• Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder hit hundreds for hosts

• Australia face last-day chase to clinch Test and the series

It would be unfair to say that Australia let a winning position slip on the fourth day of the third Test at Cape Town, only because that would undersell how Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder prised it away. Australia’s vaunted four bowlers, owners of 1,674 wickets at day’s beginning, could only raise that to 1,678 by day’s end. In the process, a lead of 40 became 287. South Africa had been 40 for four in the first innings at Gqeberha and bounced back to win; they were effectively 40 for four in the third innings here, and now have a great chance to do the same.

The unlikely basis was Rickelton, a franchise circuiteer who spends most of his year smiting runs or keeping wicket in 20-over blocks. In this series he was monstered in Durban by Josh Hazlewood, out for none and two while pinch-hitting as an opener, then made scant impression down the order with 31 in Gqeberha. He looked like a modern cricketer become anachronism in this ancient form.

Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder made fine centuries as South Africa fought back to set up a fascinating final day

52nd over: South Africa 151-4 (Breetzke 23, Rickelton 15) There they go! Rickelton gets a ball from Lyon that is not exactly short, but the batter gets back and leans away to make the length and the width he wants, cuts behind point for four. One good partnership and this could very much be South Africa’s day.

“Morning Geoff. Fire up the CRUCIAL FIRST SESSION machine, this really will decide the match. I’m wondering, do you think South Africa missed a trick with only one frontline spinner here? Given the turn and it only getting more exaggerated through the game, Lyon is backed up by Connolly and Renshaw? Coetzee hasn’t really fired - yet - so you wonder what Maharaj could’ve done here...”

• South Africa lead Australia by 40 runs with six wickets remaining

• Ackerman out for 62 as Bavuma dismissed on 35 in Cape Town

If Temba Bavuma was decisive for South Africa as he batted through day after day in Gqeberha, his fall in the shadow of stumps on the third day might prove as decisive at Cape Town. Bowled by a Nathan Lyon classic with eight balls to go, he saw his team reach stumps at 140 for 4, with a lead of just 40 to build on. Australia had started the day at 330 for 4, their lead exactly 100 by the time they were bowled out for 429.

It was Josh Inglis and Alex Carey resuming a partnership at 145, calmly adding another 40 while sleepy South Africans gave up boundaries with misfields. A peaceable surface and a sunny morning had the Australian pair set to go large, especially with Kagiso Rabada not allowed to bowl for seven overs due to time spent off the field.

An Inglis century and a flurry of wickets late in the day has Australia in control as South Africa close the third day on 140-4, leading by 40 runs in their second innings.

93rd over: Australia 338-4 (Inglis 90, Carey 54) Jansen wakes up Carey with a shorter ball. He gets the ball angling into the left-hander before ending the over with two more bouncers. Maiden.

92nd over: Australia 338-4 (Inglis 90, Carey 54) Wiaan Mulder takes the ball for South Africa. Have to think Kagiso Rabada is still feeling below full fitness as he stands in the field with his side desperate for an early breakthrough or two. Gerald Coetzee dives over the ball at mid-on and it races away to the boundary. It was an exquisite straight drive from Inglis and Coetzee got an unlucky bounce. But that is two little slices of misfortune that have already struck the Proteas today.

• Keepers rebuild the innings to reach 330-4 at the close

• Green sparkles but Labuschagne duck must be the end

If Cape Town’s first day was a rollercoaster, the second was some more sedate form of transport, though it continued with ups and downs fitting its mountainous backdrop. Twice, South Africa produced double strikes to stall promising Australian positions; twice the Australians rebuilt. Finally, Josh Inglis and Alex Carey pushed Australia in front, 330 for four to South Africa’s all out 329, ready to surge on through day three with those six wickets left in hand.

While Travis Head was there, Australia’s first session threatened to match South Africa’s the day before, when Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman had piled on 140 against a bewildered attack. Head threw his hands at width, mixing luck with skill for seven boundaries. His new foil Matthew Renshaw showed contrasting temperament for the opening role, leaving and defending the new ball with the clarity he had shown in the middle order in Durban, underlining why he was the original candidate to replace Jake Weatherald at the top before the selectors’ brief and ill-fated Nic Maddinson excursion.

South African stands out, not just because of his height, but England and Australia now find themselves looking for an equivalent

If you were to bioengineer a cricketer in a laboratory, which attributes would you give them? You would make them tall, with long limbs and a whiplash action to extract steep bounce. Add speed, movement both ways and a left arm to offer a point of difference. With the bat, make sure they can whack sixes but also go down the gears when an innings starts to unravel. For an added trait, have them catch meteorites in the outfield and the cordon.

You might end up with Marco Jansen. At the start of the third Test, the 6ft 8in South African had taken 99 Test wickets at 20.81. His 85 against Australia at Gqeberha in the second Test came after South Africa had slumped to 110 for six before his counterattack helped turn a precarious position into an innings victory. Jansen is still developing as a batter, but his 25.66 average before this current Test understates his potential.

Inglis (85*) and Carey (51*) put on unbeaten 145 for the sixth wicket as Australia take a one run lead into the third day of deciding Test in Cape Town.

2nd over: Australia 5-0 (Renshaw 5, Head 0) All 12 balls so far have been faced by Renshaw, after that sixth-ball single. He carries on as he played in Durban, leaving wherever possible. Jansen does beat his edge at one stage, getting movement away, but Renshaw doesn’t follow the ball. When Jansen ends the over going short at the body, Renshaw gets gloves underneath it. Very organised defensive approach to the over.

1st over: Australia 5-0 (Renshaw 5, Head 0) Lovely bounce and carry from Rabada with the new ball. Two left-handers for him to aim at. The sun is shining again, the sky brilliantly blue, it looks a lovely day on the Cape. You’d best believe the mountain is hulking over the shoulder of the ground like a suspicious bouncer. Rabada doesn’t use the bouncer himself, comes around the wicket after a few balls but bowls a low full toss, and Renshaw with placement rather than effort deflects his square drive behind point for four, then takes one.