JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa need seven more wickets to win the third Test at the Wanderers and sweep the series after Pakistan were 153 for three wickets at the close of play on Sunday, still 228 runs short of a daunting winning target.

Dale Steyn claimed two wickets and Duane Olivier the other for his 22nd of the series as South Africa removed the top order after Pakistan had made a solid start with a 67-run opening wicket partnership.

Pakistan had been set a target of 381 to win after bowling their hosts out for 303 before tea on the third day of the test in Johannesburg.

They will resume on Monday with Asad Shafiq not out on 48 and Babar Azam on 17.

Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood made a positive start to Pakistan’s second innings, attacking the South African pace attack before Steyn made a quick double breakthrough.

Imam-ul-Haq got a feint edge as Steyn moved the ball across the left hander and was out for 35 and Shan soon followed back to the pavilion after a television review, adjudged to have got a slight inside edge to another difficult delivery.

Olivier then claimed the wicket of the out-of-form Azhar Ali as wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock took his third catch of the innings.

Olivier is now three wickets off equalling South Africa’s 117-year-old record for the most wickets in a three Test series.

De Kock hit the highest score of the series on Sunday to help South Africa into pole position for a third successive test win.

He scored 129 off 138 balls for only the second century of the series, following Faf du Plessis’ 103 in the second test in Cape Town last week.

Hashim Amla added 71 after South Africa had resumed day three on 135-5 with 21 from Kagiso Rabada as they provided support to de Kock.

Amla was the first wicket to go on Sunday, touching his glove to a rising delivery from Hasan Ali on a pitch cracking in places and offering uneven bounce.

Rabada featured in a 79-run partnership for the eighth wicket with De Kock.

SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings 262; Pakistan 1st innings 135.
South Africa 2nd innings o/n136 for 5
Dean Elgar c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Mohammad Amir 5
Aiden Markram c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Mohammad Abbas 21
Hashim Amla c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Hasan Ali 71
Theunis de Bruyn c Asad Shafiq b Faheem Ashraf 7
Zubayr Hamza lbw Faheem Ashraf 0
Temba Bavuma c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Shadab Khan 23
Quinton de Kock c Hasan Ali b Shadab Khan 129
Vernon Philander lbw Mohammad Amir 14
Kagiso Rabada c Shadab Khan b Faheem Ashraf 21
Dale Steyn Not Out 0
Duanne Olivier c Sarfaraz Ahmed b Shadab Khan 1
Extras 2b 6lb 2nb 0pen 1w 11
Total (80.3 overs) 303 all out
Fall of Wickets : 1-24 Elgar, 2-29 Markram, 3-45 de Bruyn, 4-45 Hamza, 5-93 Bavuma, 6-195 Amla, 7-223 Philander, 8-302 de Kock, 9-302 Rabada, 10-303 Olivier
Bowling: Mohammad Amir 20 – 2 – 56 – 2, Mohammad Abbas 18 – 3 – 73 – 1 (1w),
Hasan Ali 17 – 1 – 83 – 1, Faheem Ashraf 14 – 3 – 42 – 3 (2nb),
Shadab Khan 11.3 – 0 – 41 – 3.7

PAKISTAN 2nd innings
Imam ul-Haq c Quinton de Kock b Dale Steyn 35
Shan Masood c Quinton de Kock b Dale Steyn 37
Azhar Ali c Quinton de Kock b Duanne Olivier 15
Asad Shafiq Not Out 48
Babar Azam Not Out 17
Extras 0b 1lb 0nb 0pen 0w 1
Total (40.0 overs) 153-3
Fall of Wickets : 1-67 ul-Haq, 2-74 Khan, 3-104 Ali
To Bat : Ahmed, Khan, Ashraf, Amir, Abbas, Ali
Bowling : Dale Steyn 12 – 1 – 37 – 2, Vernon Philander 10 – 3 – 28 – 0,
Duanne Olivier 8 – 2 – 41 – 1, Kagiso Rabada 10 – 1 – 46 – 0.