As the second day of this test match between Pakistan and South Africa is officially over, it’s clear that this Proteas unit finally woke up in order to make a massive comeback. Now, only trailing by less than 150 runs and still having several wickets in hand, this was a day where they truly dominated with both ball plus bat.
Knowing that the unit was still without their main leader, Temba Bavuma, who usually leads these comebacks, and still didn’t have Lungi Ngidi, it was a key learning point for the rest of their side. With Aiden Markram leading the side, his captaincy has continued improving during this format, and he has found a style best suited for playing in Asian conditions.
Now, for Pakistan, this seems like another moment where their confidence was at an all-time high, but has now hit rock bottom once again. A group that has been called out by many over the years for their inconsistent performances, it feels as if they completely lose the edge in this match, and all momentum has gone South Africa’s way. Seeing that their bowlers couldn’t provide that same inspired attack that they did during the first test match, tomorrow will be a big day to tell if there is any hope for a comeback.
Captain Shan Masood has proven to win some massive series in the past, but this moment feels a lot different because his leadership has kind of not seemed to work over the last couple of overs as well.
Pakistan Collapses After Seeming To Start Their Innings Very Strongly Today
Looking at Pakistan’s batting attack, their side had a complete downfall down the order and were a major reason for motivation being lost from the beginning itself. As Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel had continued on with their 70-run partnership from yesterday, losing Ali Agha first meant this side was in a world of trouble at 316/6.
Looking like he was going to get his 2nd half-century in this series, this is someone who was finding the boundaries pretty easily and looked in absolute great touch. With him being gone for 45 runs at a strike rate near 60, it left Saud Shakeel by himself with a lot of different bowling options that were trying to provide runs down the order.
When it looked like Shakeel was going to take over this match after hitting another boundary, Keshav Maharaj bowled an absolute stunner that removed him and moved Pakistan to 321/7. Knowing that Shaheen Afridi couldn’t do much in his 7 deliveries and looked absolutely outclassed, Sajid Khan was another massive piece who got caught in the deep.
Hitting one boundary before losing his wicket as well, it created a 323/8 moment for them before Asif Afridi was also removed and made Pakistan all-out for 333 runs. This was a masterful ending for South Africa, as things started to seem to get back to earth once again and kept Pakistan’s batters second-guessing most of the time.
South Africa Had A Top-Notch Performance By Their Bowlers In Crucial Situations
For South Africa, this was a match where their bowling really stood out and had one of the most impactful performances after seeming to be outdueled yesterday. The first name to mention was Kagiso Rabada, as he was nearly able to pick up a few more wickets and started to hit that same line plus length. Known for his seaming abilities, they were on full display here while Marco Jansen was also very dominant from the left end.
With the fact that these two pacers were able to perform this well in spin conditions, it has only set up for what could be a crucial number of overs for them heading into the 2nd innings. As we have seen them perform extremely strong throughout long overs in history, the comeback from them will be key.
Meanwhile, the spinning attack has gotten an even bigger boost as spinner Keshav Maharaj was completely on point with turning the ball. A piece that really can do it well from the left end, his performance was so strong that they only needed Senuran Muthuswamy for 4 overs.
Seeing that Mahraj took 7 wickets, he was in for over 40 overs and was able to remove all 5 batters that were still standing today. With him being back and ready to fight, their right-handed piece in Simon Harmer also bowled a few scary overs after picking two wickets yesterday. Knowing that he swings it in a little less, it was still great to see because Aiden Markram didn’t have to rely much on his bowling efforts today.
South Africa’s Innings Start Off To A Flier Despite Losing A Few Wickets
Seeing the Proteas unit, their batsmen understood the task at hand and have been phenomenal with stacking up runs on the board to make the lead less. Despite Ryan Rickleton being the first wicket at 22/1 after being removed for 14 runs on 26 balls and one four, Aiden Markram seemed a little more controlled on the other end in this match.
Someone who was struggling to even get past 20 last test match, Ryan Rickelton has found his stride and created a solid 30+ run partnership with Tristan Stubbs, before being removed at 32. Hitting four proper fours and a long ball that seemed to go the distance, this was one of those performances that really springboarded the rest of the unit.
Looking at Stubbs, he will still be in to start tomorrow’s innings, while having scored 68 runs of 164 balls with 7 boundaries today. As he remains set, the partnership between him and Tony De Zorzi put South Africa in a much more comfortable position as both combined for 113 runs and brought the score past 160.
With Tony De Zorzi having scored 55 runs on 93 deliveries and hitting two sixes, while also providing a four, he seemed to continue his form from last match after being their only high point. As Dewald Brevis did get out quite fast during this innings, following him, Kyle Verreynne has started quite fast after scoring 10 runs.
What lies ahead on Day 3
Now that we head to tomorrow’s day of cricket, this should continue being a dominating performance for South Africa. A group that has continued fighting their way back and looking strong with Tristan Stubbs back in form, he should provide a lot from one end, while Kyle Verreyne hopes to have his breakout innings in this series.
With Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj still yet to bat, this side will be more than ready to control the match and finally get a huge advantage over a team they are much stronger than. Knowing this, it will be quite interesting to see how these middle and lower-order attacks spin, while understanding that they can go much lower.
Also Read: PAK vs SA: Noman Ali Wallops South Africa