Australia fold on final day as South Africa take series, No.1 ranking

All three results were possible when the final day of the series began at Newlands. By lunchtime, only one outcome was available. In the first over, Kagiso Rabada struck twice and Simon Harmer spun a web for 6 for 16 as Australia, chasing 288, were bowled out for 111, giving South Africa a 176-run victory in the third Test. Consequently, the hosts won the series 2-1 and regained the No. 1 test position.

Australia must have started the day with the belief that they could find this. However, that belief lasted through three balls. Rabada had Matt Renshaw, the series' leading run-scorer, glove a ball down the leg side to Ryan Rickelton while he was sick on the second and third days. He put Marnus Labuschagne in the lbw position three balls later in the same opening over.

Travis Head, Australia's best hope, hit three fours before Rabada had him caught at gully by Marco Jansen in the seventh over. Australia were reeling at 22 for 3 when Rabada took his 350th Test wicket.

In the 12th over, Harmer came on and found sharp turn out of the rough right away. To make things worse, Josh Inglis was run out for four after a needless single to silly point. In the 18th over, Harmer had Alex Carey caught off a reverse sweep, with Marco Jansen diving forward at backward point. Cooper Connolly was caught behind after two balls. Australia reached lunch at 60/7 after losing seven wickets in the morning session after Mitchell Starc survived 24 balls before catching short leg off the final ball.

After that, Cameron Green and Pat Cummins dug in, and 11 overs passed without a run. Green finally attempted to break the chains by dancing down to Harmer, scoring 27 off 110 balls, but was bowled through the gate. Cummins batted 90 balls for 11 and added 45 for the ninth wicket with Nathan Lyon, who made an unbeaten 33, before Harmer trapped him lbw. After two overs, Harmer bowled Josh Hazlewood with a ball that drifted in and turned away before hitting the top of off. He bowled Australia out for 111 in 57.1 overs, earning South Africa a famous series victory.

Harmer became the first South African spinner to score ten wickets in a Test at Cape Town. He took 21.1 overs to take six wickets, 14 of which were maidens. Rabada went 3 for 39 after starting this slide with the new ball.

Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder's centuries and 154-run sixth-wicket stand on the fourth day pulled South Africa out of trouble and gave them a total to defend, setting up the victory.

It was only the fourth time that Australia had lost a three-match series after winning the first Test, and it was their first defeat in a Test series since March 2023. As a result of them going down, New Zealand claimed the first position on the World Test Championship table, pushing Australia out of the top two for the first time this cycle.