First Time In 60 Years: Marco Jansen Achieves Historic Feat For South Africa In Tests

South Africa all-rounder Marco Jansen achieved a historic milestone on Day 3 of the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha. Coming in to bat at No. 8 with the Proteas reeling at 110/6, Jansen forged a crucial 132-run partnership with captain Temba Bavuma to revive South Africa's innings. He smashed 85 off 100 balls before being caught by Travis Head off Scott Boland's bowling. Although he narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century, Jansen still etched his name into the record books.

During his 100-ball knock, Jansen scored 85 runs, registering the highest score by a South African No. 8 batter in a home Test against Australia. The previous record belonged to Peter van der Merwe, who made 76 in Johannesburg in 1966.

The left-hander also fell just three runs short of becoming South Africa's highest-scoring No. 8 batter in a Test innings against Australia. That record is held by Brian McMillan, who scored an unbeaten 87 at the Adelaide Oval in 1998. Jansen now sits second on that list with his innings of 85.

Meanwhile, Bavuma also broke a record as he became the oldest captain to score a century in a World Test Championship (WTC) match against Australia. He was 36 years and 154 days old at the start of the match, surpassing Rohit's previous record, which he had set at the age of 35 years and 285 days during a Test in Nagpur in 2023.

Overall, he is the third oldest captain to score a century in a WTC match. The record is held by Rohit, who scored 103 against England in Dharamsala in 2024, at the age of 36 years and 312 days.

Talking about the match, Bavuma's and Jansen's unbeaten century partnership breathed life into South Africa's fightback against Australia on the third morning of the second Test on Tuesday.

South Africa, wobbling at 97-5 overnight then 110-6, was 216-6 at lunch with captain Bavuma on 76 and Jansen on 72. They stitched together 106 runs in 22 overs, breaking the previous record seventh-wicket stand at St. George's Park that had stood since 1896.

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