David Warner is a major contributor to Australia’s victory over South Africa in the second test and the series as a whole

South Africa was on the receiving end of a “hammering” at the hands of rampant and top-ranked Australia on Thursday. South Africa was defeated in the second Test by Australia by a score of 182 runs, and as a result, they lost the series.

The defeat closed off a disappointing first two Tests for the tourists, who collapsed by six wickets in the opening match in Brisbane inside of two days. With a potentially face-saving third match yet to play in Sydney, the visitors still have a chance to redeem themselves.

“At the present, it is not an easy task. That was a really good smack in the face, “Proteas skipper Dean Elgar said.

In response to South Africa’s first innings total of 189, Australia declared their innings on Wednesday at 575-8, built on the back of man-of-the-match Warner’s 200 and a brave 85 from Steve Smith in scorching heat. After declaring their innings, Australia then gained complete control with the ball.

Elgar had a duck before rain stopped play early on Wednesday, putting South Africa in a commanding position to resume day four with a score of 15-1.

However, their fight did not last very long, as three wickets were lost before lunch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the remaining wickets were lost in the second session, as they were bowled out for 204.

The weak and injury-plagued attack was led by Temba Bavuma’s 65 runs, while Nathan Lyon claimed three wickets for 58 runs.

“The victory is right there in the mix. Over the course of the years, we’ve been involved in a number of exciting matches against South Africa. It’s something to be proud of, as well as quite likeable, “remarked Pat Cummins, the skipper for Australia.

“I think it took a lot of courage for Warner and Smith to bat in the heat the way they did. (Mitchell) Starc and (Cameron) Green, in addition, made a comeback after recovering from their respective ailments.”

As a result, South Africa will have to travel to Sydney for the last test the following week with nothing more than their pride to play for, and they may consider making adjustments to a batting lineup that has, for the most part, been ineffective.

“Moving forward, there is a lot of soul-searching and analysis that has to be done. The results of this test have shown a few encouraging trends, but not many overall, “Elgar remarked.

“There’s a lot to play for (in Sydney),” he continued, “South Africa is a proud cricketing nation, and 2-1 sounds a lot better than 3-0.” “There’s a lot to play for (in Sydney),” he said.

As Australia races against the clock to get ready for a blockbuster series in India in February, they will have a new-look team. Green and Starc have already been ruled out with finger injuries, so the team will be completely different.

After recuperating from a side injury, Josh Hazlewood is expected to return to the lineup in place of Starc. The player who will take Green’s spot is still to be determined.

Even though the home team was missing key players in their attack, they were still able to take wickets. Green, who had taken 5-27 in the first innings, was unable to bowl due to a fractured finger.

Before lunch, the world-class speed attack from Australia was able to eliminate Theunis de Bruyn (28), Sarel Erwee (21), and Khaya Zondo (1).

Then, in the second session, any optimism they might have had was extinguished by the spin of Nathan Lyon and by two sloppy run outs.

Starc was also suffering from a bloody and bruised finger, but he played through the pain in order to continue his relentless tempo, which caused plenty of issues.

Erwee, who had resumed his batting at number seven, hit an excellent drive for four off of him as his confidence soared. However, Starc swiftly got his revenge on him by trapping him lbw with a devastating yorker.

After starting on six, De Bruyn worked his way up to 28, but he quickly followed his partner back to the pavilion.

This time it was Scott Boland who caused the damage. He managed to entice an edge, which the ever-reliable Smith was able to grab in the slips for his 150th catch. He currently sits in 14th place on the all-time list, which is led by the 210 runs scored by the Indian legend Rahul Dravid.

Bavuma made an inexplicable effort at a single from Cummins, and Khaya Zondo was quickly run out by a Travis Head underarm throw. South Africa were in a difficult position and needed to dig in, but neither of these things happened.