Mulder and Rickelton centuries put South Africa in command as Australia face a historic chase at Newlands

Cape Town: By the time stumps were drawn on the fourth day at Newlands, there was satisfaction in the South African dressing room and fatigue in the Australian one. Australia's bowlers managed only a single wicket across the first two sessions, and while they did enjoy a short burst of wickets after tea, the day still belonged to the home side. Wiaan Mulder top-scored with 115, his fourth Test century, and Ryan Rickelton made 101. Together they have left Australia needing to complete the second-highest successful run chase in 137 years of Test cricket at Newlands. Saturday, the fifth day, now shapes as the most absorbing passage of the match. Australia began the day hoping that a deteriorating surface and a fresh attack would bring quick rewards. The hosts, however, showed no haste and played no shot that looked reckless. The result was a solitary wicket in two sessions — that of Matthew Breetzke, who made 43 before falling to a pull shot that was caught on the boundary, a familiar mode of dismissal for the home side in this Test. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Rickelton explained the approach. "It was about trying to win the small moments," he said. "We knew we were effectively 40 for four this morning and that Australia would come hard at us." The priority, he added, was time at the crease rather than worrying about scoring runs or getting too far ahead. "We had our plans and needed to stick to them. We knew the longer we batted, the more frustrated Australia would become. Perhaps they expected things to happen quite quickly because of the deteriorating wicket." That phrase — effectively 40 for four — captures the reality of the contest. Add Australia's first-innings advantage to the equation and South Africa were starting from a deeply vulnerable position. Two batsmen digging in and dragging the game towards their own side was the only sensible route, and they took it. The sixth-wicket stand between Rickelton and Mulder was worth 154 runs, built on low risk and high patience. Neither batsman tried to change gear abruptly or dominate the bowling. On a surface offering turn and variable bounce, time itself becomes the most effective weapon. Australia's bowlers toiled over after over while the scoreboard crept forward. Mulder's 115 was the innings of the day. It was his fourth Test hundred and the highest score of the innings. He made clear from the outset that he intended to bat long, and when his team needed him most he held the innings together alongside his partner. He was the last man out, caught on the boundary as he tried to up the tempo in the closing stages, and with that the South African second innings ended and a target was set. By the close it was clear the hosts had done what they set out to do in the morning: bat through difficult conditions and wear the opposition down. Rickelton's hundred was significant for another reason — he came in under pressure and carried his innings all the way to three figures. It was not a hundred built on rapid scoring but on prolonged resistance, and an innings of that kind lifts the partner at the other end while draining the bowling side. Newlands showed its true character on day four. Nathan Lyon found appreciable turn and finished with 2-101 — success and expense in equal measure. For the seamers, the bounce was variable: sometimes the ball climbed sharply, sometimes it stayed low. Batting on such a surface, particularly in the fourth innings, is never straightforward. Lyon's long spell underlined how long Australia had to wait. Normally on a fourth day the spinner is the man who breaks the game open, but the home batsmen neither blocked him out entirely nor attacked him; they maintained equilibrium, and that balance was central to South Africa's success. It was a hard day's labour for Australia. One wicket in two sessions is dispiriting for any attack, and even the wickets that came after tea arrived when batsmen tried to accelerate rather than because the bowlers had found an edge. That is the worry for the visitors. Now the question is how Australia respond. They must complete the second-highest successful chase in 137 years of Test cricket at this ground, and the statistic alone indicates the scale of the task. Chasing a substantial target in the last innings at Newlands has historically been rare, and it must be done at well over three runs an over. They must do it against a South African attack that has had its feet up for more than a day and a half. The home seamers spent almost the entire fourth day off the field and will be fresh on the fifth. In Test cricket that margin matters enormously — fresh frontline bowlers against a side that has just spent two days in the field. The series context sharpens everything. It is level at 1-1: Australia won the first Test in Durban by 214 runs, and South Africa responded with a victory by an innings and 31 runs in Gqeberha. Neither side has managed to string together a lead, and now the deciding passage arrives at Newlands. The stakes extend beyond the series. The winner of this match will occupy the number one spot in the Test world rankings, which is currently held by Australia. Every over carries added weight, because a single slip can change not only the match but the standings. The first session on the fifth day will be decisive. If Australia survive the new ball without losing early wickets, the contest could open up. If South Africa strike two or three blows early, the hosts will take both the match and the series. In fourth-innings batting, the start tends to settle everything. The "small moments" Rickelton spoke of are the thread running through this match. In Test cricket, the big swings are usually built from small wins — an over conceded without a run, a difficult catch held, a risk declined on the boundary. South Africa did exactly that on day four, making Australia work, testing their patience, and reaping the reward. The pitch will assist further on the fifth day. As the match progresses, the uneven bounce will grow and the spinners' role will become more pronounced. Australia will have to balance caution and aggression: too defensive and the runs will not come, too aggressive and the wickets will fall. For now the pressure sits entirely with Australia and the confidence entirely with South Africa. What unfolds at Newlands on Saturday will not merely settle a Test — it will settle a series and decide who holds the number one ranking in Test cricket. The hosts have done their work; it is over to Australia, who must complete one of the most demanding chases in the game's history.