Matt Renshaw scored 190 runs in Durban, achieving the fourth-highest score for an Australian player in South Africa and helping his team to an astonishing comeback in the first Test match against South Africa.
Renshaw's Outstanding Performance
Renshaw came to the crease with his team in a precarious position at 84/4, with two key players, Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, dismissed quickly. He reached a score of 190 off 397 balls, which included 21 fours and one six.
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Greg Blewett with 214 runs in 1997, Adam Gilchrist with 204 runs in 2002, and Herbie Collins with 203 runs in 1921 hold the top three highest scores for Australians in South Africa. Renshaw was just 10 runs away from achieving a historic double century and could have become the fourth Australian to reach this milestone on South African soil.
Effective Partnerships on the Field
This left-handed player stood firm against the Proteas, registering an 86-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Pat Cummins, who scored 43 runs off 98 balls, and a 134-run partnership for the ninth wicket with Nathan Lyon, who made 27 runs off 92 balls.
The 134-run partnership between Renshaw and Lyon is the third-highest partnership for the ninth wicket in Test history for Australians. The highest record for such partnerships is the 163-run partnership between Phil Hughes and Ashton Agar against England in Nottingham in 2013.
After Renshaw's dismissal, Australia managed to reach a score of 390. Other valuable partnerships included Marnus Labuschagne with 37 runs off 58 balls and Steven Smith with 25 runs off 53 balls. This match marked Renshaw's highest score in Tests and his first century in nine years since he scored 184 runs against Pakistan in Sydney.
Overall, Renshaw has scored 843 runs in 16 Test matches and 26 innings, with an average of 35.12, including two centuries and three fifties. In early September, he also registered his first ODI century against Zimbabwe, accumulating 775 runs in 23 matches and 22 innings, with an average of 38.75, including two centuries and three fifties.
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