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<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nA target of 288. Ten wickets to take. One final day to settle the series.<\/p>\n
That was the invitation at Newlands this morning. By the end, South Africa had beaten Australia by 176 runs, dismissed the visitors for 111 and secured the series 2\u20131. A day that promised a nervous finish became a celebration for the Proteas.<\/p>\n
There is something particularly satisfying about a Test match reaching its fifth day with the result still open. Four days of effort come down to a few hours in which every mistake carries extra weight. You can spend the evening working through the possibilities, then find that the first over changes everything.<\/p>\n
Kagiso Rabada made sure of that.<\/p>\n
Matt Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne were gone in his opening over. Suddenly, Australia had to rebuild before their chase had properly begun. When Travis Head followed, South Africa had the opening they needed. His dismissal also gave Rabada his 350th Test wicket\u2014a personal landmark delivered at a moment when his team needed him most.<\/p>\n
Then Simon Harmer took over.<\/p>\n
His six wickets for 16 runs tell you how little room Australia had to escape. On a surface offering turn, he kept asking questions, and the answers became harder to find. Rabada had supplied the early damage; Harmer made it count.<\/p>\n
Australia did resist. Cameron Green and Pat Cummins made South Africa work through a stubborn passage after lunch. Those are the periods that make Test cricket worth watching: a batting side trying to stretch the afternoon, a bowling side knowing that one breakthrough could bring the finish closer. Harmer eventually removed both.<\/p>\n
For me, the real pleasure in this result is the recovery behind it. South Africa lost the opening match of the series. Even here at Newlands, they conceded a first-innings lead and had to work their way back into contention. Rickelton and Mulder helped give the bowlers something to defend. On the final day, those bowlers finished the job.<\/p>\n
That is why five-day cricket still holds its appeal. An advantage has to be protected. A setback has to be survived. The match keeps moving, sometimes slowly enough to test your patience, until a morning like this makes the waiting worthwhile.<\/p>\n
Newlands gave South African supporters a finish to savour. Rabada had his milestone, Harmer had a magnificent return, and the Proteas had the series.<\/p>\n
Plenty to smile about in Cape Town tonight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A target of 288. Ten wickets to take. One final day to settle the series. That was the invitation at Newlands this morning. By the end, South Africa had beaten Australia by 176 runs, dismissed the visitors for 111 and secured the series 2\u20131. A day that promised a nervous finish became a celebration for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-swoosh0018"],"yoast_head":"\n