DOWN TO THE WIRE: South Africa’s day sets up thrilling third Test and series finale against Australia

Magnificent centuries from Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder, who also shared a 154-run sixth wicket stand, pulled the Proteas in sight of an unlikely rearguard win in the third Test against Australia.

After conceding a 100-run first innings deficit, the Proteas made the Aussie bowlers toil on day four, scoring 387 all out with just three balls remaining to the close of play, having started the day on 140 for four.

The pitch was still very good for batting, although bowlers’ footmarks have created large rough patches for the spinners to gain some turn.

There are going to be no easy runs on offer in Australia’s chase that will resume on the final day, with the tourists needing 288 to win the Test and the series, which is locked at 1-1.

If they achieve the target, it will be the second highest run chase in Newlands’ history. In 2002, Ricky Ponting’s Australia chased down 331 in the fourth innings to beat South Africa.

Centurions

Rickelton’s five-hour vigil started late on day three and ended with a little under an hour to go to the close on day four. He scored 101 having started the day on eight.

He was unfortunately run out in a mix up with Mulder soon after reaching his fourth century at Newlands in his fourth first-class match at the venue.

It was a chanceless innings that also included a 50-run fifth wicket partnership with Matthew Breetzke (43).

Breetzke perished, like so many other Proteas batters, trying to hook a short ball. He was caught on the deep square leg boundary by Mitch Starc off the bowling of skipper Pat Cummins. It was Cummins’ first wicket since the first Test in Durban, having bowled 374 balls between wickets in this series.

It was also the only wicket that fell in the first two sessions of the day. The Proteas said the first hour would be vital, which it was, and although Breetzke was angry at himself for the way he fell into the Aussies’ short ball trap, he did his job.

Mulder and Rickelton were at school together at St Stithians College and came up through the Lions’ ranks. It was a special day to bat for so long together to put the Proteas in a position for an unlikely win, having effectively started day four on 40 for four.

When asked what it was like batting with his long-time friend, Rickelton, with tongue firmly in cheek, said: “It was really special until he ran me out. I was quite pissed off then.”

Once they were through the morning session, runs flowed more freely in the afternoon session.

Mulder arrived in the mood to live up to his talent with the bat, which had seen him score three previous Test centuries – one against Bangladesh and two against Zimbabwe, including a South African record 367 not out.

He and Rickelton blunted the second new ball, survived a short-ball barrage with some bruises and eventually forced Aussie skipper Cummins into using all his part-time spinners to try to make a breakthrough.

“I’m generally one that plays a short ball, but it wasn't worth it for me,” Rickelton said of his approach to his innings.

“I put it away and was willing to take a couple on the body. I know those big quicks; they’re charging, they get three or four overs under their belts, and if they get nothing from the batter, it really just drains them. It doesn’t incentivise them to keep going.”

Primary spinner Nathan Lyon put in some long shifts, but Cummins eventually turned to the part-time turn of Cooper Connolly, Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head to try and upset the batters’ rhythm.

Nothing worked as Mulder and Rickelton knuckled down.

As Rickelton approached his century, Cummins did everything to try to dry up the scoring, at one stage packing seven fielders on the off side and bowling wide of off stump.

It worked in slowing the pace of scoring, but it did not stop Rickelton from making his third Test century.

“Our plan was really just about trying to win the small moments,” he said.

“We knew they were going to come hard at us, and it was just about trying to spend time at the wicket. It was never about scoring runs, or getting too fired up ourselves, it was about having our plan, and sticking into it.

“I felt we started to reach out of this plan at times, so we just had to keep pulling each other in, because we knew the longer that we batted, the more frustrated they’d get.”

Fall of wickets

Mulder was on 69 when Rickelton fell and then watched as Marco Jansen (o), Simon Harmer, (1) and Gerald Coetzee all went quickly.

But a nuggety 36-run 10^th wicket stand with Kagiso Rabada (two not out), which required the spurning of runs to protect the tailender, eventually edged Mulder closer to his century.

A push into deep extra cover gave him the two runs he needed to reach the milestone. After going to three figures he hit two more sixes to extend the lead and target for Australia to chase. DM