Kagiso Rabada and Simon Harmer combined to reduce Australia to 60 for seven at lunch on day five in pursuit of an improbable 288 for victory in the third and deciding Dafabet test at YesPlay Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
South Africa's bowling attack and some inauspicious decisions from the visitors, left the Proteas needing just three wickets in two sessions of cricket to clinch the third test and the series 2-1.
Rabada (3-14) handed the home side the perfect start when in the first over, dismissed Matt Renshaw for a first-ball duck, strangling the left-hander down the legside with Ryan Rickelton taking a good catch diving to his right.
Three deliveries later Marnus Labuschagne shouldered-arms to a ball outside the off-stump with the ball jagging back and umpire Richard Kettelborough raised the dreaded finger for lbw. Labuschagne signalled for a review but DRS confirmed Labuschagne's departure for four to leave Australia 5-2.
More Rabada magic followed with the big wicket of Travis Head (14), driving at a delivery outside the off-stump and the left-hander steered it straight into the massive mitts of Marco Jansen in the gully region, giving Rabada his 350th test wicket, and leaving Australia in a heap of dung at 22 for three.
Harmer (3-5) offered Josh Inglis a life when on two, a sharp chance off his own bowling that he was not able to latch onto with Australia 32 for three. Inglis' life would not last long though as a suicide-run saw Marques Ackerman quickly return the ball to Rickelton, who whipped the bails off with Inglis (4) short of his ground.
Harmer struck twice in his fourth over when Alex Carey played a ludicrous reverse-sweep with Jansen diving forward from short fine-leg to take a great catch and then two balls later Cooper Connolly edged behind to Rickleton to leave Australia 42 for six half-an-hour before lunch.
Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc batted bravely for the final half hour to the luncheon interval with both batsmen turning down singles to protect their wickets. Green faced 73 deliveries for his unbeaten 25 however Starc played the final ball before lunch into his pad from Harmer and was caught by substitute fielder, Corbin Bosch.
Pat Cummins had won the toss on day one, asking the Proteas to bat first, a decision that looked to backfire when Aiden Markram (78) and Marques Ackerman (95) produced an opening stand of 158. However, the Proteas faltered and despite a seventh wicket stand of 95 between Rickelton (42) and Jansen (52), South Africa were bundled out for 329 at the close of the first day.
Devastating bowling from Starc (6-72) in the final session ripped the heart out of the South African first innings, especially with the new ball when he claimed four wickets for just two runs.
Australia finished off the second day in a powerful position, taking a one run lead with only four wickets down as Renshaw (74) added 58 for the first wicket with Head (41) and 126 for the third wicket with Green (65). Inglis (102) and Alex Carey (80) ended the day with an unbeaten 145-run stand for the fifth wicket.
However, South Africa fought back, ending the fifth-wicket stand on 185 and dismissing Australia for 429 shortly after lunch on the third day, taking the final six wickets for just 59 runs. Simon Harmer (4-104 was the key, removing both Inglis and Carey as well as Head and Labuschagne while Jansen ended with 3-60.
The Proteas ended day three in a precarious position of 140 for four, having lost Temba Bavuma (35) five minutes before the close of play. Ackerman produced another good display with the bat, scoring 62 while adding 64 runs for the third wicket with Bavuma.
Day four belonged to Rickleton (102), who scored his third test century and going past 1000 test runs, and Mulder, who marshalled the tail well in scoring 115 before being last man out. Rickleton and Mulder shared in a vital stand of 154 from 319 balls for the fifth wicket before a mix-up saw Rickelton run out by Inglis at the non-striker's end.
Mulder and Rabada (2*) really frustrated the Australians with a vital 36-run stand for the final wicket as South Africa were bowled out at the close for 387, setting the visitors a target of 288 to win the test and the series.
Starc continued to have a good test with the ball, adding 3-65 to his six wickets in the first innings while Cummins (2-71) and Nathan Lyon (2-101) contributed.
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram, Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (capt), Matthew Breetzke, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada.
AUSTRALIA: Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
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