Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder stood firm for the Proteas as the home side went to tea on the fourth day of the third and deciding Dafabet test at 294 for five at YesPlay Newlands in Cape Town on Friday.
The pair added 113 unbeaten runs for the sixth wicket after resuming at 202 for five after the luncheon interval. The Australian bowlers toiled all session and even taking the new ball after 80 overs did not deter the South African pair.
Rickelton (83*) went to his second test 50 from 105 deliveries with seven boundaries while Mulder (46*) played the perfect foil, even evading short-pitched bowling with aplomb. The right-left combination brought up the 50-run stand from 88 balls and were then more circumspect in using another 105 deliveries for the next 50-runs, with Mulder whipping Josh Hazlewood (18-2-59-1) square for four runs.
South Africa pushed their overall lead to 194, giving them a little more comfort than they were at lunch, when their lead was just 102. Rickelton ended the session with 11 boundaries while Mulder struck three fours and a six over long-on from the bowling of Nathan Lyon (33-9-72-1)
The Proteas had begun the day in a perilous position of 140 for four with Matthew Breetzke (43) and Rickelton at the crease. Rickelton and Breetzke brought up the 50-run stand for the fifth wicket but then Breetzke played straight into the Australian hands by pulling Pat Cummins (18-3-54-1) straight to Mitchell Starc at fine leg, slashing the air with his bat as he walked off.
However, Mulder, sometimes suspect against the short ball, played well with Rickelton as South Africa added 92 runs in the middle session as the Newlands faithful applauded each run scored.
Cummins had won the toss on the first morning and asked South Africa to bat first, and the decision looked to backfire as South Africa posted an opening stand of 158 between Aiden Markram (78) and Marques Ackerman (95).
Despite David Bedingham (50) and Marco Jansen (52) notching up half centuries and a 41 from Rickelton, Starc(16.3-2-72-6) blew the South African lower order away with the new ball under cloudy skies. Starc's spell of 6-12 in six and a half overs had South Africa losing six wickets for 93 runs.
Lyon (2-72), Cooper Connolly (1-41) and Hazlewood (1-59) all contributed to South Africa's downfall.
Having begun the second day with an opening stand of 58 between Travis Head (41) and Matt Renshaw (74), Simon Harmer (37-6-104-4) struck twice before lunch, removing Head and Marnus Labuschagne (0) to leave the visitors on 90 for two at lunch.
South Africa again only tasted success twice in the middle session, as Jansen (18-5-55-2) had Renshaw caught behind and then Cameron Green (65) caught in the slips by Harmer.
The evening session belonged solely to Australia as Josh Inglis (102) and Alex Carey (80) added 145 unbeaten runs for the fifth wicket to put their side one run in the lead by the close. Carey had struck four boundaries in his 126 deliveries to head off unbeaten on 51 while Inglis was more aggressive, striking nine fours and two sixes from 111 balls to end the day on 85.
The Proteas did exceptionally well on day three, taking six wickets for 59 runs to dismiss Australia for 429 in their first innings, a lead of 100 on the Proteas first effort of 329 all out. Australia had begun the third day in a commanding position, 330 for four.
Inglis and Carey had already notched up 145 runs for the fifth wicket by the close on day two but managed to add a further 46 runs before Simon Harmer (37-6-104-4) struck, removing both Inglis and Carey to end the 191-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Kagiso Rabada (23-1-98-1), who had suffered with stomach cramps on day two, had Cummins trapped in front before Gerald Coetzee (19-4-70-1) had Starc (11) edging behind to Rickelton.
Mulder (21-5-63-1) did well to have Lyon (1) edging to Harmer at first slip before Jansen (22.1-7-60-3), the world's No 1 test allrounder, ended the innings when he took a catch off his own bowling to see the end of Connolly (29).
In response, the Proteas lost the early wickets of Markram (1) and Bedingham (11) before Ackerman (62) and Temba Bavuma (35) added 64 runs for the third wicket before a snorter from Starc (14-2-34-2) had Ackerman gloving to Cameron Green at first slip.
Then heartbreak for the home side as Bavuma was castled by Lyon (27-7-57-1) going for a big shot over mid-wicket to leave the hosts 140-4 at the close.
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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