- ‘It’s win or lose.
- No draw tomorrow’: Rickelton anticipates gripping final day Australia need 287 runs, South Africa need ten wickets, and the series is set for a fascinating conclusion The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 Australia v New Zealand 2nd Test, Day One, at the WACA, Perth, Thursday November 20th 1997 A view of the Allan Border field, Australia A v India A, 1st unofficial Test, Brisbane, 1st day, July 6, 2014 It has been a steep and remarkably swift rise for young Jharkhand batter Shikhar Mohan, and now he has to prove that he belongs with the best Shikhar Mohan impressed on Duleep Trophy debut, East Zone vs South Zone, Final, Duleep Trophy, Chennai, September 6, 2026 Prasidh Krishna will play India A’s third four-dayer against New Zealand A instead to be ready in time for the Test series against New Zealand Prasidh Krishna’s first spell, of five overs, saw him take 4 for 6, India vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI, Chennai, June 20, 2026 Glenn Phillips brought up a 46-ball hundred, New Zealand vs India, 4th T20I, Auckland, October 30, 2026 Glenn Phillips bashed 107 off just 49 balls, New Zealand vs India, 4th T20I, Auckland, October 30, 2026 Prasidh Krishna will play India A’s third four-dayer against New Zealand A instead to be ready in time for the Test series against New Zealand Prasidh Krishna’s first spell, of five overs, saw him take 4 for 6, India vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI, Chennai, June 20, 2026 Ryan Rickelton celebrates his hundred, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 South Africa were dismissed in the last over for 387 in their second innings in a terrific fightback after trailing on the first innings by 100 runs Wiaan Mulder celebrates his century, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 Opportunities were few and far between during South Africa’s second innings, but Australia stayed in touch as best they could Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have a chat, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 Australia need 287 runs, South Africa need ten wickets, and the series is set for a fascinating conclusion Ryan Rickelton celebrates his hundred, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 Josh Inglis brought up his second Test century, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 3rd Day, October 29, 2026 Ban vs WI 1st Test – Roston Chase, Jomel Warrican trigger Bangladesh slide after hosts grab slender lead Roston Chase made big inroads before tea, Bangladesh vs West Indies, 1st Test, Dhaka, 3rd day, October 30, 2026 Roston Chase made big inroads before tea, Bangladesh vs West Indies, 1st Test, Dhaka, 3rd day, October 30, 2026 Mominul Haque picked up the injury while attemng a catch at short leg in West Indies’ first innings of the Dhaka Test Mominul Haque gave Roston Chase a life, Bangladesh vs West Indies, 1st Test, Dhaka, 3rd day, October 30, 2026 On Thursday in Sharjah, Zimbabwe had Afghanistan at 5 for 4 and then 45 for 5 after ten overs; Azmatullah Omarzai smashed a 50-ball 116 from there to take Afghanistan to victory Azmatullah Omarzai struck 12 sixes in his hundred, Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 2nd T20I, Sharjah, October 29, 2026 “Some of the things that I saw on the ground today certainly hurt me and I’ll address that in the changing room” Rashid Khan trped Tadiwanashe Marumani lbw for his 200th wicket in T20Is, Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 2nd T20I, Sharjah, October 29, 2026 Afg vs Zim 2026 – Azmatullah Omarzai century trumps Sikandar Raza’s as Afghanistan seal series against Zimbabwe Afghanistan go from 4 for 5 to 221, their third-highest T20I total, which proved to be out of Zimbabwe’s reach Azmatullah Omarzai led Afghanistan’s turnaround with maiden century, Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 2nd T20I, Sharjah, October 29, 2026 Both teams put one past each other earlier in the tri-series, but how they handle the pressure of a final remains to be seen Babar Azam and Pavan Rathnayake share a light moment after the game, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI Tri-Series, Lahore, October 27, 2026 Harry Brook thumps a drive down the ground, England vs Sri Lanka, Pakistan ODI Tri-Series, October 29, 2026 Duckett’s three ODI hundreds in Pakistan are the joint-most by a visiting batter in Pakistan in men’s ODIs Ben Duckett celebrates his sixth ODI hundred, England vs Sri Lanka, Pakistan ODI Tri-Series, October 29, 2026 Haris Rauf was restrained by umpire Sharfudoulla during an altercation with Will Jacks, Pakistan vs England, Tri-Series, Lahore, October 25, 2026 Ryan Rickelton celebrates his hundred, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 “It’s win or lose, I guess.
- No draw tomorrow,” Ryan Rickelton , South Africa’s wicket-keeper and one of two centurions from day four, said.
‘It’s win or lose.
No draw tomorrow’: Rickelton anticipates gripping final day Australia need 287 runs, South Africa need ten wickets, and the series is set for a fascinating conclusion The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 Australia v New Zealand 2nd Test, Day One, at the WACA, Perth, Thursday November 20th 1997 A view of the Allan Border field, Australia A v India A, 1st unofficial Test, Brisbane, 1st day, July 6, 2014 It has been a steep and remarkably swift rise for young Jharkhand batter Shikhar Mohan, and now he has to prove that he belongs with the best Shikhar Mohan impressed on Duleep Trophy debut, East Zone vs South Zone, Final, Duleep Trophy, Chennai, September 6, 2026 Prasidh Krishna will play India A’s third four-dayer against New Zealand A instead to be ready in time for the Test series against New Zealand Prasidh Krishna’s first spell, of five overs, saw him take 4 for 6, India vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI, Chennai, June 20, 2026 Glenn Phillips brought up a 46-ball hundred, New Zealand vs India, 4th T20I, Auckland, October 30, 2026 Glenn Phillips bashed 107 off just 49 balls, New Zealand vs India, 4th T20I, Auckland, October 30, 2026 Prasidh Krishna will play India A’s third four-dayer against New Zealand A instead to be ready in time for the Test series against New Zealand Prasidh Krishna’s first spell, of five overs, saw him take 4 for 6, India vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI, Chennai, June 20, 2026 Ryan Rickelton celebrates his hundred, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 South Africa were dismissed in the last over for 387 in their second innings in a terrific fightback after trailing on the first innings by 100 runs Wiaan Mulder celebrates his century, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 Opportunities were few and far between during South Africa’s second innings, but Australia stayed in touch as best they could Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins have a chat, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 Australia need 287 runs, South Africa need ten wickets, and the series is set for a fascinating conclusion Ryan Rickelton celebrates his hundred, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 Josh Inglis brought up his second Test century, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 3rd Day, October 29, 2026 Ban vs WI 1st Test – Roston Chase, Jomel Warrican trigger Bangladesh slide after hosts grab slender lead Roston Chase made big inroads before tea, Bangladesh vs West Indies, 1st Test, Dhaka, 3rd day, October 30, 2026 Roston Chase made big inroads before tea, Bangladesh vs West Indies, 1st Test, Dhaka, 3rd day, October 30, 2026 Mominul Haque picked up the injury while attemng a catch at short leg in West Indies’ first innings of the Dhaka Test Mominul Haque gave Roston Chase a life, Bangladesh vs West Indies, 1st Test, Dhaka, 3rd day, October 30, 2026 On Thursday in Sharjah, Zimbabwe had Afghanistan at 5 for 4 and then 45 for 5 after ten overs; Azmatullah Omarzai smashed a 50-ball 116 from there to take Afghanistan to victory Azmatullah Omarzai struck 12 sixes in his hundred, Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 2nd T20I, Sharjah, October 29, 2026 “Some of the things that I saw on the ground today certainly hurt me and I’ll address that in the changing room” Rashid Khan trped Tadiwanashe Marumani lbw for his 200th wicket in T20Is, Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 2nd T20I, Sharjah, October 29, 2026 Afg vs Zim 2026 – Azmatullah Omarzai century trumps Sikandar Raza’s as Afghanistan seal series against Zimbabwe Afghanistan go from 4 for 5 to 221, their third-highest T20I total, which proved to be out of Zimbabwe’s reach Azmatullah Omarzai led Afghanistan’s turnaround with maiden century, Afghanistan vs Zimbabwe, 2nd T20I, Sharjah, October 29, 2026 Both teams put one past each other earlier in the tri-series, but how they handle the pressure of a final remains to be seen Babar Azam and Pavan Rathnayake share a light moment after the game, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI Tri-Series, Lahore, October 27, 2026 Harry Brook thumps a drive down the ground, England vs Sri Lanka, Pakistan ODI Tri-Series, October 29, 2026 Duckett’s three ODI hundreds in Pakistan are the joint-most by a visiting batter in Pakistan in men’s ODIs Ben Duckett celebrates his sixth ODI hundred, England vs Sri Lanka, Pakistan ODI Tri-Series, October 29, 2026 Haris Rauf was restrained by umpire Sharfudoulla during an altercation with Will Jacks, Pakistan vs England, Tri-Series, Lahore, October 25, 2026 Ryan Rickelton celebrates his hundred, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 “It’s win or lose, I guess. No draw tomorrow,” Ryan Rickelton , South Africa’s wicket-keeper and one of two centurions from day four, said. “If you had to say that it’s going down to the third Test, day five, with all three results on the cards or two results on the cards, yeah, I wouldn’t have believed it.
It’s been a special series.” Rickelton later conceded that the third result, a draw which would mean a shared series, could become a possibility, especially as the pitch remains good for batting and has not deteriorated as much as expected. South Africa scored 247 runs in 87.2 overs on the fourth day, at a rate of 2.80 to the over, and lost six wickets, which suggests a day of hard-fought, tense Test cricket. Though there was some turn out of the rough, but not the straight and the bounce has remained even and there is no sign that there is significant assistance for the bowlers and, as South Africa showed, a patient proach is key.
With that in mind, Rickelton could see a world in which Australia batted out the day but didn’t reach the target. Asked if the slowness of the surface could make it too difficult for Australia to score the runs at the rate required, of just over three an over, or for South Africa to take ten wickets, this was his response. “It definitely felt like it was quite slow.
And the ball obviously was soft as well so to beat the infield was quite hard. So maybe you’re right. There might be three results tomorrow,” he said, and then still backtracked a touch.
“I just think with that new ball, there’s obviously runs available and there’s obviously wickets too. It has been quite slow. If Australia obviously fancy having a go at it, it might just factor into it.
For them to bat at effectively threes the whole day will be a big ask, especially on a slower, lower deteriorating wicket.” “I don’t know. You’d probably have to ask the locals on that one. We’ve had unbelievable weather through these four days.
There’s an old tale about the tablecloth on the mountain and whether or not that can affect things here. We’ll just deal with what’s in front of us as a batting unit tomorrow and go about our business.” On the opposite side, Australia’s assistant coach, James Franklin , who watched his attack scroll through Plans A to Z, largely settling on Plan S – the short ball, which has been largely successful for them. Indeed, no South African batter was out nicking off in this match, which also speaks to how little the ball has done off the surface for them.
For contrast, South Africa had seven Australian batters caught by the keeper or in the slips in the first innings but Franklin suspects they may also need to find alternative means of breaking through. “You’d expect that from any sort of pitch going to day four or day five, that a bit of air would go out of it and as the ball gets older and softer, balls won’t carry through to keepers,” Franklin said. “As we go into tomorrow, I would imagine South Africa will go perhs through periods of tactics where they try the short ball as well.
It’s up to us, from a batting unit point of view, to be able to deal with that.” There is also the forecast of some cloud cover, which could have some effect on swing. When Mitchell Starc had the second new ball in hand on day one, under a thick blanket of cloud, he took four wickets in six balls, though Franklin would not be drawn into speculating on whether the same could hpen on day five. You’d probably have to ask the locals on that one,” he said.
“We’ve had unbelievable weather through these four days. There’s an old tale about the tablecloth on the mountain and whether or not that can affect things here. We’ll just deal with what’s in front of us as a batting unit tomorrow and go about our business.” Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder shared a vital stand, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 Generally, clouds on the mountain mean good bowling conditions but with this being the first Test played at Newlands in October, it’s difficult to make any generalisations.
Instead, it’s worth preciating how gripping the contest has been so far, which Rickleton, even in the aftermath of a potentially game-changing century, could do. “It’s ebbed and flowed properly in all three games,” he said. “Both teams have edged ahead and the other one has clawed back and there’s been some mistakes and some really good things done as well.
It’s been a cracking series and hopefully it comes down to a really good day for South Africa tomorrow.” “We were in such a good position to drive home 300 or 350 and then obviously, the run-rate dropped for us. That was a bit frustrating,” Rickelton said. South Africa lost four wickets for 16 runs before a 10th-wicket partnership of 36 gave them what Rickelton hopes will be the advantage.
“Still, to be able to get effectively 290 and ask them to do it on day five is big. Psychologically, it takes a lot out of you as well. Those last 20, 30 runs they managed to compile, hopefully, will be enough to take us over the edge.
But you can never have too many runs in a day five chase.” And even though South Africa may have wanted more, they know they have no choice but to work with what they have. “Shuks (head coach Shukri Conrad) always goes on the side of positivity. Whatever we get, it’s going to be enough.
It has to be enough,” Rickelton said. “Temba (Bavuma) leans on it as well. He always emphasises that there’s an opportunity to do something special for the team every single day.
There will be an opportunity for someone to do something special tomorrow. And when it is your day, grab it with both hands.” Australia need 287 runs, South Africa need ten wickets, and the series is set for a fascinating conclusion Ryan Rickelton celebrates his hundred, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 SA vs Aus – ‘It’s win or lose. No draw tomorrow’ – Ryan Rickelton anticipates gripping final day | Australia need 287 runs, South Africa need ten wickets, and the series is set for a fascinating conclusion Australia need 287 runs, South Africa need ten wickets, and the series is set for a fascinating conclusion
