South Africa set Australia 288 in Newlands decider after Rickelton and Mulder tons
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- South Africa were bowled out for 387 on day four. Australia need 288 runs to win the third Test at Newlands.
- Ryan Rickelton hit 101 and Wiaan Mulder hit 115. Their 154-run stand turned the match around.
- Australia started the chase badly and were 41/4 early on day five. The winner takes the No. 1 Test ranking.
South Africa have set Australia a target of 288 runs. This will win the third and deciding Test at Newlands in Cape Town. Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder both scored hundreds on day four.
Australia then lost four early wickets on the final day. The series is tied 1-1, and the world No. 1 ranking is on the line.
What happened
South Africa started day four in a weak spot. They were 140 for 4 in their second innings. Their lead was only 40 runs.
Australia looked ready to take control.
Matthew Breetzke was the first wicket to fall. He scored 43 runs. He tried a pull shot off Pat Cummins.
Mitchell Starc caught him on the boundary. Cummins ended a long dry spell. He had gone more than 62 overs without a wicket since the first Test in Durban.
Then Rickelton and Mulder took over the game. They batted together for nearly 54 overs. They added 154 runs for the sixth wicket.
Australia tried eight different bowlers. Nothing worked.
South Africa were 202 for 5 at lunch. After lunch, the pair shut Australia out. They scored 92 runs in the middle session.
They also faced the second new ball without trouble. Rickelton reached his fifty off 105 balls. Mulder was unbeaten on 46 at tea.
Rickelton reached his hundred off 219 balls. It was his third Test hundred. He hit 12 fours.
It was also the first hundred by a South Africa batter at No. 6 in the third or fourth innings of a Test since 2022.
The stand broke in a painful way. Mulder watched the ball roll to backward point. He sent Rickelton back too late.
The throw beat him. Rickelton was run out for 101.
Then the innings fell apart quickly. Four wickets fell for only 16 runs. Gerald Coetzee was also run out.
Mulder turned him back too late. Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer fell cheaply. Australia had the pressure back.
South Africa were nine down, and Mulder was on 83. He attacked now. His first fifty took 138 balls.
His second fifty took only 66 balls. He reached his hundred off 204 balls. It was his fourth Test hundred.
He hit 10 fours and four sixes.
Mulder was the last man out. He pulled Cummins to the deep. Starc caught him on the boundary.
The crowd clapped him all the way off. South Africa were all out for 387 in 134.4 overs. Australia needed 288 to win.
Starc took 3 for 65. He took nine wickets in the whole match. Cummins took 2 for 71.
Nathan Lyon took 2 for 101. The ball was turning for him.
Rickelton spoke after the day. "It was about trying to win the small moments," he told Sky Sports. "We knew we were effectively 40 for four this morning.
And that Australia would come hard at us."
He said the plan was simple. "It was about spending time at the crease. Not worrying about scoring runs.
We had our plans and needed to stick to them."
"We knew the longer we batted, the more frustrated Australia would become," he said. "Perhaps they expected things to happen quickly because of the deteriorating wicket."
Why it matters
This is a series decider. The three-match series is level at 1-1. Australia won the first Test by 214 runs in Durban.
South Africa hit back with a win by an innings and 31 runs in Gqeberha. Now everything comes down to Newlands.
The winner also takes the No. 1 spot in the Test world rankings. Australia hold it now.
South Africa are the world champions. They will take it if they win. That is a huge prize on top of the series.
The chase is a tough one. To win, Australia must complete the second-highest successful chase ever at Newlands. It would be the second-best in 137 years of Test cricket there.
Australia hold that record. They chased 331 in 2002.
The pitch is helping South Africa. It is wearing out. The ball is turning and bouncing unevenly.
Josh Inglis spoke about the pitch on Thursday. He said a chase of over 200 would be hard on the last day. Australia now need far more than that.
South Africa also have fresh bowlers. Their attack has rested for more than a day and a half. Off-spinner Simon Harmer is in form.
The turning pitch suits him well. Australia need to score at more than three runs an over against him.
The first innings also tell the story. South Africa scored 329 first. Australia replied with 429.
That gave them a 100-run lead. Matt Renshaw, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, and Alex Carey all scored fifties for Australia. Colin Ackermann hit a fifty for South Africa.
But day four wiped out that lead completely.
This has been a back-and-forth series. Rickelton summed it up well. "It's been a special series.
It's ebbed and flowed across all three games," he said. "Both teams have got ahead at different stages, only for the other to fight back."
For fans, this is the best kind of Test cricket. A full five days. A real chase.
A ranking on the line. Test matches like this remind you why the long format still matters.
What happens next
Day five started badly for Australia. Early on, they were 41 for 4 after about 16 overs. The chase was falling apart fast.
Kagiso Rabada struck early. He removed Travis Head for 14 runs. That was Rabada's 350th Test wicket.
It is a big career landmark. Marco Jansen took the catch.
Then Simon Harmer struck twice in one over. He tempted Cooper Connolly into a loose drive. The ball turned and took the edge.
Rickelton caught it behind the stumps. Connolly was out for a duck. Australia were in deep trouble.
"No draw tomorrow," he said before the final day. "It's win or lose, I guess." A result looked certain now.
The early wickets suggest he was right.
Australia still have batting to come. But they need close to 250 more runs with only six wickets left. On a turning pitch, that is a mountain to climb.
South Africa need six more wickets. The draw is still possible if rain or bad light steps in. But all signs point to a result.
If South Africa win, they take the series 2-1. They also take the No. 1 Test ranking.
If Australia somehow chase 288, they keep the ranking and win the series. A draw would leave the series 1-1.
The match is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27. Points from this game count toward the final. That adds even more weight to the last day.
Play continues through the final day at Newlands. With Australia four down so early, South Africa are firm favorites. But Test cricket has surprised people before.
The short-format game moves fast, yet nothing beats a fifth-day chase like this one.
Close observers will also watch the bowlers. Rabada is hunting more milestones. Harmer has the pitch he wanted.
Starc has nine wickets already and could reach ten. Big bowling spells have defined this series, and one more could decide it.
The bottom line
South Africa turned 140 for 4 into 387. Two hundreds and a late collapse set up a 288-run chase. Australia then lost four quick wickets on the final morning.
One more push from the bowlers could seal the series and the ranking.
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