South Africa set Australia 288 in Cape Town as Mulder and Rickelton hit centuries

South Africa and Australia produced a dramatic fourth day of the Third Test in Cape Town (day four of five), with South Africa bowled out for 387 in the final over to leave Australia requiring 288 for victory. Wiaan Mulder finished unbeaten on 115 and Ryan Rickelton made 101; Australia had earlier posted 429 with Josh Inglis scoring 102 and Simon Harmer taking 4-104.

South Africa began day four on 40-4 but recovered to add 387 in their second innings after a period when defeat appeared likely turned into a position where a series win was a real possibility. WinViz, the CricViz predictive tool, gives the hosts a 54% chance of victory. The match scorecard now reads South Africa 329 & 387; Australia 429, leaving Australia 288 to chase.

Rickelton and Mulder converted their starts into centuries as wickets became scarce when they applied themselves, each reaching their third and fourth Test hundreds respectively. Rickelton’s innings ended with a run out; Marco Jansen then pulled to deep square leg and Gerald Coetzee was also run out, three dismissals attributed to batter error in a collapse of 4-61 that left South Africa nine down and 251 runs ahead. Mulder and number 11 Kagiso Rabada added a further 36 runs before stumps.

Simon Harmer was prominent earlier, taking 4-104 in Australia’s first innings by dismissing Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis and Alex Carey. In the final session Harmer’s own wicket, bowled shouldering arms by a Nathan Lyon delivery which turned back sharply, underlined how the surface was behaving late in the day. The 37-year-old Essex veteran, who once considered playing for England, is noted in the match report as likely to be crucial.

CricViz’s PitchViz metric registered a jump to 6.6 in the final session, the highest and therefore most difficult rating recorded in the Test. The ball was turning significantly more at that stage than at any point across the previous four days. South Africa’s false shot percentage fell to 11% on day four from 18% on day three; uneven bounce has not been a consistent feature, although one delivery to Rickelton shortly after tea did shoot low.

If Australia attempt the chase on day five it would rank as the second-highest successful fourth-innings chase at Newlands in the ground’s 62 previous Tests. The highest fourth-innings chase at the venue remains Australia’s pursuit of 331 for a four-wicket win in 2002 when Ricky Ponting made 100 not out. There have been five other fourth-innings totals above 288 at Newlands and those were recorded in matches that ended in defeats or where a draw was salvaged.

Australia’s record in fourth-innings chases between 200 and 350 was poor between 2008 and 2019, with the side failing in 14 of 17 such attempts, but the report notes that Cummins’ men have completed successful pursuits of 282 and 279 since 2023 and achieved a notable Perth victory last year. One player highlighted as a potential match-winner is Travis Head: the account recalls he scored 123 from 83 balls in the first Ashes Test almost a year ago when set 205, turning a tricky chase into a strong finish for Australia.

Saturday will provide another chance for Australia to perform under pressure, and the outcome of this Test will decide which team finishes the series top of the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings.