Lions duo help SA set Australia a target of 288 on the final day

The home of the Cobras, was invaded by Lions on Friday, with provincial teammates Wiaan Mulder and Ryan Rickelton putting South Africa in a position, where victory looks like a real option, something that wasn’t the case when the fourth day started.

Rickelton likes it here - Cape Town that is, and especially the suburb of Newlands and its storied cricket ground. Mulder has less affinity for the venue, but will now, after he was able to thrust both arms in the air at the end of a day and soak in the applause of a grateful crowd and especially teammates, who shared in everyone’s standing ovation.

It was here in January 2025, that Rickelton and the nation celebrated SA’s qualification for the World Test Championship final, as the left-hander lent the occasion the appropriate lustre with a glorious double hundred against Pakistan.

In two previous visits to the venue with his provincial team, the DP World Lions, he made centuries on both occasions and a 90.

“To come back to a place of familiarity, a place of success, recent success, past success as well, is something I think batters and players have a lot of confidence in and can draw from,” Rickelton said before this Test.

Talk about speaking it into existence. Rickelton produced a monumental effort at what must now out-rank even the Wanderers where he grew up, as his favourite venue.

It wasn’t as long nor as substantial in terms of runs, but consequentially, his five hour, 101, may be even better and certainly of great value.

Rickelton needed every ounce of focus and concentration he could muster, as the Proteas sought to build a target that would at least give them a chance of winning this match. At 140/4 when Rickelton resumed with Matthew Breetzke on Friday morning, the lead was only 40 runs.

“Focus on the first hour,” had been Simon Harmer’s advice on Thursday night, and in that regard, the pair did their jobs perfectly, adding only 31 runs in the first 60 minutes of play, but most importantly ensuring they didn’t get out.

Twenty minutes after the drinks break, Breetzke was out - yet another Proteas batter falling with the pull shot. At that stage the lead was only 81.

But that is where Rickelton and Mulder started their odyssey. Rickelton staying in his bubble, refusing to fall for Australia’s short ball strategy, being watchful to an extreme degree against Nathan Lyon, and whoever else Pat Cummins turned as a spin option, while he continued to leave the ball well, and drive conservatively.

It was remorseless, it needed to be. At the other end, Mulder was showing due care too, but there was a greater willingness to seek out the boundary as he did when slog-sweeping Lyon in the penultimate over before the second new ball was due.

Even the use of the new Kookaburra didn’t cause much discomfort for the Proteas pair, who actually raised their intensity in the hour after lunch.

It wasn’t easy, especially against Lyon, who was still getting balls bouncing viciously out of the rough, including one that had Rickelton nervous, when it deviated out of the footmarks, straight to first slip . The umpires chose to check for an edge, but thankfully there was none.

Rickelton wouldn’t be rushed as the land mark approached, he remained a study in concentration, his bubble only breaking when thrust his arms in the air at his favourite venue once more.

Given the nature of the match, there had to be a twist; Mulder was responsible for running out his partner for 101 - with Josh Inglis’s alertness worthy of praise. The pair’s sixth wicket partnership was worth 154 runs.

SA lost 4/16 in six overs, as Mulder neared his hundred, with the prospect of a surprise declaration disappearing during that period. With another Lions player, Kagiso Rabda, showing restraint - and expert forward defence - Mulder opened up, driving Lyon through the covers for two to bring up his fourth Test hundred.

He was caught pulling for 115 - ya, that shot again - in the final over as SA were dismissed for 387, leaving Australia a target of 288 to win the series on the final day, Saturday.

It will be tense. It is the ending this epic Test match and series deserves.