Ashes went steadily south after a half-century in Brisbane.
The Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, had stellar Ashes campaigns, and Shaun, the older of the two, will doubtless recall that it was his 148 at Centurion four years ago that set Australia on their way to another series win on South African soil.
But it is the bowling that South Africa will be most wary of. Having lost 60 wickets to an Indian attack spearheaded by Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they now face Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. Nathan Lyon, after years of not being afforded respect because he was not Shane Warne, is now one of the game’s premier spinners and will fancy his chances of doing to South Africa what Harbhajan Singh, Graeme Swann and Rangana Herath have in Durban Tests over the past decade.
Against India, South Africa went in with five specialist batsmen. By the end of the third Test, Quinton de Kock, the wicketkeeper batting at No. 6, was edging everything he faced. It would be a huge surprise if they persisted with the same team composition, and Smith said as much at his pre-match press conference.
“If they have the same line-up as the India Test matches, I think it’s a very long tail,” he said. “If you can get some early wickets and get into the middle order quickly, you might be able to go through them.”
Faf du Plessis, the Proteas’ captain, has recovered from the broken finger that kept him out for all but one white-ball game against the Indians, and it will be a toss-up between Theunis de Bruyn, the Titans batsman, and Wiaan Mulder, the Lions all-rounder, as to who is drafted in to bolster the middle order. On what is likely to be a sluggish pitch, Keshav Maharaj, the left-arm spinner, will certainly get his chance.
If only three pace bowlers play, then Lungi Ngidi, sensational on his debut against India in January, will drop to the bench. Kagiso Rabada will share the new ball with Vernon Philander, with Morne Morkel — playing his last international series — as first change.
“He’s been a great team man for the last 10 to 12 years,” said du Plessis of Morkel. “He will be missed, but he has his family to look after. He’ll be difficult to replace, but the good thing is that we have Lungi Ngidi coming through.”
Morkel, who has 294 Test wickets, is 33, like his captain. AB de Villiers is 34, and Hashim Amla turns 35 before the end of this series. Dale Steyn, who misses the Kingsmead game after the foot injury he suffered against India, is 34. For a golden generation of Proteas, who were instrumental in three straight series victories in Australia, this is one last chance to change that bizarre home record. To do it, however, they will have to get past the indomitable Smith.
Steve Smith again the key as South Africa ponder how to beat Australia
Steve Smith again the key as South Africa ponder how to beat Australia
Freddy Schott wins maiden title after 3-way Bahrain Championship playoff
- The German beat Calum Hill and Patrick Reed after they all finished on 17-under after 72 holes
BAHRAIN: Freddy Schott won his first DP World Tour title after beating Calum Hill and Patrick Reed in a playoff at the 2026 Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship on Sunday.
The trio were locked together at 17-under par after 72 holes. This was after Reed shot 67 on Sunday to make up a four-shot overnight deficit to Hill, who began day two clear but had to settle for a 71 after a bogey. Schott carded 69 to join the pair.
Reed bogeyed the first playoff hole to drop out of contention and after Hill went out of bounds second time round, before sending his fourth shot into the water, he sportingly conceded without making Schott putt for the win.
Schott, who was presented with the trophy by Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, said: “I have no idea. It’s just amazing, I’m just extremely happy, surprised ... I don’t know what’s happening right now. I’m just so happy.
“I could have done it the regular way, that would have also been fine. But to do it this way feels even more special so I’m just glad it happened this way.”
Hill, who equaled the course record of 61 in Friday’s second round, added to his two-shot overnight lead with an opening birdie after a superb approach, with Schott responding at the second before both players birdied the next.
The Scot was four clear after another gain at the fifth but bogeyed the sixth while Schott made birdie, cutting the lead to one before drawing level with a birdie at the next.
Schott bogeyed the eighth but led anyway as Hill made a double, and a birdie at the 10th took the German two ahead, only for a double-bogey of his own at the 11th to leave the pair all square again.
“It was tough, especially towards the end,” said Schott.
“The start was okay, because I was playing alright. It had good flow to it. Obviously, nerves kicked in from the back nine onwards. I was happy that I managed it okay, not perfect, but okay, and you guys saw what happened, so I’m very happy now.
Sergio Garcia had joined the leaders by that point after responding to an opening bogey with three birdies in four holes from the third and another three in succession from the ninth, as had Reed after his fifth gain of the day at the 12th.
Daniel Hillier carded six birdies in a blemish-free 66, his second six-under-par round of the week, to set the clubhouse target at 16-under as the leaders still on the course battled for supremacy.
Schott, Hill and Reed all reached 18-under with back-to-back birdies, Reed at the 13th and 14th with his rivals a hole behind.
Garcia’s challenge was left hanging by a thread after a double-bogey at the par-five 14th, as he eventually finished alongside Hillier on 16-under, and Reed dropped a shot at the 16th.
Schott and Hill missed the 17th green to the left before escaping with good chips, but while Hill holed his par putt, Schott made bogey.
Reed set a new clubhouse target of 17-under but when his birdie putt at the last agonizingly stayed up on the short side, Hill had a one-shot lead down the last.
But he sent his approach to the extreme left of the green, leaving a nasty putt up the slope by the side of the green which he was unable to get close. Schott was in similar territory but closer in, allowing him to save par while Hill made bogey to set up the playoff.
Reed found the bunker with his 73rd tee shot and went from there to the edge of another, with Schott and Hill both hitting the fairway and then the heart of the green.
Schott holed for par and despite a superb effort at his up-and-down, Reed was unable to respond and dropped out of contention. Hill held his nerve as he and Schott went back to the tee.
The Scot sent his next tee-shot out of bounds to the left, with Schott only just avoiding the water in response. He sent his approach right of the green but Hill found the water with his fourth and conceded after Schott chipped on.
Hill and Reed shared second with Garcia and Hillier fourth and France’s Ugo Coussaud a shot further back in sixth.
The championship provided invaluable experience for emerging golfers, with local players gaining exposure competing alongside Major champions and multiple DP World Tour winners.
Ahmed Alzayed, Ali Alkowari and Khalifa Almaraisi all teed it up at Royal Golf Club this week, with former Masters champions Garcia and Reed, and three-time Major winner Padraig Harrington.
While the cut proved elusive, the experience of competing at the highest level of professional golf will prove invaluable.
“The competition comes to an end, but it’s not the end for me, I think it’s just the beginning,” said Alkowari.
“I’m happy with the result this year. I played 20 shots better than last year, so there are improvements. Hopefully, if I’m playing next year, it will be even better. Who knows, maybe even making the cut.”
A record crowd of 13,186, a 30 percent increase on last year’s attendance, watched the action across the four days.
