Australia 3 for 1 trail South Africa 425 for 9 dec (Bavuma 179, Jansen 85, Harmer 82, Boland 5-81, Starc 3-89) by 422 runs

Temba Bavuma produced his finest Test innings, a first century against Australia, a fifth overall and a new career-best, to lift South Africa from a position where their chances in the series could have vanished into one where they could still push for a series-levelling victory.

Bavuma, who had walked in to face a hat-trick ball on the first day, crafted a masterful 179 off 334, which was the highest score by a South Africa captain against Australia. He added 132 with a counterattacking Marco Jansen and a South Africa eighth-wicket record 183 with Simon Harmer to lift them from 110 for 6 to 429 for 9 when Bavuma declared at the fall of his own wicket with just over 20 minutes of play remaining on day three.

To cap off the fightback, in his first over of the series Kagiso Rabada removed Nic Maddinson in the opening over for a four-ball duck, his second one in three innings for the series, when he edged a drive to third slip. Travis Head and nightwatcher Scott Boland negotiated three overs against spin in fading light.

From a position from where they were the dominant side, it became a day of toil for Australia's attack, who conceded a century to an opposition captain for the first time since Ben Stokes at Lord's in the 2023 Ashes. There is now virtually no path to victory for them in this match with two days remaining.

Australia had been without Josh Hazlewood during the morning session although with South Africa in trouble it did not look like being critical. However, he was still struggling and only sent down nine overs for the day as the workload piled up for Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Boland, the latter who finished with 5 for 81, while Beau Webster was needed for 19 overs. To emphasise Australia's struggles, the innings was the first instance of South Africa putting up two century stands after the fall of the sixth wicket in a Test innings. Cummins, meanwhile, ended with his second-most expensive wicketless outing in Tests.

Bavuma, who had battled hard to get through tough conditions the previous evening, brought up three figures from 226 balls with a crunching pull off Cummins after a few nervous moments in the late nineties, which he in part attributed to the atmosphere created by the St George's Park band. There wasn't a huge crowd but, having been on the edges of their seats waiting for the landmark, they gave Bavuma a fitting ovation as he removed his helmet and saluted the ground. It was a stirring response from the South Africa captain after a poor Test with the bat in Durban.

He had started the day on 41 and during the morning, when Jansen cut loose, had almost been caught but he stayed in his bubble, showing excellent judgement of what to leave while pulling out some pristine drives. Hazlewood nearly claimed Bavuma on 122 but Steven Smith couldn't take a very tough chance, diving low to his left at second slip, which caused some damage to his finger although he was quickly patched up in the dressing room.

Harmer had come to the crease with the second new ball just five balls old, but pulled out a range of strokes that have brought him two first-class hundreds. A back-foot punch through point and a brace of pulls off Hazlewood were strokes that Bavuma would have been pleased with. He brought up a maiden Test fifty off 116 balls and, given the decision to bat deep into the final session, was a chance for a hundred when he missed a sweep against Marnus Labuschagne, the eighth bowler used by Australia.

Jansen had dominated the morning after replacing Wiaan Mulder, who had been bounced out by Mitchell Starc, to give him his 450th Test wicket, although DRS was needed to confirm the ball had brushed the glove. Chris Gaffaney, who had given the on-field decision, had briefly returned to the middle after missing the first two days due to illness but was again absent after lunch with Arno Jacobs partnering Richard Illingworth.

The over after the wicket, Bavuma unfurled a perfect on-drive against Cummins but it was Jansen who led the counterattack. He collected three fours in an over against Starc, the best of them the third when he laced a drive through the covers. Then, facing Boland, he dispatched him straight down the ground with a shot which made a tremendous crack off the bat.

For the first time in the series, Australia were losing control of the scoring rate. That point was emphasised when Jansen lofted Boland straight down the ground for six, unperturbed by Alex Carey's presence up to the stumps. Jansen added another six when he hooked Cummins over deep square leg as Australia started to feel the absence of Hazlewood.

When spin was introduced, Jansen sent Matt Renshaw straight down the ground with a step-hit for six. Jansen was given caught behind against Renshaw on 58, but the DRS showed Jansen had clipped his back pad. His tempo slowed a little either side of the lunch break, but a maiden Test century was coming within view when Australia took the second new ball.

The first delivery with it from Boland, who was promoted from his first-change role, thudded into Jansen's groin and left him on the ground for minutes before he was able to resume. Four balls later, he clipped firmly to midwicket where Head took a sharp catch. Even at that point it had been an impressive recovery from South Africa, but they'd only just got started.