A grueling fourth day of the final Test at Newlands saw Australia’s players put through an intense physical workload, leaving at least nine squad members visibly covered in dust after battling the heat and flat conditions. Captain Pat Cummins was seen addressing his team in a midday huddle while eating a chicken wrap, having spent the lunch break reviewing tactics with the coaching staff and bowling attack. The team endured a heavy physical toll on a surface offering minimal assistance, highlighted by Mitchell Starc pushing through apparent calf cramping and two tumbles off his delivery stride during his spell. Or so it seemed like as he descended the stairs holding a chicken wrap and continued munching away on it while addressing his teammates in the customary huddle. It was only understandable that the Australian Test captain would have had little time in between his briefings and reviews with the coaching staff and his fellow bowlers about the plan of attack for the second session. It was but a great glimpse into the arduous challenge that the Australians were up against on the warmest day of the Test on a surface that had given them the bare minimum assistance. There was a starker illustration of simply how tough a day it had been a bit later in the piece when Mitchell Starc stood at the top of his mark in his umpteenth spell of the South African second innings. He walked around like he was battered and bruised. Starc wasn’t the only Australian on the field who looked like he was going to use up all his laundry allowance before the trip back home over the weekend.
South Africa set a target of 288 for Australia to chase on the final day to claim the Test series. Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder spearheaded the hosts’ second-innings resistance, taking full advantage of the benign pitch conditions. Almost all of South Africa’s second-innings dismissals resulted from batting errors, with the exception of Marques Ackerman, who fell to an unplayable delivery from Starc that stayed unexpectedly low from the Kelvin Grove End. It was also however a great window into what the South Africans will be up against on the final day of the Cape Town Test as they look to defend 288 and seal the series.
Nathan Lyon served as Australia’s primary threat throughout the day, operating effectively from the Wynberg End by targeting the wide rough outside the right-hander’s off-stump. Lyon frequently troubled Mulder with sharp turn, though the all-rounder displayed strong defense by moving across his stumps and working the ball to the leg side. Lyon finished the day with the single wicket of Simon Harmer, who was bowled off his bottom glove after shouldering arms. It wouldn’t have surprised anyone though.
Batting appeared significantly more manageable for left-handers, as Rickelton noted that the middle of the pitch continued to play true with manageable turn. While South Africa could potentially use Ackerman’s part-time leg-spin to target the rough outside the left-handers’ off-stump—similar to Australia’s use of Marnus Labuschagne—visitors Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey, and Cooper Connolly are expected to manage the matchup without major disruption.
As Australia prepares for the final run chase, Kagiso Rabada poses the principal threat for the hosts despite going wicketless in the first innings. Australia’s quicks adapted late in the day by targeting a fuller, straighter line, a tactic Rabada is anticipated to replicate. Additionally, Marco Jansen could exploit the uneven bounce from the Kelvin Grove End, which previously caused Rickelton to misjudge a delivery that stayed low. Armed with technical insights gained from their hard toil on Day 4, Australia enters the final day aiming to complete the 288-run chase to secure the series.
