South Africa enjoyed a momentous day with bat and ball, but Pakistan’s batting star, Babar Azam, remains a hurdle to be overcome after a thrilling third day of the second test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
At the close, Pakistan were 94 for four in their second innings, an overall lead of just 23 runs after South Africa had been dismissed for 404 in their first innings, a lead of 71.
The Proteas started the day under pressure, sank even further in the early going when Pakistan’s 38-year-old left-arm spinner, Asif Afridi, claimed a five-for on debut – the oldest to achieve the feat – then fought back magnificently to take control through the heroics of Senuran Muthusamy and Kagiso Rabada with the bat, and later on Simon Harmer with the ball.
A superb 10th-wicket partnership of 98 between Muthusamy (89*) and Rabada (71) enabled the Proteas to reach their final total before reducing their opponents to 16 for three and 60 for four in their second innings thanks largely to Harmer’s efforts (3-26 off 13 overs).
Harmer, who took the new ball with Rabada, claimed the wickets of Imam-ul-Haq and skipper Shan Masood, both leg before to arm balls, before sending back Saud Shakeel, deceived through the air with a slow, flighted delivery that he edged to Aiden Markram at slip.
Meanwhile Rabada made his contribution with the wicket of Abdullah Shafique, caught in the gully by Marco Jansen.
Pakistan were rocking, but to their credit they steadied the ship through Babar, who struck a number of classical cover drives in his seven boundaries, finishing unbeaten on 49 in 83 balls at the close with his gritty companion Rizwan on 16.
Pakistan thus finished on 94 for four, 23 runs to the good with six wickets in hand.
RABADA & MUTHUSAMY ROCK
Earlier, Pakistan made an excellent start to the day with Asif Afridi claiming the scalp of Kyle Verreynne in the first over as the left-arm orthodox spinner turned one away sharply from his forward prod, finding the edge of the bat and providing keeper Rizwan with the catch.
Afridi then claimed the key wicket of Tristan Stubbs who was beaten by a faster arm ball, playing on the back foot outside the line of the delivery.
Although he reviewed, replays showed the ball going on to crash into his leg stump. Stubbs had struck a valiant 76 in 205 balls, including six fours and a six.
Harmer came and went, leg before attempting a reverse sweep off Afridi which gave the Pakistani his fifth wicket.
Marco Jansen looked settled, striking Shaheen Shah Afridi for a glorious boundary with the new ball before playing down the wrong line to offspinner Khan and becoming the fourth lbw victim in the innings.
At that stage, South Africa’s arrears were 98 but Maharaj joined Muthusamy and the pair added an excellent 71 for the ninth wicket with Maharaj striking a sprightly 30 before he was stumped going down the pitch to left-arm spinner Noman Ali.
South Africa were still 27 runs in arrears, but the best was yet to come as Rabada, playing like a top-order batter, and Muthusamy took control.
While Muthusamy continued to play steadily, it was Rabada who dominated the action, contributing 71 to the 98-run stand.
The fast bowler, whose undoubted talent with the bat gleams occasionally, turned it on in fine style, smashing four fours and four sixes in his innings.
What was distinctive was the high quality of his shots. One short-arm punch over long-on off pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi ranked as one of the shots of the match, with a number of elegant cover drives also impressing.
It was his first test half-century as well as his highest test score that was only ended on the stroke of tea when he holed out at long-on to give Afridi his sixth wicket for a final analysis of 6-79 in 34.3 overs.
Muthusamy, who was only given four overs with the ball in the Pakistan first innings, showed the other side of his all-round ability with a commanding innings, striking eight fours in his 155-ball innings, also a test best.
The strength of the South African lower order was illustrated by the fact that the final two partnerships contributed 169 to the total while Pakistan’s tailenders, by contrast, have struggled.
PAKISTAN: Shan Masood (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Asif Afridi
SOUTH AFRICA: Aiden Markram (captain), Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada
