Match Summary
- South Africa329 & 387 (Mulder 115, Rickelton 101)
- Australia429 (Inglis 102; Harmer 4-104)
- TargetAustralia require 288 runs to win
- ContextWinner secures the top spot in the ICC Test rankings
South Africa staged a remarkable turnaround on day four of the decisive third Test against Australia at Cape Town, turning early trouble into a strong position to secure a series triumph. After starting the day in effect at 40-4, the hosts were eventually dismissed for 387 in the final over, setting Australia a fourth-innings chase of 288 runs. Having effectively began day four on 40-4, South Africa batted on and on against Australia in Cape Town to move from a position where defeat looked likely to one where a series victory is a real possibility.
The Proteas’ fightback was anchored by Ryan Rickelton, who scored 101, and Wiaan Mulder, who was the last man out for 115. Few opportunities were created, when Rickelton and Mulder applied themselves. Few sides have been better in key moments in the modern era.
Their third and fourth Test centuries came as Australia’s bowling attack tired in the afternoon and evening sessions.
After Rickelton fell to a run out, a quick lower-order slide of four wickets for 61 runs—including Marco Jansen pulling to deep square leg and Gerald Coetzee being run out—left South Africa at nine down with a 251-run lead. Mulder then partnered with number 11 Kagiso Rabada to add a brisk 36 runs for the final wicket before the innings closed. Suggested run-scoring is not impossible, that Mulder and number 11 Kagiso Rabada flogged 36 before the close.
Data analysts CricViz and their WinViz tool give South Africa a 54% chance of winning the match. If Australia successfully reach the 288-run target on the fifth day, it will mark the second-highest successful fourth-innings chase in the 62 Tests played at Newlands. The ground record remains Australia’s 331-6 in 2002, sealed by an unbeaten 100 from Ricky Ponting. Five other fourth-innings scores above 288 at the venue ended in losses or draws. WinViz – the tool analysts CricViz use to predict such results – gives the hosts a 54% chance of victory.
Conditions became increasingly difficult late in the day. CricViz’s PitchViz surface rating climbed to 6.6 in the final session, marking the hardest playing conditions of the match. While the ball turned significantly more than on the previous four days, South Africa’s batters showed control, recording a false shot percentage of just 11% compared to 18% on day three. Uneven bounce remains a growing factor, highlighted by a delivery to Rickelton after tea that kept low. Comfortably the highest (thus most difficult) rating of the Test, the PitchViz rating – CricViz’s way of assessing the difficulty of a surface – jumped to 6.6 in the final session.
Spin is expected to play a decisive role on the final day. Off-spinner Simon Harmer bowled Simon Harmer-like efficiency in the first innings, taking 4-104 by removing key Australian batters Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, and Alex Carey. The 37-year-old Essex veteran underlined the pitch’s assistance late on day four when he bowled Simon Harmer after the batter left a ball that turned sharply. The pitch will play its part, as ever in such scenarios.
Australia’s batting lineup faces a severe test under pressure, though recent history offers encouragement. Almost a year ago in the first Ashes Test, opener Travis Head smashed 123 off 83 balls to turn a 205-run target into a rapid victory over England. While Australia struggled in fourth-innings chases between 2008 and 2019—failing in 14 out of 17 attempts between 200 and 350—Pat Cummins’ side has reversed that trend, completing successful chases of 282 and 279 since 2023 alongside their Perth win last year. Between 2008 and 2019, when Australia had a poor record in situations such as these, there was a time.
With the outcome of this Test also determining which nation ends the series at the top of the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings, a thrilling final day awaits in Cape Town.
Important Details
- A gripping series has the finale it deserves.
