South Africa's First Innings
South Africa chose to bat first and achieved a total of 615 runs. Rickelton, opening the batting due to Tony de Zorzi's injury, played a key role. He faced 343 balls over ten hours, hitting 29 fours and three sixes. His partnerships with Temba Bavuma, who scored 106 runs, and Kyle Verreynne, who made 100 runs, were crucial. These collaborations helped South Africa build a strong position in the match.
Other notable contributions came from Marco Jansen, who scored 62 runs from 54 balls, and Keshav Maharaj, who added 40 runs from 35 balls. Their quick scoring further increased South Africa's total. Pakistan's bowlers, including Mohammad Abbas and Salman Agha, each took three wickets, but they struggled to contain South Africa's batting lineup.
Pakistan's Response
In reply, Pakistan faced difficulties early on. They ended the day at 64 runs for the loss of three wickets. With opener Saim Ayub unable to bat due to an ankle injury, Pakistan was effectively three wickets down. Kagiso Rabada led South Africa's bowling attack, taking two wickets for nine runs. He dismissed Pakistan's captain, Shan Masood, for two runs, and Saud Shakeel for a duck. Marco Jansen also contributed by bowling Kamran Ghulam for 12 runs.
By the end of the day, Babar Azam remained not out at 31 runs, and Mohammad Rizwan was unbeaten on nine. They will need to build a strong partnership to help Pakistan recover from the challenging position they are in.
Looking Ahead
South Africa's dominant performance has put them in a favorable position to win the series 2-0. They have already secured a spot in the World Test Championship final. Pakistan faces a significant challenge to overcome the large deficit and must rely on their remaining batsmen to perform well in the upcoming days
0 Comments