Kirsten produced his best performance of the series to force the match into a fourth day after the Australians threatened to wrap it up inside three days when they bowled the South Africans out for 154 before lunch and ordered them to follow-on.
Trailing by 400 and facing one of their heaviest defeats in over a century of Test cricket, South Africa’s batsmen thwarted Australia’s bowlers for the remaining two sessions, losing just two wickets, but finished the day still needing another 191 runs to make the home side bat again.
Kirsten had a lucky escape on 12 when Mark Waugh failed to hold a sharp catch at second slip but batted through 211 balls to reach the close 18 runs short of becoming the first South African to score a century this series.
Boeta Dippenaar missed out on his chance of a hundred when he threw his wicket away for 74 following a 149-run partnership with Kirsten after Brett Lee had bowled Herschelle Gibbs for 10 with the South African total on 17.
They took the score along to 166 before Dippenaar steered a full toss from leg-spinner Stuart MacGill straight to Ricky Ponting at mid-wicket.
Jacques Kallis, who was run out for 99 in last week’s second Test loss in Melbourne, replaced Dippenaar and scored a patient 32 to see the tourists through to the close.
Although the Australians seemed certain to go on and win the match, Steve Waugh’s men would need no reminding of their loss to India last year when Vangipurappu Laxman rescued India from a similar position with 281.
South Africa were ordered to follow-on after their first innings came to an abrupt halt before lunch. The Proteas started the day at 93 for four but lost their last six wickets for 61 runs in 98 minutes to fall 201 runs short of the follow-on target.
Australia’s first-choice leg-spinner Shane Warne was the main architect of South Africa’s collapse, capturing three wickets to pass Charlie Turner’s record as the most successful bowler at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Warne’s three for 47 from 19 overs lifted his tally of Test victims at Australia’s most spin-friendly pitch to 46, one more than Turner’s 45 scalps from the late 19th century.
Glenn McGrath and MacGill also finished with three wickets after taking two each the previous day.
With Australia having won the first Test in Adelaide by 246 runs and the second in Melbourne by nine wickets, the South Africans were still facing one of their heaviest ever defeats.
They have not lost every match of a series since being thumped 5-0 by Bill Woodfull’s Australians in 1931-32.
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 554 (J.L. Langer 126, D.R. Martyn 117, M.L. Hayden 105; N. Boje 4-63).
SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings, overnight 93-4):
H.H. Gibbs c M. Waugh b MacGill 32
G. Kirsten c Ponting b McGrath 18
H.H. Dippenaar b McGrath 3
J.H. Kallis c Gilchrist b MacGill 4
N.D. McKenzie b Warne 20
J.L. Ontong lbw b Warne 9
M.V. Boucher c Ponting b Warne 35
S.M. Pollock c Martyn b McGrath 6
N. Boje run out 7
C.W. Henderson c McGrath b MacGill 9
A.A. Donald not out 2
EXTRAS (LB-8, NB-1) 9
TOTAL (all out, 62.2 overs) 154
FALL OF WKTS: 1-37, 2-43, 3-56, 4-77, 5-93, 6-98, 7-111, 8-121, 9-148.
BOWLING: McGrath 17-6-35-3; Lee 6-2-13-0; MacGill 20.2-6-51-3 (1nb); Warne 19-5-47-3.
SOUTH AFRICA (2nd Innings):
H.H. Gibbs b Lee 10
G. Kirsten not out 82
H.H. Dippenaar c Ponting b MacGill 74
J.H. Kallis not out 32
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-5, NB-2) 11
TOTAL (for two wkts, 69 overs) 209
FALL OF WKTS: 1-17, 2-166.
BOWLING (to-date): McGrath 11-2-35-0; Warne 20-5-58-0 (1nb); Lee 11-3-30-1 (1nb); MacGill 20-6-52-1; M.E. Waugh 6-1-14-0; Ponting 1-0-11-1.—Reuters