South Africa set Australia a 288‑run target after Rabada snared two wickets in the first over.
Rabada’s brisk death‑ball barrage made him the fourth South African to claim a pair of wickets in the opening over of a Test, joining legends Allan Donald, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. In the same spell he captured his 350th Test wicket, a milestone that puts him only behind Steyn, Pollock and Ntini in the national roll‑call. The turning point came in the very first over: Rabada delivered a 143‑kmph bouncer that dismissed opener Matt Renshaw, followed by a clean swing that took Marnus Labuschagne. The momentum carried into the seventh over, when Rabada bowled a full ball outside off‑stump to Travis Head, who edged to gully for a stunning catch by Marco Jansen, leaving Australia three wickets down. With a 100‑run lead already set in the first innings, the 288‑run chase now looks like a realistic target for South Africa. A win would seal the series 2‑1 and cement Rabada’s place among the greats. The next challenge lies on Day 4, where the hosts will try to convert the early advantage into a series‑deciding victory.