Cape Town - Kagiso Rabada says he has never experienced anything like what unfolded in the final half-an-hour of day three of the second Test between the Proteas and Pakistan at Newlands. 

There are still two full days to go in this Test match and the Proteas will score the 41 runs they need for a series win in the morning session on Sunday, but that did not stop them from throwing everything at the Pakistan tail in the hope of getting the job done inside three days. 

The result was a period of cricket that was comical, if nothing else. 

When the Proteas had Babar Azam caught at slip for a seriously good knock of 72, Pakistan were 270/9 with a lead of 16. It was 17:46 when that happened - 14 minutes left in the day. 

There was an option to allow for an extra 30 minutes which would have taken play to 18:30, but with each run scored that became less likely. 

At one stage, Dale Steyn was bowling off a five-pace run-up to try and speed things up. 

The major talking point came at 17:51 when Vernon Philander thought he had brought the Pakistan innings to a close when with Mohammad Abbas caught by Rabada at mid-off. 

Proteas openers Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock, who was elevated to the top of the order because of an injury to Aiden Markram, sprinted off the field to get their pads on. 

Almost everyone, in fact, was off the field when replays revealed that Philander had bowled a no ball. 

In bizarre fashion, umpires Joel Wilson and Bruce Oxenford called everyone back on, and the Proteas were back at it in frantic fashion. 

Rabada (4/61) would eventually dismiss Shaheen Afridi (14) at 18:01 to bring Pakistan's innings to a close with the visitors having done well to amass 294. 

With a 10-minute period the norm for the innings changeover, Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis and coach Ottis Gibson opted against coming back out.

"Nothing like that has ever happened," Rabada told media after the day's play.

"We were in a rush, Dale was bowling off a quarter run-up and then there was the dramatic no-ball. For all of that to happen, we decide not to go in to bat.

"The captain and the coach made the decision. They felt that trying to bat five overs to get 41 runs was not worth it. We'll just come tomorrow and knock them off."

It was, of course, the sensible decision.

Play will start at 10:30 on Sunday.