The Spaniard followed his surge up the leaderboard on Friday with another birdie-laden round in Dubai and moved level with Henrik Stenson on 14-under overall heading into the last day.
Cabrera-Bello hit three birdies on the front nine, even though he struggled for momentum, and produced a strong finish, picking shots in four of the last five holes.
Rose, who shot a 68 to sit three shots behind, praised his playing partner and compared his touch around the green to that of Seve Ballesteros.
"Rafa Cabrera‑Bello was unbelievable," he said.
"He really struggled with his game the first few holes, and then got some flow going.
"He had 15 one‑putts. His short game was Seve-like. It was awesome.
"He was unbelievable. He was chipping it to a foot and it was awesome. Chipping around this golf course is difficult, very grainy, very tough, very sandy underneath the ball.
"It was a masterclass."
Rose holds third place on his own going into Sunday, with four players, including Victor Dubuisson, just a shot behind him.