Chasing 282 to win, South Africa are 213 for two at the end of day three thanks to a majestic century from Markram and a gutsy 65 not out from captain Temba Bavuma.
Markram's historic Lord's ton, first-ever by a Proteas player in an ICC tournament final, and his 143-run unbeaten stand with skipper Temba Bavuma have left SA just 69 runs short with eight wickets to go in pursuit of their first-ever world title in the sport.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday issued "shoot at sight" orders to law enforcement officials, claiming that a communal group became active in the state's Dhubri district.
During a run-chase of 282 in what had been an absolutely hellish match for batters so far, Markram put on an unbeaten century partnership with skipper Temba Bavuma, ending the day with 102* in 159 balls, with 11 fours. Thanks to the efforts of these two, Proteas is just a few more runs away
At the end of day three, SA was 213/2, with Markram (102*) and Bavuma (65*) unbeaten. They need 69 runs to win in their run-chase of 282 runs. This is the first-ever century by a Proteas player in an ICC tournament final.
Smith was standing in close at slip with a helmet on when South Africa captain Temba Bavuma edged one into the cordon off pacer Mitchell Starc, and the Australia veteran grassed the chance with Bavuma on just two at the time.
For tourists arriving from the scorching plains of northern India, especially where temperatures have been soaring to 45-50°C, the sudden drop in temperature and light showers in Shimla proved to be a heavenly escape.
Heatwave conditions are expected to persist in parts of Himachal Pradesh over the next three days, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting above-normal temperatures in several districts.