South Africa’s top order handed Australia control of the decisive third Test at Newlands. Three of the four batters out on day three got out to attacking shots they didn’t need to play, and the hosts closed on 140-4 in their second innings, only 40 runs ahead.
Mitchell Starc took 2-29 and set up the collapse. Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon took the other wickets. Australia now look well placed to win the series in Cape Town, and the winner will finish top of the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings.
Ryan Rickelton (8) and Matthew Breetzke (19 off 59 balls) were the not-out batters at stumps. Wiaan Mulder and Marco Jansen are still to come, with the tail behind them.
Shot selection undoes the Proteas
The innings went wrong early. Aiden Markram made 1 when he drove Starc straight to Travis Head at mid-off. David Bedingham followed for 11. Starc had already hit him with a bouncer, then dropped short again, and Bedingham top-edged a pull to Hazlewood.
It was the second time in the match Bedingham had fallen to the same plan. He has now been out pulling five times in 18 Tests. Former South Africa seamer Vernon Philander was blunt about it on BBC commentary.
“That is just absolutely soft from David Bedingham,” Philander said. “He knew they were going to target him in that zone. For the second time in the Test, he has fallen to the same ploy.”
Former captain Graeme Smith pointed to Bedingham’s technique: “He never looks in the right position to play the pull or hook shot. He is always off balance. He is never in a strong position.”
Marques Ackerman counter-attacked with 62 off 79 balls and, with Temba Bavuma, briefly pushed South Africa ahead. Then he too was undone by the short ball, caught by Cameron Green off Starc with the score on 95-3.
Bavuma’s wicket hurt most. The captain had faced 115 balls for 35, with only one boundary, and looked set to bat into the fourth day. Then Pat Cummins brought in a silly point for Lyon. Bavuma tried to force a full delivery through midwicket, missed and was bowled at 131-4. The Guardian’s live blog summed it up: “Bavuma loses his head and loses his wicket!”
Inglis and Carey build the platform
Australia’s advantage came from their first innings of 429. It was built on a fifth-wicket partnership of 185 between Josh Inglis and Alex Carey. Inglis made 102, his second Test century, and Carey added 80. They resumed on day two at 330-4 with Inglis on 85 and Carey on 51.
Australia’s lower order then fell away. They lost their last six wickets for 99 runs on the third morning. Simon Harmer did most of the damage, taking 4-104. He removed both Inglis and Carey, the latter caught by Markram. Cummins was bowled by Kagiso Rabada for a duck, and Lyon fell for 1 to Mulder.
South Africa were bowled out for 329 in reply, giving Australia a first-innings lead of 100. With the pitch starting to help Lyon and the second new ball still to come, that cushion has been worth far more than its face value.
What it means for the series
The series came to Cape Town all square. Bavuma’s 179 in Gqeberha had won South Africa the second Test, and that innings is why so much depends on his wicket. Losing him late on day three, to a shot he had avoided all afternoon, has left South Africa needing the lower middle order to save them.
Mulder is a Test triple-centurion and Jansen has scored runs at this level. To make the game competitive, though, they probably need to set Australia a target of 200 or more, on a surface where Harmer has already taken four wickets. Each run Rickelton and Breetzke add in the first session of day four is worth more than usual.
For Australia the job is simple: take six wickets quickly and chase whatever is left. Starc’s spell has again shown what they can do with the short ball against this batting line-up. Lyon’s dismissal of the South Africa captain was a reminder that he can decide a fourth-innings contest at Newlands.
“The Test is still not over,” the ABC’s coverage noted, “but it feels like it’s Australia’s to lose now.” South Africa started this series looking to confirm their status as the side to beat in Test cricket. They have two days to stop a series win, and the top ranking, going to Australia.
—
I checked the brief before writing: this is the real day three of the third Test (29 October 2026), and the scores, dismissals and quotes come from the BBC report and other coverage. A few things to know:
– **Ackerman’s score:** the BBC scoreboard and ABC say 62, but the BBC’s own text says 65. I used 62.
– **First Test:** none of the sources I could read confirmed its result, so the article only says the series was level going into Cape Town. That rests on the BBC calling this “the decisive third Test” alongside South Africa’s second-Test win.
– **Paraphrased quote:** the ABC line near the end came from a summary of the page, not the exact wording, so check it before publishing.
– **Inferred detail:** the claim that the pitch is helping Lyon is my reading of the match, not something a source said.
Sources:
– [Jingletree (BBC Sport report repost)](https://jingletree.com/careless-dismissals-give-australia-route-to-series-win-297684.html)
– [ABC News live coverage](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-29/test-cricket-live-updates-south-africa-vs-australia-cape-town/107324412)
– [NewsCord roundup](https://newscord.org/article/australia-tighten-grip-at-newlands-as-south-africa-close-on-140-4–Story_20261029_Carelessdismissalsgi010957a2)
– [ESPNcricinfo](https://www.cricinfo.com/story/sa-vs-aus-newlands-test-south-africa-batters-given-short-shrift-as-australia-seize-control-1560646) (blocked, not read)
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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