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A exhilarating, hard-fought Test series that has repeatedly swung on a knife-edge is headed for a grandstand finish on the final day at Newlands. When the chips were down, Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder's robust centuries spearheaded a phenomenal Day 4 batting fightback for South Africa, driving the hosts to a total of 387 in their second innings. The marathon effort has set Australia a stern victory target of 288 runs to clinch the third Test and claim the series decider.
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Australia left chasing 288 in 3rd Test after South Africa's batting defiance
As the shadows lengthened over the iconic ground on Friday evening, cameras captured a padded-up Marco Jansen sitting peacefully on the home dressing room balcony. He had spent the best part of six hours watching Rickelton and Mulder defy Australia’s world-class bowling attack. Jansen likely relished every extra minute he spent waiting: the Newlands surface had developed unmistakable signs of wear, with deliveries jumping, staying low, and turning sharply off visible rough patches. Yet, the left-right duo battled through the surface's trickery, refusing to yield across a massive 318-ball partnership that shifted the entire momentum of the series.
South Africa resumed the fourth morning at 140/4, effectively holding a fragile 40-run lead with Rickelton joined by Matthew Breetzke. The pitch had dried out significantly overnight under bright morning sunshine, creating an ideal scenario for Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon. Recognizing the conditions, Pat Cummins handed Lyon the very first over of the morning to immediately test the Proteas’ middle order.
The duel between Lyon and South Africa’s top order quickly became a tactical battleground. Against right-handed batters, Lyon extracted sharp turn and bite off the rough outside the off stump. Consequently, Rickelton’s role as the lone left-hander in South Africa's upper order proved vital. Rickelton skillfully adjusted his technique, using his long reach and precise footwork to smother the off-spinner’s turn right at the pitch of the ball.
At the opposite end, Mitchell Starc engaged Breetzke in a tense battle of patience and endurance, constantly testing him with well-directed short-pitched bowling. With spin becoming a dominant factor, Cummins even rotated part-timer Cooper Connolly into the attack to expand his slow-bowling options.
It was Cummins himself, however, who delivered the long-awaited breakthrough. Having bowled 372 balls in the match without a wicket, the Australian captain finally struck. Breetzke fell into a meticulously set trap, trying to swivel-pull a short ball off his hips only to top-edge it straight to Starc at deep backward square leg. Breetzke walked off shaking his head in visible frustration, departed for a grinding 43 off 121 balls, ending a valuable 50-run fifth-wicket stand.
With turn metrics recorded before lunch reaching session-high levels for the Test match, Cummins introduced a parade of spin options, Connolly, Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, and Marnus Labuschagne—to complement Lyon. Facing an increasingly tricky pitch, Rickelton and the incoming Mulder adopted a defensive strategy. They blocked out Australia’s relentless tight lines, scoring just 62 runs in 28 overs during the morning session to take South Africa to 202/5 at lunch, with the overall lead just breaking past 100.
Rickelton and Mulder's tons shift momentum for Proteas
Hoping to break through before South Africa’s lead grew out of reach, Australia took the second new ball right after the lunch break. Starc was brought back to shake things up, but he could not replicate the lethal swing he produced under overcast skies on Day 1. With the sun shining brightly over Newlands, the pitch offered minimal aerial movement, forcing Starc to drag his lengths back early in his spell.
With Australia’s primary attacking options neutralized, Rickelton and Mulder seized the initiative, slowly accelerating the run rate. The second session saw South Africa add 92 runs in 28 overs without losing a single wicket, gradually driving the match beyond Australia's reach.
Mulder brought up a hard-earned half-century—his first fifty in Test cricket since his landmark triple-century against Zimbabwe. Shortly thereafter, Rickelton reached his second Test century, raising his bat to loud cheers from the Cape Town crowd.
However, just as South Africa seemed set to build a dominant position, a moment of miscommunication ended the match-defining 154-run partnership. Rickelton was caught out in a disastrous mix-up in the middle and was run out for 101. The breakthrough provided Australia a vital foothold, considering South Africa's history of lower-order collapses.
Mulder Drives the Lead Before Tail Folds in evening session
Despite losing his partner, Mulder kept his focus and continued to anchor the innings. Australia’s bowlers quickly struck again at the other end. Jansen fell to a mistimed pull shot, offering a catch to deep square leg off Starc for a duck. Soon after, Lyon produced a delivery that gripped and spun through the defense of Simon Harmer, knocking over his stumps.
South Africa's command of the match wobbled further when another run-out struck the lower order. Mulder hit a boundary off Lyon to take the lead past 250, but three balls later, Gerald Coetzee was caught short at the bowler's end by a direct hit from Labuschagne at backward point.
Joined by Kagiso Rabada for the final wicket, Mulder switched into an aggressive mode to maximize the target. Mulder reached his century in style off 204 deliveries, bringing the Newlands crowd to its feet.
As the shadows lengthened across the ground, Mulder unleashed late fireworks, launching a six over long-on off Cummins followed by a slog-sweep over the ropes off Lyon. His counter-attacking knock finally ended on 115 when Cummins had him caught by Starc in the deep. South Africa were bowled out for 387 in 134.4 overs, ending the day with a solid 287-run lead.
Day 5 sets up a classic fourth-innings pursuit with all three results on the table. Australia require 288 runs on a pitch showing variable bounce and sharp turn, while South Africa's pace attack led by Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen need 10 wickets to wrap up a memorable series victory at home.
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