Aussie cricket great David Warner has slammed Australia’s “disgraceful” batting collapse, which cost them the Test series against South Africa.

Australia were bowled out for 111 in pursuit of 288 on Halloween in Cape Town, also losing their No.1 Test ranking.

Billed as one of the biggest days of Test cricket in years with the series level, it ended with a humiliating 176-run capitulation that it was effectively done from the end of the first over.

Cricket greats Mark Waugh and David Warner savaged the disastrous display.

“That was a terrible two hours of batting. That was immature,” Waugh said on Kayo Sports.

Warner complained: “I’m just upset. That was terrible. It’s un-Australian. There’s no fight whatsoever. It’s disgraceful.

“Chasing 288, you’re winning a Test match, you could win a series, it’s on the line, and this is the way that they’re playing.

“I think it’s deplorable but the batters have let the bowlers down the whole series.

“Matt Renshaw showed fight in that first Test, but I think the batters have been utterly disgraceful.”

Part of Australia’s side less than three years ago, Warner was the most vehement critic of his old teammates on Saturday.

The former opener has often been outspoken in his criticism of selections in recent months, but took his criticism to a new level.

Australia now face a long and thorough fall-out, with captain Pat Cummins conceding change may be needed after the second horror batting collapse in two weeks.

Cummins admitted it was effectively done from the end of the first over.

Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne were both dismissed in Kagiso Rabada’s opening six balls, starting the rot.

Spinner Simon Harmer then ripped the heart out of Australia with 6-16, ending the match just before tea when he bowled Josh Hazlewood.

In all four Australians scored ducks, while Travis Head (14) and Cameron Green (27) were the only recognised batters to reach double figures as the tourists fell to 8-62.

The chaos was summed up when Green at one point defended a ball past Marques Ackerman at silly point, took off and ran Josh Inglis out in the process.

All that came just a little over a week after Australia threw away a near-unbeatable position in the series when bowled out for 99 in the second Test in Gqeberha.

Asked if change was required as a result, Cummins conceded: “We’ve lost two games in a row. It’s fair to be asking those questions.

“We’ll be asking them internally as well.

“We are a very good side. But I think we need to get a little better if we want to get back to No.1 and where we can be.

“Maybe that’s a change of style. Maybe it’s a change of personnel in some instances. Give us a couple of weeks on that.”

Labuschagne is almost certain to go, with his horror tour ending in the first over of Friday when he was lbw trying to leave Rabada (3-39).

But he was far from alone on Saturday, with Newlands again proving a graveyard for Australian cricket as it has on several recent tours.

Rabada also had Renshaw caught down legside in the first over, before a driving Travis Head edged him to gully shortly after.

Alex Carey was reverse-sweeping Harmer straight to backward point, before Cooper Connolly edged behind in the same over.

Ultimately, only a late 90-ball vigil from Cummins and unbeaten 33 from Nathan Lyon saw Australia avoid being all out for less than 100 in consecutive Tests for the first time since 1936-37.

“There were a few really poor decisions,” Cummins said.

“I know it was a day-five wicket, but I don’t think it was drastic. There’s runs to be scored out there, there’s lots of balls to face.

“We’ve got to get better. It’s happened a few times. When we turned up here today, we thought that chase was very achievable.”

The result leaves Australia with losses in three of their past five Tests, with the shock defeat to Bangladesh in Darwin no longer a one-off.

But Cummins insisted all was not broken with the side, ahead of a home series against New Zealand and marquee tours of India and England.

“Ideally we would have had a little bit better record than that,” he said.

“I still think we’re a really good side … We had our moments in every Test, a couple of Tests ago we had a big win against them.

“We’re really well placed, but clearly there’s been a few moments in the last couple of Tests where a few more of us need to step up.”

Australia will be left to rue several moments in a series where a draw looked the worst possible outcome, like when they had South Africa 6-110 on day three of a wet second Test.

But the Proteas fought back, rolled through Australia and won to level the series.

Australia then claimed a 100-run first innings lead in Cape Town and had South Africa 4-140 in the third innings, before Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder’s centuries on day four.

Ultimately, that was enough for the Proteas take first spot off Australia in the ICC Test rankings, while also leapfrogging them into the top-two in the race to next year’s World Test Championship final.

-with AAP