South Africa have put Australia in front of a daunting run chase to win the series, after centuries from Wiaan Mulder and Ryan Rickelton, according to ABC News. The Cape Town Test now heads into its final day, with the hosts pushing for a result at Newlands.
News.com.au reports that the cricket world responded with a single, shared reaction to the thriller. Coverage across Australian outlets framed the match as a fitting climax to a series that has held attention throughout.
The Sydney Morning Herald described the contest as a bewitching series that has earned its Cape Town conclusion, while cricket.com.au reported that the Proteas surged back to send the epic encounter into a deciding day. ESPN, meanwhile, noted that the Newlands pitch is turning, leaving spinners positioned to shape the outcome.
Taken together, the reports point to a finale in which Australia must mount a large chase against a South African side that has seized the initiative, on a surface expected to offer increasing help to spin bowling. The series has produced a contest that Australian media have treated as one of the more absorbing in recent memory.
The final day at Newlands will settle the series. The main questions are whether Australia can sustain a chase of that size and how much the turning pitch favours South Africa's spinners as the match reaches its conclusion.
