Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder both hit centuries at Newlands on Friday.

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No one is counting anything yet. Not chickens, not matches, not series. In a contest that has swung wildly from session to session, tempting fate would be a dangerous game.

But South Africa, through sheer doggedness, application, and mental fortitude, have established a position from which they can now push for a victory in this captivating final Test.

Barely 24 hours before, at effectively 40/4 and with their inspirational captain Temba Bavuma dismissed shortly before the close, this was nothing but a fanciful dream.

However, as they have shown countless times over the past two years, the Proteas have dug deep into their chamber of resolve to find individuals who could absorb intense pressure before launching the counterattack.

On Friday, it was the turn of St Stithians duo Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder. Both struck telling centuries — Rickelton’s third and Mulder’s fourth — to turn this Test on its head once more.

While Matthew Breetzke fought valiantly in the morning for his 43, there was still plenty of heavy lifting to do if the Proteas were going to give their bowling unit anything remotely substantial to defend.

"Shuks always errs on the side of positivity. Whatever we get, it's going to be enough. It has to be enough!" Centurion Ryan Rickelton on Proteas coach Shukri Conrad inspiring the team to fight until the end on Day 5 @IOLsport @IOL #SAvAUS https://t.co/onmuKyLbU6

— Zaahier Adams (@ZaahierAdams) October 30, 2026

And that’s when Rickelton (101) and Mulder (115) got stuck in, literally putting their bodies on the line as the Australian pace juggernaut continued its bouncer barrage, whilst also using their skill to counter Nathan Lyon’s vicious turn extracted from the rough. It yielded a 154-run partnership that once again embodied the never-say-die attitude running right through the team.

“We're not a team packed with massive names and superstars, but we swim hard for each other, and we fight hard for each other, and we really try to do right by each other as well,” Rickelton said about the Proteas’ team culture. “We like to make it hard for ourselves. But Shuks always errs on the side of positivity.

“When I got eight runs last night, he said it's eight less that we have to get tomorrow. So, you know, it's always the conversations. Whatever we get, it's going to be enough. It has to be enough!

“And that belief that he keeps instilling in us as players, it echoes around the change from the small moments to obviously the larger moments of the group. But I think Temba leans on it as well. He always emphasises that there's an opportunity to do something special for the team every single day. And when it is your day, grab it with both hands. So that's kind of how we go about it. We're really supportive.”

Ryan Rickel𝐓𝐎𝐍 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ He stands up for South Africa with an impressive knock 🇿🇦🏏 📺 Stream #SAvAUS on DStv: https://t.co/rM90YyQxaw https://t.co/pWLdg1S0J1

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 30, 2026

The support was certainly evident during the partnership; when Mulder looked to be losing his shape shortly before the tea interval, Rickelton reined in his batting partner for the good of the team’s position.

“I felt Wiaan sometimes was starting to breach out of his plan, so just to keep pulling each other in, because we knew the longer that we batted, obviously, the more frustrated that they’d get,” he said.

“It was really just about trying to win the small moments. We knew, obviously, we were effectively 40/4 this morning. They were going to come hard at us, and it was just about trying to spend time at the crease.

“It was never about scoring runs or getting too far ahead of ourselves. It was having our plan and really sticking to it.”

The baton has now been handed over to the bowlers. Only once before has any team chased down more than the 288-run target Australia require for victory here at Newlands.

The fact that it was the Aussies, 24 years ago led by an inspired Ricky Ponting century, will not, however, be lost on the Proteas, for this Test is set to go down to the wire.