The hosts recovered from a difficult position in their second innings through centuries from Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder. Their contributions helped South Africa set a challenging target before the bowlers completed the job on the final day.
Australia captain Pat Cummins elected to bowl first on a surface that offered limited assistance to the bowlers. However, South Africa made a strong start through Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman.
The opening pair added 158 runs before Australia finally broke the partnership. South Africa looked well placed to post a substantial total, but their innings lost momentum after the dismissal of the openers.
The hosts lost their remaining 10 wickets for 171 runs. Mitchell Starc made the most of the second new ball and finished with six wickets, helping Australia restrict South Africa’s total.
Australia appeared to have taken control of the match, but their batting effort later proved costly.
South Africa struggled early in their second innings and lost three wickets before overturning the first-innings deficit. They resumed the fourth day with four wickets down and a lead of just 40 runs.
Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder then produced important centuries to change the course of the contest. Their partnership helped South Africa recover from a difficult position in the 3rd Test against Australia and build a substantial advantage.
Both batters continued to score freely and frustrated the Australian attack. Their efforts lifted the hosts to a position from which they could set Australia a target of 288.
With all four results still possible heading into the final day, Australia had a realistic opportunity to complete the chase if they negotiated the new ball successfully.
Australia’s chase began poorly as Kagiso Rabada struck twice in the opening over. The early wickets put the visitors under immediate pressure and reduced their chances of reaching the target.
Simon Harmer then took control during the fourth innings. The spinner picked up important wickets and continued to trouble the Australian batters.
Australia had shown some resistance earlier in the match. Josh Inglis scored his second Test century, while Alex Carey also made a valuable contribution.
The pair added 185 runs for the fifth wicket after Australia had recovered well from an uncertain start. However, Harmer dismissed both batters in quick succession, limiting Australia’s lead to 100 runs.
That spell proved important as South Africa went on to take control of the match. Harmer’s six-wicket haul in the final innings completed an influential performance and helped the hosts secure the series.
The victory ended Australia’s position at the top of the Test rankings, with South Africa taking over as the world’s number one Test side.
The result also affected the World Test Championship standings. New Zealand moved to the top, South Africa climbed to second, while Australia dropped to third.
It was a closely contested series, with both teams producing strong performances across the matches. However, South Africa delivered the decisive performance in 3rd Test against Australia to claim the series.
The home crowd celebrated as the players acknowledged their support around the ground. For Temba Bavuma’s side, the victory marked an important achievement and confirmed their position at the top of Test cricket.