Rickelton and Mulder centuries leave Australia facing a 137-year-old Newlands challenge

Another grinding day at Newlands, and the hosts hold the upper hand

Cape Town. If the fourth day had to be summed up in a single sentence, it would be this: Australia toiled all day, took just one wicket across the first two sessions, produced a burst after tea, and yet the day still belonged to the home side, South Africa. And that is precisely why Saturday now shapes as a deeply intriguing contest.

The Newlands pitch showed its fourth-day face - turn for the spinner, variable bounce for the seamers, and a surface that forced batsmen to be alert to every delivery. Australia's fast bowlers held a disciplined line and length throughout, the spinner sent down a long spell from one end, and the field changed repeatedly. But the patience the South African batsmen showed in sticking to their plans proved to be the difference.

That patience was not expressed in a single shot; it was expressed across an innings. Ryan Rickelton made 101 and Wiaan Mulder 115 - his fourth Test century. The pair added 154 for the sixth wicket, and that stand has left Australia needing what would be the second-highest successful run chase in 137 years of Test cricket at Newlands.

The first two sessions: Australia toil for a single wicket

South Africa resumed on the fourth morning at 140 for four. The overnight batsmen carried a dual responsibility: to stabilise the innings and to build a score heavy enough to matter on the final day.

The morning session was measured and controlled. The ball was relatively new, Australia's seamers were in rhythm, and Newlands mornings have always offered the bowlers assistance. The batsmen simply gave themselves time, allowed the ball to reveal its condition, and did not obsess over scoring.

The only wicket of the first two sessions was Matthew Breetzke, out for 43. The mode of dismissal was the one that has repeatedly undone South Africa in this Test - a pull shot that went aerial toward the boundary and was caught. It was not the first time. Several home batsmen have fallen in similar fashion, and it has been Australia's most productive method: drawing the batsmen into the short ball and stationing fielders on the rope.

Breetzke's dismissal was cruel in the sense that he had steadied the innings during its most difficult phase. When he departed, South Africa had lost their fifth wicket in the region of 170, and Australia might have sensed a quick finish.

Then came Rickelton and Mulder.

A 154-run stand for the sixth wicket: low risk, steady accumulation

Rickelton and Mulder's partnership evoked the old-school template of Test batting, in which preserving wickets matters more than scoring quickly - at least initially.

The pair added 154 and took very few risks. No shots in the air, no unnecessary running, no rush for the big stroke. They played when the ball was there to be played, left it when it was not, and took the easy runs when offered. That was South Africa's plan, and it worked better than any alternative could have.

Rickelton's 101 showed a balance that is genuinely hard to achieve on this surface. Against spin he used his feet sparingly, played close to the ground against the turn, and lifted the ball only when he needed to find the boundary. When bounce is uneven and the ball is turning, a batsman's greatest asset is time - and Rickelton used it superbly.

Mulder's innings had a slightly different character. His 115, a fourth Test hundred, began cautiously; he played the ball into its own area and expanded only when the opportunity presented itself. His batting carried the composure of a man with four Test centuries behind him - he knew when to accelerate and when to hold.

The most important aspect of the partnership was that it forced Australia's bowlers into second, third and fourth spells. Bowling three sessions on a fourth-day pitch is exhausting both physically and mentally. Rickelton and Mulder made sure Australia had to do exactly that.

The Newlands pitch: turn for the spinner, uneven bounce for the seamers

Nathan Lyon found meaningful turn, but his spell was expensive: two wickets for 101 runs.

That statistic is telling. When an experienced spinner concedes 101 on day four, it usually means the turn was slow, or the batsmen had found a method, or both. Turn at Newlands tends to be slow and late - the kind that becomes a batsman's ally if he is prepared to stay at the crease.

For the seamers, the surface was even more awkward. Bounce was variable: some deliveries skidded to knee height, others climbed abruptly to the chest. A batsman's entire technique rests on the assumption of consistent bounce, and that assumption was repeatedly undermined.

But that same unevenness will trouble Australia. When they bat on Saturday, they will face a fifth-day surface - more turn, more variable bounce - and the spinner's role will grow considerably.

Australia's post-tea burst: success, but late

After a first two sessions that yielded only one wicket, Australia's position looked concerning. South Africa were building a strong platform and the bowlers had no obvious plan that was working.

What Australia did after tea was their greatest strength in this Test: they changed their bowling, sustained pressure, and took wickets in a cluster.

That surge was not sudden. Its foundations had been laid during the first two sessions. Australia's bowlers had consistently tried to draw the batsmen toward the boundary, and eventually the plan paid off. When South African batsmen attempted to accelerate, they accepted exactly the risk Australia had been waiting for.

Breetzke's wicket was a product of that strategy. Most of the wickets that fell after tea followed the same pattern: ball in the air, fielder on the rope, batsman walking back.

Mulder's final wicket: the innings ends in pursuit of tempo

Wiaan Mulder was the last man out, caught on the boundary while trying to raise the tempo. His dismissal ended the South African innings.

It is a familiar picture in Test cricket. A batsman past 100, with limited time available to his side, tries to force the pace. Sometimes it works; sometimes it costs a wicket. For Mulder, it was the latter.

It also means Australia will not have an enormous amount of time to bat on Saturday - and the home bowlers have not been overworked either, which is good news for South Africa and not for the visitors.

Rickelton's verdict: 'It was about trying to win the small moments'

Speaking to reporters after play, Rickelton explained his side's thinking. "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."

He added: "It was about spending time at the crease rather than worrying about scoring runs or getting too far ahead of ourselves. We had our plans and needed to stick to them."

Rickelton also stressed that the longer South Africa batted, the more frustrated Australia would become. "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 quote is the essence of the day. South Africa refused to rush; they took time and made Australia wait.

The arithmetic ahead: a requirement of more than three an over

What Australia must do on Saturday is not straightforward. They will need to score at better than three runs an over - against a South African attack that has had its feet up for more than a day and a half.

That fact is the single most important element of this contest. South Africa's fast bowlers will take the field fully refreshed, while Australia's bowlers have spent the better part of a day in the field.

Moreover, South Africa's attack has been the best unit in this series. In Gqeberha they bowled Australia out to win by an innings and 31 runs - a result that demonstrates their capacity to squeeze any opponent.

And the target would be the second-highest successful chase in 137 years of Test cricket at Newlands, a statistic that underlines how hard large fourth-innings pursuits have historically been at this ground.

Series context: level at 1-1, with the No.1 ranking at stake

The series stands level at 1-1. Australia won the first Test in Durban by 214 runs; South Africa responded in Gqeberha with a victory by an innings and 31 runs.

So this is the decider. And more than the series is at stake: the winner of this match will occupy the No.1 spot in the Test world rankings, currently held by Australia.

That elevates Saturday well beyond an ordinary Test match. Ranking, history and pride are all on the line at once.

Australia's approach on day five

Australia's plan is clear, if difficult to execute.

First, they must score from the outset. A slow first hour would inflate the required rate and force risk later - risk that, on this pitch against this attack, could be suicidal.

Second, they must play spin well. Turn will be at its maximum on day five, and using their feet against it will reduce the danger.

Third, they must protect wickets. Losing early wickets would only amplify the pressure and make a big partnership harder to construct.

Fourth, they must contend with the fact that the home attack is fresh. It is an uncomfortable truth for them, but a truth nonetheless.

'Small moments' - the mantra of this Test

The phrase Rickelton used - winning the small moments - is the mantra of this match.

On this surface, it is not the big shots that matter most but the small victories: surviving an over, holding a catch, choosing the right shot, landing a good delivery. Those are the things separating the sides.

That is also why the fourth day was so compelling. South Africa scored across two sessions without losing a wicket, a considerable achievement on this pitch. Australia stuck to a single plan all day and were eventually rewarded.

What to expect on Saturday

Saturday could be the most absorbing day of the series. On one side is Australia, chasing what would be the second-highest successful target in Newlands history. On the other is South Africa, with a fresh attack and a shot at the No.1 ranking.

South Africa's best-case scenario is two or three early wickets; the pressure on Australia would then become immense.

Australia's best-case scenario is a large partnership at the top. A stand of 150 to 200 would change the shape of the match.

What is certain is that this Test is not over, and Newlands will deliver a compelling contest on Saturday.