Matt Renshaw has bettered a record held by Virat Kohli for nearly a decade, becoming the highest scorer while batting alongside the tail in a Test innings since 2002.The Australian batter scored 174 runs in partnerships with the lower order during his career-best 190 against South Africa in the ongoing Test at Durban, going past Kohli’s previous benchmark of 171. Kohli had achieved the feat during his monumental 235 against England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium in 2016.Renshaw’s contribution with the tail proved instrumental in Australia’s recovery after they slumped to 124/6. He added 41 runs in an 86-run stand with captain Pat Cummins, followed by 12 in a 20-run partnership with Mitchell Starc. His most significant contribution came alongside Nathan Lyon, with the pair putting on 134 runs for the ninth wicket, of which Renshaw scored 100. He then added another 21 in a 26-run stand with Josh Hazlewood.The partnerships helped Australia recover from a precarious position to finish their first innings at 390 all out on Day 2 at Kingsmead on Sunday.Renshaw faced 397 deliveries in his marathon innings, hitting 21 fours and a six. He fell just short of a maiden Test double century when Simon Harmer dismissed him, bringing an end to an innings that had transformed Australia’s fortunes.Cummins chipped in with 43, while Lyon made 27 off 92 balls to provide crucial support. For South Africa, Wiaan Mulder was the leading wicket-taker with 4/68, while Marco Jansen claimed three wickets and Anrich Nortje took two.Renshaw’s knock also established two significant milestones at the Durban venue. His 190 became the highest individual score by an Australian there, overtaking Phillip Hughes’ 160 in 2009. It was also the highest Test score at the ground by a batter coming in at No. 5 or lower, surpassing Kusal Perera’s unbeaten 153 in 2019.South Africa reached 27/1 by stumps in reply to Australia’s total, leaving them 363 runs behind. Josh Hazlewood provided the breakthrough by dismissing Ryan Rickelton for a duck, while Aiden Markram, unbeaten on 15, and David Bedingham, on 12, remained at the crease when bad light brought an early close to play.
