Cricket
Proteas and Australia set for thrilling Newlands finale─── MORGAN PIEK 07:45 Sat, 31 Oct 2026
The three-Test series between South Africa and Australia is set for a thrilling conclusion in Cape Town on Saturday. With just one day of play remaining, it is perhaps a fitting end to what has been a contest between the world's two top-ranked teams.
Both sides remain firmly in the hunt for victory, with the series also up for grabs. The equation is simple: the Proteas need to take all ten Australian wickets, while the visitors require another 288 runs to win.
South Africa resumed their second innings on 140/4 on Thursday, holding a slender 40-run lead, but a magnificent partnership between Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder turned the contest on its head.
Ryan Rickelton. Photo: Cricinfo
Rickelton produced a patient yet masterful 101 off 219 deliveries, while Mulder followed suit with an impressive 115 off 221 balls. The pair combined for a crucial 154-run fifth-wicket partnership to put the Proteas firmly back in the driver’s seat.
Australia eventually fought back, with Mitchell Starc claiming three wickets for 65 runs, as South Africa were bowled out for 387. That left the visitors needing 288 runs for victory on the final day, with the three-match series, currently level at 1-1, hanging in the balance.
Other notable contributions with the bat for South Africa included Marques Ackerman’s 62, Matthew Breetzke’s 42 and Temba Bavuma’s defiant 35 off 115 deliveries.
Speaking after the day’s play, Rickelton admitted that he would not have imagined the series going down to the wire, with all three results still possible heading into the final day. “I wouldn’t have believed you if you had told me that we would be going into the fifth day of the third Test with all three results still possible.”
Wiaan Mulder. Photo: Cricinfo
“It’s been a special series. It’s ebbed and flowed throughout all three games, with both teams edging ahead before the other clawed their way back. There have been some mistakes, but also some really good cricket.
“It’s been a cracking series, and hopefully tomorrow is a really good day for South Africa. It’s a special place for me. It’s a lovely wicket to bat on, and I really enjoy being here. It’s not just the ground itself, but the essence of Cape Town that I enjoy.”
“It’s a special place, and I enjoy playing here in whatever format,” Rickelton added that the Proteas’ intention was to bat for as long as possible, frustrate the Australians and put themselves in a position where a draw was no longer a realistic outcome.
“We knew the longer we batted, the more frustrated Australia would become. What we did really well was focus on our partnership, understand what the bowlers were going to bring and stay present.”
Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. Photo: Cricinfo
“We had to be willing to absorb pressure for a long period. Sometimes it gets frustrating when you’re not scoring, but we kept reminding each other to hang in there because the runs would come. The longer we ground it out, the more Australia started to feel it.
“It’s win and win, or win and lose, I guess. There's no draw tomorrow.” The final day of the third Test, and the series, at Newlands gets underway on Saturday morning at 10:30.
