For most of the third day, this looked like a Test that was slipping toward a familiar Australian script. Then South Africa found just enough resistance to stay alive, even if the final picture was hardly reassuring: 140 for 4, a lead of only 40, and six wickets still in hand in a match that now feels properly balanced.
Earlier in the day, Australia resumed at 330 for 4 and were eventually bowled out for 429, which left them 100 ahead. Josh Inglis and Alex Carey had added 40 after resuming at 145, but Simon Harmer ended both innings of momentum when he dismissed Inglis for 102 and Carey for 80. Pat Cummins was then trapped lbw when Australia’s lead had been cut to 50, before Mitchell Starc was caught behind off Gerald Coetzee, Nathan Lyon edged Wiaan Mulder to Harmer, and Cooper Connolly fell for 29.
The closing burst mattered more than the totals
The real turning point came in the final eight balls of the day. Temba Bavuma, who had batted through day after day in Gqeberha before this match, was bowled by Nathan Lyon late on day three. That dismissal did not just remove South Africa’s captain; it changed the tone of the entire finish. Instead of stumps arriving with a settled platform, South Africa were left at 140 for 4 and still staring at a deficit that is small enough to chase, but large enough to force caution.
That is what makes this position so interesting. South Africa are not buried, but they are not in control either. A 40-run lead in a deciding Test is no sort of cushion, especially when the innings has already been punctured by Australia’s bowling and by the pressure of needing to absorb another day of hard work. Kagiso Rabada was not allowed to bowl for seven overs because of time spent off the field, which only added another layer to South Africa’s challenge.
Simon Harmer’s role is also hard to ignore. The piece around this match described him as enjoying a late-career Test renaissance, and his pair of strikes against Inglis and Carey showed why that matters. He did not just limit the scoring; he interrupted Australia at the moments when the innings threatened to run away from South Africa.
Still, the evening belonged to the tension created by Bavuma’s dismissal. South Africa survived the day, but only barely, and the match now rests on a knife edge. Australia have the momentum from the last phase of play, while South Africa have the kind of fragile lead that can disappear in a session if the batting does not settle quickly. Wiaan Mulder’s name will sit in that story because his edge to Harmer was part of the late collapse in rhythm, but the bigger picture is simple: this Test decider has moved into the stage where every wicket feels decisive.
