South Africa's bowlers made early inroads into Australia's top order after one of the finest centuries of AB de Villiers' Test career handed his side a significant lead on the third day in Port Elizabeth. South Africa held a 139-run advantage after they were eventually dismissed for 382 just before lunch, and by tea Australia had reduced the deficit to 53, but had lost three wickets along the way, including key men Steven Smith and David Warner.
The loss of Smith in the session's antepenultimate over was a major blow, and it continued a trend in this series of Smith struggling against left-arm orthodox spin. After Keshav Maharaj had Smith caught at slip in the first innings in Durban, and Dean Elgar trapped him lbw in the second, Maharaj again accounted for Smith by tickling his outside edge on the way through to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, and the Australia captain was out for 11.