South Africa vs England: Kagiso Rabada leaves Alastair's Cook's side reeling in Centurion

South Africa finished the day 42 for 1, leading by 175

Kagiso Rabada is congratulated by Morne Morkel after he took the wicket of Jonny Bairstow (Getty Images)

England were facing a first-innings deficit after reaching 318 for eight on day three of the final Test against South Africa.

The Proteas took a 157-run lead to the tea break at Centurion after 20-year-old paceman Kagiso Rabada recorded career-best figures of six for 101 to undermine the tourists' response.

Rabada did most of the damage in the morning session, where England lost four top-order wickets for 73, but Moeen Ali's 45 not out at least helped avert the follow-on.

England's overnight batsmen, Alastair Cook and Joe Root, had both fallen for 76 while the dangerous Ben Stokes succumbed to the new ball.

Cook had resumed on 67, needing 50 more to become the first Englishman to 10,000 Test runs, but never looked likely to do so.

He managed just nine runs in the first hour before edging a fine Morne Morkel delivery, angled in and seaming away again.

Root had been playing a different game to his skipper, resuming on 31no but quickly assuming the senior role.

Having found the middle with a drive and an uppercut against Kyle Abbott he went after Rabada, scoring 15 off his fourth over of the day.

Four of those runs came via a streaky edge wide of gully but he quickly tightened up outside off stump and punched a pair of commanding boundaries off the back foot to reach his 19th half-century from 98 balls.

Root was given caught behind off Dane Piedt on 67 but had the verdict overturned when replays showed no trace of bat.

Rabada returned for another burst before the interval and it proved an inspired turn as England lost three for three.

First he beat Root with a full ball that invited the drive but grazed the outside edge on its way past.

James Taylor was next, out for a frenetic 14.

He had drilled his first ball for four down the ground and timed another couple nicely, but the number five had also flapped at a handful of short balls.

It came as no surprise when he aimed an ambitious pull at Rabada but only succeeded in tickling it through to Quinton de Kock.

All Bairstow needed to do was see off the remainder of the over to reach lunch but Rabada had him inside three balls, shading one back in off the seam and flicking a glove.

The afternoon session began with a false start as a rain shower interrupted proceedings, but Stokes quickly found his attacking repertoire when the covers came off.

He raced to 33, clattering a couple of boundaries off Morkel then launching Piedt for six down the ground.

But the arrival of the new ball cut short the fun.

Stokes has shown a liking for dispatching the harder ball in this series but this time Rabada won the battle.

It took a fast, full delivery and a shade of movement away to draw the edge, which was snaffled by Hashim Amla at slip.

England may have folded had De Kock been able to hold on to Chris Woakes when he wafted at Morkel, but he was only able to parry a high chance.

Thereafter the Warwickshire pair of Moeen and Woakes knuckled down to add 43 runs.

It was a skilful partnership, Moeen deflecting the ball dexterously before dealing more forcefully with Piedt's off-spin, and Woakes managing 26 runs in pleasingly orthodox fashion.

It took the part-time spin of JP Duminy to part them, Woakes nicking the ball into De Kock's knee, allowing Dean Elgar to pick up a loopy slip catch.

Moeen continued his deft accumulation until tea, milking South Africa's slow bowlers with apparent ease despite the home side's dominant position.