Matt Renshaw's remarkable Test rolled on in Durban on day four, where Australia declared on 314-6 to set South Africa a would-be world-record 421 to win the series opener — then ripped out three wickets in the final hour to leave the hosts 102-4 at stumps, still 319 short, with six wickets standing and one day to survive.

Renshaw, in only his second Test back after a three-year absence, followed the career-best 190 he made on day two — his first Test century in more than nine years, as reported at the time — with 82 off 99 balls to hold the tourists' second innings together, before having South Africa captain Temba Bavuma caught at short leg late in the day for his first Test wicket. Captain Pat Cummins followed up by setting up Tristan Stubbs perfectly, leaving South Africa staring down a brutal final-day survival mission against the side they beat in the 2025 World Test Championship final at Lord's.

Maddinson keeps swinging as Australia pile on

Australia began the day holding a 106-run first-innings lead, and opener Nic Maddinson — who had thrown his bat around under fading light on day three — came out with similar intent. He started with a couple of streaky fours and, after Marco Jansen removed Travis Head in the second over of the day, hit Jansen for four and Simon Harmer for six to sweep quickly into the 40s. It took an exceptional yorker from Anrich Nortje to end the counter-attack, Maddinson gone for a 38-ball 48.

Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne then kept the lead moving at a brisk clip, adding a 50-run stand before Smith tried his luck clearing the towering Jansen at long-on and failed. Smith had earlier taken a blow to his helmet from a Nortje bouncer while making 27 and, for a change, did not take the field for South Africa's second innings — potentially depriving Australia of his elite slip catching on day five. Labuschagne fell soon after, lobbing a tossed-up delivery from Keshav Maharaj to cover.

Australia lost four wickets in the morning session but still added 141 runs to their lead. Renshaw, once more adventurous in his strokeplay as he set up the declaration, took charge in the second session with partnerships worth 48 with Alex Carey and 65 with Beau Webster. After Nortje had Carey playing the ball back onto his stumps, the Renshaw-Webster alliance accelerated — 65 runs off just 71 deliveries pushing the game firmly away from South Africa's grasp — before Maharaj produced an acrobatic effort off his own bowling to end Renshaw's vigil on 82.

At 270-6 with a lead of 376, Cummins strutted out with licence to swing for the fence — and connected. The captain hit four sixes in a 12-ball 32 not out as Australia plundered 140 runs in just 22 overs in the middle session, then declared at tea to set South Africa 421.

Hazlewood strikes before Renshaw's golden arm

Josh Hazlewood broke through in the fourth over of the chase when Ryan Rickelton top-edged a loose pull shot, but Aiden Markram and David Bedingham dug in either side of that, sharing 66 in 19.4 overs in a defiant stand that looked like making Australia toil for the remainder of the Test. Hazlewood beat both batsmen repeatedly without reward, and Nathan Lyon found sharp turn into the right-handed pair while the fielders around the bat got chatty. Eventually Hazlewood came in clutch — not for the first time in this match — trapping Bedingham leg before for 46.

Renshaw, who can seemingly do no wrong in this Test, then turned his golden arm: his part-time off-spin had Bavuma caught at forward short leg, the 30-year-old's first Test wicket. Cummins made it three wickets in the closing stages, pushing Stubbs back with a flurry of short balls before producing a sucker full delivery that the batter chased and nicked behind. Wiaan Mulder and Markram survived 50 balls together to take South Africa to stumps at 102-4, with Hazlewood finishing with 2 for 20. By the close, even Renshaw was finding extravagant turn.

Markram holds the key as Bavuma's streak teeters

South Africa's hopes rest heavily on Markram, who battled to 45 not out from 115 balls and has form in precisely this situation: he made a sensational 136 in the fourth innings of South Africa's World Test Championship final win over Australia at Lord's. Only one active player — Sri Lanka's Kusal Mendis — betters his fourth-innings Test average of 45.56, and he has now faced 313 deliveries from Nathan Lyon in Tests without ever being dismissed. Even so, the task is immense: only twice in the past 13 years has a team survived 140 overs to save a Test.

Australia are primed for a statement victory that would end South Africa's unbeaten record under Bavuma, who has won 11 and drawn one of his Tests in charge, a run that includes the Lord's final. Bad light, which cut short the first three days, stayed away on the fourth evening — and whether it returns on the final day may yet determine if Australia were right to bat on until tea. This is the first Test of a South African summer that includes two more against the Australians, two against Bangladesh and three against England over Christmas.

Brief scores

• Australia 390 (Matt Renshaw 190, Pat Cummins 43; Wiaan Mulder 4-68, Marco Jansen 3-68) & 314/6 declared (Matt Renshaw 82, Nic Maddinson 48; Anrich Nortje 2-56, Keshav Maharaj 2-56)
• South Africa 284 & 102/4 (David Bedingham 46, Aiden Markram 45 not out; Josh Hazlewood 2-20, Pat Cummins 1-27, Matt Renshaw 1-16)
• South Africa trail by 319 runs with six wickets in hand

A tall order awaits South Africa on day five.