Heading into the first day between Pakistan and South Africa of this test series, one side’s batting lineup really showed up to make this match take an unexpected turn. Seeing that Pakistan were able to score over 300 runs with just 5 wickets lost, it showed that they regained a little bit more confidence back that they had lost over the past couple years.
Trying to build on this score in days moving forward, it has been a huge revelation for their long-format style of this game, plus doing it against such a big team will multiply their hopes during this World Test phase. Captain Shan Masood has shown his true leadership and commanding ability, which has been a key aspect of Pakistan’s massive success so far.
Meanwhile, South Africa will hope to change their vibes after a tough day one and look to play in a different way in future days ahead. One side that has developed the ability to find ways to win, regardless of the situation, will be another case in point, as they aim to continue their victory streak against Pakistan in test cricket.
With no Marco Jansen, Temba Bavuma, or Lungi Ngidi on this side, their hope is to get younger pieces more opportunities and learn how to play in different types of situations. Seeing that Aiden Markram is still leading this side, he will show his ability to start a fightback for his group, and looks to be a great motivating aspect, again.
Pakistan’s Top-Order Displays Amazing Prowess After A Slow Start In First Session
For Pakistan, this was a match where their top three batsmen finally showed up and really proved what they were made of. With Abdullah Shafique opening, he was removed for two runs after Kagiso Rabada bowled an absolute beauty, which had already put pressure on Pakistan early.
Being 2/1 within that 1st over itself, it seemed like this would be another match where their scoring wouldn’t flow and they would manage to get all-out on the same day. But, something then just clicked for them, and their one-down batsmen in Shan Masood was able to create something very special with other opener, Iman-Ul-Haq, to show prowess.
As both batsmen got to a half-century, their ability to bat once again came alive and was key in them crossing the 100-run mark during this first session. Seeing that a lot of confidence had been built into captain Shan Masood, especially, he had 4-5 clean boundaries that showed real class.
With Iman Ul-Haq also adding a couple of key hits, Pakistan were done with 1/3rd of the day having just lost one wicket, which ended up being a huge story. On South Africa’s bowling end, Kagiso Rabada was able to pick up one wicket during this session, while Simon Harmer nearly had turned one in to almost remove a batsman during his numerous overs.
Pakistan’s Top Batsmen Today Continued Proving Their Worth Before Mid-Innings Collapase
This phase of the match had belonged to South Africa as their bowlers finally started waking up and delivering wickets. Getting four during this session, their first key one was removal of captain Shan Masood, who got hit right in the front pad by Prenlean Subrayen. Leaving for 76 on 147 balls, he was able to hit 9 fours, while mixing in a six during his long innings.
With Imam- Ul-Haq continuing to go, he was able to score 93 runs and looked very dominant, while nearing a massive hundred. But right before that, more bad news broke for Pakistan as he ended up getting caught by Senuran Muthuswamy to cause Pakistan to hit three down at that moment.
Then, within the next couple overs, two more big-time batsmen fell, with the first of them being Saud Shakeel. Going for a golden duck, this was massive because South Africa were now at three wickets picked up during this session without allowing Pakistan to hit the 200-mark. It became even better for them as Babar Azam ended up getting removed for 23 runs and four boundaries, which caused them to land at a 199/5 score before tea.
In a huge turn of events, Senuran Muthuswamy had come up very big during this period with two wickets, while holding an economy under 3.5, and Simon Harmer finally got the wicket he deserved after much fight.
Middle-Order Changes The Match Once Again In The Batting Side’s Favor
But, once the tea time hit, this match seemed like it went right back into Pakistan’s favor with their middle pieces making a huge impact now. With Mohammed Rizwan heading in, this is someone who showed his skill in test cricket once again, as that’s the style he tends to play during all formats of cricket.
Someone who got to another half-century and looked very locked in, he scored 62 runs on 107 deliveries to end the day, while having hit two big-time sixes. Also having two very classy boundaries at the same time, his ability to find open areas to run between the wickets showed that he got some of his great touch and form back from when he was in his prime.
On the other side, he built a great 114-run partnership with Salman Ali Agha as the two were able to help Pakistan cross over 300 runs. Knowing that Ali Agha was able to get towards 52 runs on his own, his innings was all about patience and finding the middle of the bat.
Smacking two boundaries on either side of the ground, he also smacked a long ball in this match and played in a very commanding way. For South Africa, it was a stage for their bowling attack to forget, as many spinners like Senuran Muthuswamy were getting hit all around the ground. Meanwhile, Wiaan Mulder had two pretty expensive overs, and Markram couldn’t create much in his one.
What Lies Ahead For These Sides During Day 2 Of This Match?
As we will be heading into day two tomorrow, there should be more anticipation for the wicket to be in favor of South Africa and get the remaining 5 batsmen out. Seeing that Rabada will potentially lead the attack again, he will use the same speed he is known for and should try breaking this Salman Ali Agha and Mohammed Rizwan partnership fast.
Given that a lot of the remaining Pakistan batsmen are right-handed, including spinner Sajid Khan, it should be a mismatch for Senuran Muthuswamy, plus Prenlean Subrayen will use his orthodox ability to his advantage. With this being said, South Africa will start batting and rely on their major pieces up-front, including Ryan Rickleton, Aiden Markram, and Tony De Zorzi, to trail by less than 100 runs before day’s end.
Also Read: ICC WTC 2023-25: Aiden Markram’s 136 Runs Power South Africa To WTC Triumph