Matt Renshaw has set a new Test record for the most runs accumulated in partnerships with the tail in a single innings. His knock of 190 in Australia’s first innings of the first Test against South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban, produced 174 runs alongside the lower order, moving past Virat Kohli’s previous mark of 171.
Australia found themselves in serious trouble at 124 for 6 when Renshaw walked to the crease. What followed was a determined rearguard effort that carried the visitors to 390 all out. Renshaw was eventually dismissed by Simon Harmer, caught at slip, for 190, having batted through the bulk of the innings.
Kohli had established the previous record of 171 runs with the tail during his innings of 235 against England at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, in 2016. Renshaw’s performance at Durban has now lifted that benchmark to 174.
How did Renshaw build his partnerships with the lower order?
Two stands in particular defined Renshaw’s innings. He put on 86 runs with Pat Cummins before combining with Nathan Lyon for a 134-run partnership for the ninth wicket. That stand with Lyon is recognised as Australia’s second-best partnership for the ninth wicket in Test history, underlining just how significant the contribution was in the context of the match.
Together, those two partnerships accounted for the bulk of Renshaw’s 174 runs with the tail. They transformed Australia’s innings from a precarious 124 for 6 into a competitive first-innings total of 390, giving the tourists a meaningful platform heading into South Africa’s reply.
At stumps on Day 2, South Africa had reached 27 for 1, leaving them 363 runs behind Australia. The first Test began on October 9, 2026, at Kingsmead, Durban, as part of Australia’s tour of South Africa in 2026-27.
What does the 190 mean for Renshaw’s Test career?
The innings at Durban represents Renshaw’s highest score in Test cricket and only his second Test century. His previous best had been 184 against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground in January 2017, a knock that had remained his sole Test hundred for nearly a decade before this effort in South Africa.
The gap between his two Test centuries spanning close to nine years makes the Durban innings all the more notable. Renshaw not only surpassed his own career-best score but did so in circumstances that required him to carry the innings almost single-handedly through the lower order, producing a record-breaking contribution in the process.
