Marco Jansen left Australia in disarray after taking 4 for 16 as the visitors were 69 for 6, and another 157 runs away from saving the follow-on. With South Africa a bowler down after Anrich Nortje left the field in his fourth over, Jansen and Kagiso Rabada brought the heat in South Africa's pursuit to square the series.

Australia's top-order problems have been well documented, and they faced a stern challenge of pace, accuracy and aggression as South Africa threw everything they had at trying to force a result. Importantly for Australia, though, Steven Smith is still there, on 26, with no one else in the top seven getting past 14, even as the ball, at 33 overs old, gets softer and batting becomes easier.

South Africa began bowling with a strong westerly breeze, a drying wind which usually aids batters. As Rabada searched for his inswinger, Travis Head scored the first runs of the morning, a sumptuous drive through point. His next boundary was off the outside edge as Rabada got closer.

At the other end, Jansen needed no easing in to the nightwatcher Scott Boland. His first ball was hard length and nipping away, Boland chased it, and gave new designated wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton a simple catch moving to his right.

Rabada continued to look for the perfect ball, and cranked it up to a top speed of 154.5kph in his next over, which was dangerous but not deadly. Head had another boundary in that over too, and was starting to look comfortable. But when he got forward to a Jansen ball that nipped back and was struck on the pad, South Africa thought they might have a chance. Jansen's appeal was muted but Simon Harmer convinced Temba Bavuma to review, and replays showed the ball was hitting the top of middle stump.

Australia were 22 for 3 in the first half hour of play, and South Africa had their tails up.

An intriguing battle between Marnus Labuschagne and Jansen ensued, in what must have been in Afrikaans. Labuschagne won the opening exchanges when he drove Jansen through mid-off twice in an over, but eventually lost the battle, though not at Jansen's hands. Nortje, in his first over, drew Labuschagne into a drive and induced an edge but the wicket belonged to Harmer, who took a stunning one-handed catch to his left at gully. Labuschagne has now gone 44 innings without a century, and averages 25.72 since December 2023.

At 45 for 4, South Africa would have been comfortable that the new ball had done its work, and switched Rabada for Wiaan Mulder after Rabada bowled six overs. With minimal swing available, Mulder's focus was to hold his end, and bowling back of a length and stump to stump. Drinks were taken with the score on 48 for 4, and South Africa in the ascendency.

But barely five minutes later, the mood dampened for them severely when Nortje walked off the field mid-over. He held his shirt over his face as he walked off, and Mulder offered commiserations, suggesting it may be serious. Nortje bowled 40 overs in the Durban Test after not playing any red-ball cricket for more than three-and-a-half years, and was expected to sit out this match but South Africa could not resist the express pace.

Harmer completed the over, and will have to carry a massive workload as South Africa rotate around three seamers, though they also have the option of Aiden Markram's offpsin.

With Smith and Matt Renshaw bedding in, and half an hour left for lunch, Rabada was brought back and almost delivered. Smith edged him short of Markram at second slip, and needed treatment on his neck immediately afterwards. Smith lived dangerously, and in the next over, flashed at a ball but missed. In scenes reminiscent of the 2018 battle between Rabada and Smith, there were words and smiles but no contact, as was the case eight years ago.

While Rabada was stirring the pot, Jansen took the lid off. Renshaw, Australia's best batter from the first Test, opened the face of the bat to steer Jansen to Harmer at wide third slip. Harmer took another excellent catch, low off the ground to continue what has been a good Test for him. Two balls later, Alex Carey got a thin edge to a Jansen ball he tried to steer to deep third, and Rickelton took his second catch.

With tension simmering, Rabada beat Beau Webster with a beauty that straightened and almost took the edge. Jansen then drew two false shots from Smith and hit him on the pad but he survived that and Rabada's last over to take Australia to the break.