South Africa are very close to winning the series-deciding third Test against Australia after a brilliant bowling performance on the fifth day. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada and spinner Simon Harmer troubled the Australian batters and reduced them to 60 for 7 at lunch. Australia were given a target of 288 runs to win the match, but their hopes suffered a major setback after losing seven wickets in the morning session.
Rabada started the day brilliantly by dismissing Matt Renshaw on the third ball of the innings. Labuschagne was trapped LBW after leaving a delivery that moved back sharply. He reviewed the decision, but the third umpire supported the on-field decision.
Travis Head was the next big wicket for South Africa. Known for his aggressive batting, Head hit three boundaries before edging Rabada's delivery to gully. This was Rabada's 350th Test wicket, a special achievement in his career. Rabada finished his excellent opening spell with figures of 3 wickets for 14 runs in 5 overs. Simon Harmer also played a major role in putting Australia under pressure. He used the turning pitch brilliantly and picked up three wickets before lunch. Harmer dismissed Alex Carey after he attempted a risky reverse sweep. Marco Jansen took a brilliant diving catch to complete the dismissal. Harmer then removed Cooper Connolly before dismissing Mitchell Starc, who was caught at bat-pad just before lunch. Harmer finished the session with outstanding figures of 3 wickets for just 5 runs in 8 overs.
Australia also made some costly mistakes while batting. Josh Inglis, who had scored a century in the first innings, was run out for just 4 runs after a poor call for a run from Cameron Green.
Green remained unbeaten on 25 runs and is now Australia's biggest hope of avoiding defeat. He was also lucky to survive when Harmer dropped a difficult return catch when he was batting on 10.
With Australia struggling at 60 for 7, South Africa are now just three wickets away from victory. The pressure is firmly on the remaining Australian batters, and the hosts look set for an important win in the third Test.