South Africa tightened their grip on the second Test at Cape Town, leaving Pakistan struggling at 155/6 on Day 3, trailing by a mammoth 460 runs. Pakistan, already down to nine wickets due to Saim Ayub’s injury, faced a daunting task after losing three crucial wickets in the second hour of the morning session.
Table of Contents
Morning Session Recap
Pakistan resumed their innings at 74/3, with skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan aiming to build on their unbeaten 44-run partnership. Despite the placid nature of the pitch, South Africa’s bowlers kept the batters under pressure with tight lines and probing deliveries.
Rizwan vs Jansen Battle: Rizwan survived a fierce bouncer spell from Marco Jansen, even taking a blow to his helmet grill. However, he counterattacked effectively, hitting a four and a six off successive short balls.
Babar’s Resilience: Babar played with flair, stroking consecutive boundaries off Kagiso Rabada to bring up his second consecutive half-century in the series.
South Africa in Command as Pakistan Crumble in Cape Town Test.
The duo added 98 runs before disaster struck after the drinks break.
Wickets Tumble
Babar Azam (58): The Pakistan captain was dismissed in an unfortunate manner, strangled down the leg side off debutant Kwena Maphaka, who celebrated his maiden Test wicket jubilantly.
Mohammad Rizwan (46): Rizwan’s attempt to play an expansive shot backfired as he was bowled by Wiaan Mulder, leaving Pakistan in deeper trouble.
Salman Ali Agha (19): Agha showed promise with three boundaries during his brief stay but was undone by a beauty from spinner Keshav Maharaj, who lured him out of his crease. Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne completed the stumping with precision.
South Africa’s Dominance
South Africa’s massive 615-run total in the first innings, powered by a stunning 259 by Ryan Rickelton, century contributions from Temba Bavuma (106), and Kyle Verreynne (100), has put them in complete control.
Bowling Highlights:
Rabada: 2/28
Maharaj: 1/2
Maphaka: 1/13 (debut wicket of Babar)
Pakistan’s Uphill Battle
With just four wickets remaining and a deficit of 460 runs, Pakistan faces an improbable task to save the match. Their batters will need to produce extraordinary performances to deny South Africa a victory that seems almost inevitable.
Brief Scores
South Africa: 615 (Ryan Rickelton 259, Temba Bavuma 106, Kyle Verreynne 100; Mohammad Abbas 3/94, Salman Ali Agha 3/148)
