South Africa vs Australia Tests 2016-17: SA Win 2-1 — Philander Player of Series, Australia 85 All Out at Hobart, Rabada 15 Wickets, Khawaja 145 at Adelaide, Du Plessis Mintgate
South Africa won the three-match Test series against Australia in November 2016 by 2-1. Vernon Philander was Player of the Series. 1st Test WACA Perth: SA won by 177 runs (SA 540/8d — Duminy 141, Elgar 127; Rabada 5/92 in AUS 2nd innings; Philander 4/56; Khawaja 97; Player of Match Rabada). 2nd Test Bellerive Hobart: SA won by innings and 80 runs (Australia 85 all out in 1st innings — Smith 48* the only resistance; Philander five-for; Abbott 6/77 in 2nd innings; Player of Match Abbott). Faf du Plessis charged with ball-tampering ('mintgate') after the Hobart Test. 3rd Test Adelaide (day-night, pink ball): Australia won by 7 wickets (Khawaja 145 Player of Match; Cook 104 in SA's 2nd innings; Starc 4/80). Hazlewood took 17 series wickets — most by any bowler; Rabada 15. Khawaja led Australia with 314 series runs; de Kock led SA with 281. Steve Smith captained Australia; Faf du Plessis captained South Africa (AB de Villiers absent with elbow injury).
South Africa won the three-match Test series against Australia in November 2016 by 2-1, with Vernon Philander as Player of the Series. 1st Test WACA, Perth (Nov 3-7): SA won by 177 runs — SA 242 & 540/8d (Duminy 141, Elgar 127, Philander 73, de Kock 64); Australia 244 (Warner 97, Marsh 63; Philander 4/56) & 361 (Khawaja 97; Rabada 5/92). Player of the Match: Kagiso Rabada. 2nd Test Bellerive Oval, Hobart (Nov 12-15): SA won by innings and 80 runs — Australia 85 (Smith 48* — only batsman to offer resistance; Philander five-wicket haul) & 161 (Abbott 6/77, Rabada 4/34); SA 326. Player of the Match: Kyle Abbott. After the Hobart Test, television footage showed Faf du Plessis using a mint to shine the ball — the ICC charged him with ball-tampering ('mintgate'), fining him 100% of his match fee, though he remained eligible for the 3rd Test. 3rd Test Adelaide Oval (Nov 24-27, day-night pink-ball Test): Australia won by 7 wickets — SA 259/9d (Cook 81) & 250 (Cook 104; Starc 4/80); Australia 383 (Khawaja 145, Smith 59, Handscomb 54, Starc 53) & 127/3 (Warner 47). Player of the Match: Khawaja. Player of the Series: Vernon Philander. Josh Hazlewood took 17 series wickets — the most by any bowler in the series; Rabada took 15. Khawaja led Australia with 314 series runs; de Kock led SA with 281. Steve Smith captained Australia; Faf du Plessis captained SA (AB de Villiers was absent from the entire series with an elbow injury).
Australia 85 All Out at Hobart: SA Win by Innings and 80
Australia's 85 all out in the 1st innings of the 2nd Test at Bellerive Oval, Hobart was one of the lowest home totals in Australian Test history in the modern era. Vernon Philander's relentless line and seam movement undid Australia's top order, with only Steve Smith (48*) offering resistance as wickets fell cheaply around him. South Africa, posting 326 in their only innings, then took a 241-run 1st-innings lead — a margin that made the follow-on result inevitable. Kyle Abbott's 6/77 in Australia's 2nd innings of 161 sealed the innings-and-80-run win inside four days. Abbott earned Player of the Match for what was one of the most economical six-wicket hauls in a match South Africa were always certain to win. The Hobart result gave SA a commanding 2-0 series lead, and with it, the series was won before the Adelaide decider.
Khawaja 145 at Adelaide: Australia's Day-Night Pink-Ball Win
The 3rd Test at Adelaide Oval — played as a day-night Test with a pink ball, only the second day-night Test at that venue — gave Australia their consolation 7-wicket win. Usman Khawaja's 145 in Australia's 1st innings of 383 gave them a substantial first-innings lead over SA's 259/9d; Smith's 59, Peter Handscomb's 54, and Mitchell Starc's 53 confirmed a batting depth that had been absent in Hobart. Stephen Cook's 104 in SA's 2nd innings of 250 showed character in a losing position, but Starc's 4/80 and Nathan Lyon's 3/60 bowled SA out to set Australia just 127 — strolled to in 127/3. Khawaja's 145 was his highest Test score at that point and earned him Player of the Match, giving him 314 series runs (97 at Perth, 145 at Adelaide) as Australia's standout batsman.
Rabada 15 Wickets, SA 540/8d at Perth, and the Series Context
South Africa's dominant 1st Test win at the WACA — built on their 2nd-innings 540/8 declared (Duminy 141, Elgar 127) — gave them the platform for a series they largely controlled. Kagiso Rabada's 5/92 in Australia's 2nd innings of 361 at Perth won him Player of the Match and was the bowling centrepiece of a SA attack that included Philander, Abbott, and Rabada as a formidable seam trio. Josh Hazlewood's 17 series wickets gave Australia their best individual bowling tally — but South Africa's 2-1 series win confirmed that Smith's side, despite their recent No. 1 ranking and home-series strength, were outplayed when SA's seam attack was at full strength. AB de Villiers' absence from the entire series — due to an elbow injury — meant SA competed without their best player, making the 2-1 result a particularly emphatic team performance by du Plessis' side.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the South Africa vs Australia Test series in 2016-17?
South Africa won 2-1. SA won the 1st Test at Perth (177 runs) and the 2nd Test at Hobart (innings and 80 runs; Australia 85 all out). Australia won the 3rd Test at Adelaide by 7 wickets (day-night pink ball; Khawaja 145). Vernon Philander was Player of the Series. Hazlewood (17) and Rabada (15) led the bowling. AB de Villiers was absent from the series with an elbow injury.
What was Australia's score at Hobart in the 2016 Test against South Africa?
Australia were bowled out for 85 in their 1st innings at Bellerive Oval, Hobart — one of their lowest home totals in the modern era. Steve Smith scored 48* in a losing cause. Philander took a five-wicket haul; Abbott took 6/77 in Australia's 2nd innings of 161. South Africa won by innings and 80 runs.