# Boland's bowling exposes South Africa's batting frailty

> Scott Boland takes four wickets as South Africa's top order struggles again in the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha.
- Title: Boland's bowling exposes South Africa's batting frailty
- Summary: Scott Boland takes four wickets as South Africa's top order struggles again in the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha. Scott Boland took four wickets…
- Keywords: scott boland, south africa, australia, cricket, second test, gqeberha, batting collapse, sports, Boland's, bowling, exposes, South
- Source: BBC Sport — https://bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c6rmy4mzl4wyo
- Published: 2026-10-19T16:50:45+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: scott boland, south africa, australia, cricket, second test, gqeberha, batting collapse, sports
## Boland strikes early on day two
Scott Boland took two more wickets in the morning session after claiming two on day one, extending his dominance with the ball in Gqeberha.
## Ackerman falls to Boland's precision
Debutant Marques Ackerman, making his first red-ball appearance, stumbled forward and nicked Scott Boland through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey for thirty-eight.
## South Africa's selection struggles exposed
Matthew Breetzke, brought in for white-ball form, made four from seventeen before being dismissed by Mitchell Starc. Ryan Rickelton moved to number six struggled against Pat Cummins' bouncers.
## Rickelton's luck runs out
Ryan Rickelton edged Scott Boland while pushing tentatively outside off stump. Matt Renshaw at first slip scooped the ball up above the ground to complete the catch.
## Boland's historic bowling record
Boland's Test bowling average now stands at eighteen point zero eight. No bowler since the First World War has taken as many wickets at a better rate.

> No bowler since the First World War has taken as many wickets at a better rate.
## Boland's accuracy by the numbers
Of Boland's eighty-four deliveries, sixty-three percent were on good line and length. Twenty-four percent of those would have hit the stumps, far ahead of Pat Cummins at twelve percent.
## South Africa faces uphill battle
With three days remaining, South Africa must reverse the series momentum. Temba Bavuma on forty-one not out and Kagiso Rabada will be crucial, but the batting appears unequal to the task.
## Key takeaway

Scott Boland took four wickets for thirty-one runs as South Africa's batting collapsed to ninety-seven for five on day two of the second Test in Gqeberha, leaving Australia in control of the series.