Kingsmead, Durban, turned into a graveyard for South African batters on Tuesday. Josh Hazlewood, operating at peak efficiency, ripped through the Proteas' second innings with figures of 6/49. It wasn't just a win; it was a dismantling. Australia sealed a 214-run victory, erasing any lingering doubt about their dominance in the longest format.
The milestone hit hard. With the fall of Anrich Nortje, Hazlewood reached 311 Test wickets. That number puts him directly ahead of Brett Lee’s 310, claiming the sixth spot among Australia’s leading pace bowlers and eighth overall on the national list. He also leveled with India’s own legends, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, in the all-time charts.
But the stats are only half the story. The real turning point came on Day 5 when South Africa resumed at 102/4, needing 319 runs to chase a massive target. They looked like they were fighting a ghost. Hazlewood struck first, dismissing Wiaan Mulder after a 109-ball struggle. Then came Marco Jansen, caught behind off a line that breached his defense. Simon Harmer followed in the same over. The resistance snapped. Mitchell Starc cleaned up Aiden Markram’s gritty 75, but Hazlewood was the architect of the collapse.
For South Africa, it’s a brutal reset. They needed a miracle in the final over and got a masterclass instead. Australia now sits firmly in control of this series, with the second Test looming as the next battleground.
The next fixture? Australia and South Africa square up again in the second Test, where the Proteas will need to completely reinvent their batting lineup to compete with this version of the Australian attack.