Dane Paterson‘s fiery five-wicket haul put South Africa on top as Pakistan crumbled for 211 on Day 1. Aiden Markram’s unbeaten 47 steadied the hosts, who trailed by 129 runs with seven wickets in hand heading into Day 2. South Africa finished Day 1 of their Test against Pakistan in a commanding position, trailing by just 129 runs with seven wickets in hand. Dane Paterson was the star of the day, claiming an impressive five-wicket haul as Pakistan were bowled out for a modest 211 in their first innings.
South Africa bowled Pakistan out for 211 on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test being held at SuperSport Park, Centurion. Dane Paterson was the pick of the bowlers with a solid fifer. He claimed 5/61 from 16 overs which included four maidens. It was a fine performance by the pacer as Pakistan were knocked over in 57.3 overs. In addition, debutant Corbin Bosch managed 4/63 and Marco Jansen claimed 1/43.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : We should get a good amount of cricket today, there’s a bit of rain expected over the next two days. It’s quite green, it’s in a perfect length for a bowler to bring the batter forward. There are some cracks around, they could open up going into the course of the Test. There should be some burn marks, it could produce some divots.
The pace could be slow because of the rain, the first 30-40 overs will be tough as a batter, it’ll then flatten out a touch and should be easier to bat, reckon Mike Haysman and Hashim Amla, in their pitch report.
Toss : South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat with 4 pacers in the playing XI including debutant Corbin Bosch in the setup. Pakistan skipper Shan Masood batting first decided to go with 7 batters and 4 bowlers in the playing XI.
Day 1 : Morning Session : Debutant Corbin Bosch, Dane Paterson trigger Pakistan’s slide in opening session
South Africa and Pakistan played out a session of two different halves on Day One at a festive SuperSport Park in Centurion. Pakistan managed to play out the first hour as both openers survived a testing passage of play unscathed after fiery opening spells from Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen. But debutant Corbin Bosch struck with his first ball in Test cricket, immediately after the drinks break, as the visitors went on to lose four wickets for 20 runs in the next 4.3 overs.
Temba Bavuma had opted to bowl due to the overcast conditions, and his star bowler Rabada almost got Shan Masood to chop back on to his stumps in the first over. Rabada, then, beat the batter’s outside edge in his next over, agonizingly close to finding the edge while player of the ODI series, Saim Ayub survived an early DRS review off Jansen as the ball was clipping leg-stump and stayed with the umpire’s call of not-out.
Masood fended off a snorter from Jansen before he pulled him for four to square leg to the boundary. The hosts who were looking to make early inroads after electing to bowl, were left increasingly frustrated as Rabada saw one ball nicked by Ayub go down in the slips as Tristan Stubbs couldn’t get down in time. Rabada beat the batter thrice in the same over but had nothing to show for it. The visitors then found a couple of streaky boundaries as they were 36 for 0 at drinks.
The introduction of Bosch changed the course of the game immediately as Masood drove loosely away from his body, edging one to Jansen at gully, off his first ball in Test cricket. Dane Paterson followed it up from the other end with a peach of a delivery straightening enough to find a faint edge of Ayub. Both openers fell within two overs after the drinks break.
The story of the opening session changed the moment Temba Bavuma through the ball to debutant Bosch. He began with a loosener well outside off stump. Masood, who had been forced to deal with an unerring fourth stump all of the first hour, had his eyes light up as he slashed at it, with a thick outside edge carrying to Marco Jansen at third slip to give him a first-ball wicket.
All of a sudden, the good balls that kept missing edges started to find them. Dane Paterson nipped one away to Ayub, who was uncharacteristically defensive, accumulating a painstaking 14 off 35 balls. It kissed the outside edge, and both openers were back in the pavilion. Paterson wasn’t done, because Babar Azam, returning to the side, also had a prod at one well outside off stump, the tentativeness of his stroke revealing his lack of confidence; it was meat and drink for the slips again.
This was sandwiched by Babar Azam dispatching Bosch to the boundary with a whip off the pads. However, that was the only contribution Azam made as the batter loosely pushed at one well outside off stump, guiding it straight to second slip.
Saud Shakeel, known for his temperament and composure at the crease, played in complete contrast in his brief six-ball stay. He scored three boundaries off Dane Paterson off his first three balls before he threw his wicket away, having gloved a short ball down the legside off Bosch as Pakistan were tottering at 56 for 4.
With Pakistani defenses going haywire, Saud Shakeel went for the other extreme, looking to take every ball on, but it was just six deliveries before that strategy ran out of road. He gloved a hook through to the keeper, with South Africa successfully reviewing to send him on his way.
Mohammad Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam brought up an unbeaten counter-attacking 32-run stand with half-an-hour left in the first session. Through some indecisive shots to the fence, and a streaky top-edge for six, the duo hung in tough batting conditions. The visitors are 88 for 4 at Lunch.
It will be all the more frustrating for Pakistan after a magnificent first hour of South African bowling went unrewarded. With Kagiso Rabada and Jansen nipping it around, it was obvious why Bavuma had opted to put Pakistan in, but somehow, they had gritted out a way to see off the two leading bowlers.
Day 1 : Post Lunch Session : Dane Paterson’s 5-fer, debutant Corbin Bosch’s 4-fer strike regularly to dent Pakistan by tea despite Kamran Ghulam’s 54
South Africa continued to pick up wickets in the post Lunch session in Centurion as Pakistan were reduced to 209/9 before Tea was called in front of a festive crowd. Dane Paterson clinched a five-wicket haul while debutant Corbin Bosch scalped four wickets for himself. The visitors managed to add 121 runs to their total in the second session led by Kamran Ghulam’s 54.
Despite Kagiso Rabada having gone wicketless so far, he has been the pick of bowlers for the hosts, consistently testing both edges of the bat. Rabada continued with his impeccable lines and lengths immediately after Lunch, rapping Mohammad Rizwan on the finger. Marco Jansen from the other end, however, bowled one loose delivery every over allowing Rizwan and Ghulam to capitalize on them, sending them to the boundary.
Ghulam had moved on to 48 but came face to face against a steaming Rabada and the batter was lucky to get away with a few deliveries outside off. Sensing blood and with the crowd on Rabada’s side, the bowler got Ghulam to lash out at one which was spilled by Jansen at gully, allowing the batter to move on to 50.
However, Ghulam threw his wicket almost immediately, as Dane Paterson struck in the first over of his spell, with a wild swipe to deep backward-square leg. It brought an end to the 81-run stand. Salman Agha too raced off the blocks with a boundary but Rizwan fell soon after edging one to slips as Dane Paterson picked up his fourth.
An 81-run stand between Ghulam, who scored an entertaining half-century, and Mohammad Rizwan looked to have dragged Pakistan out of the hole they were put in during the morning session. Rizwan and Ghulam had been building up the partnership the other side of lunch, and continued in similar vein. But with the clouds menacingly moving right overhead, the luckless Rabada was brought in for another excellent but fruitless spell.
It produced the most engaging cricket of the day, with both KGs locking horns on more than one occasion; Rabada grew increasingly frustrated with Kamran Ghulam’s stubborn resistance and got close enough to tell him, with Ghulam responding in less than family-friendly terms to go back to the bowling crease.
Salman and Aamer Jamal attempted to resurrect the innings with a mini partnership of 47 runs in quick time as Pakistan continued to be aggressive and picked up boundaries in a streaky fashion. Jamal smashed Bosch over point for six before he chopped one back on to his stumps. A mini-collapse followed subsequently as Salman and Naseem Shah departed within the next eight balls.
With the crowd engaged, Ghulam edged one to the slips that Jansen shelled, and brought up his half-century, but South Africa would not be denied. Ghulam slogged Dane Paterson, only to top-edge him to fine leg, where none other than Rabada stood to take the catch that sent a full SuperSport Park into a frenzy.
One wicket brought more for South Africa before lunch, and so it proved again. Rizwan nicked off in the next Bosch over before Salman Ali Agha and Aamer Jamal set about another rebuild. With ten minutes to tea, the duo was closing in on another 50-partnership, but one more South African burst would prove the knockout blow.
South Africa had put down a couple of chances in the slips off the outside edge, so Bosch found the inside edge of Jamal as he chopped on, before a surprise bouncer from Paterson saw the back of Agha.
Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas scampered Pakistan past the 200-run mark before Tea was called. Pakistan were 56/4 with Saud Shakeel back in the hut. Both Dane Paterson and Bosch had two wickets each in the morning session. Pakistan headed to lunch at 88/4 before the likes of Kamran Ghulam and Mohammad Rizwan went on to add more runs. Their fifty-plus stand was broken by Dane Paterson, who dismissed Ghulam for 54.
Thereafter, Dane Paterson also dismissed Rizwan to leave Pakistan reeling at 142/6. Bosch then broke a 47-run stand as Dane Paterson dismissed Salman Agha for his fifer.
Day 1 : Afternoon Session : Paterson, Bosch and Markram put South Africa ahead in a Boxing Day affair
Through Dane Paterson’s five-fer, Corbin Bosch’s four-wicket haul on debut and Aiden Markram’s gutsy 47*, South Africa ended Day 1 of the first Test against Pakistan in a better position compared to the visitors. They finished at 82 for 3 at Stumps, trailing Pakistan’s 211 by 129 runs.
Despite Kagiso Rabada being the best bowler in terms of line and length for the hosts, he remained wicketless after testing the batters on both sides of the willow.
The hosts quickly managed to pick up the last wicket of Khurram Shahzad three balls into the final session bringing a strange Pakistan innings to an end who were aggressive despite losing regular clumps of wickets.
Once Pakistan had wrapped up, there was enough time for the story of the day to be rewritten, and Khurram Shahzad threatened to do precisely that when he cut Tony de Zorzi in half with perhaps the ball of the day. Constantly threatening both edges of the bat, he found Ryan Rickleton’s outside edge to reduce South Africa to 24 for 2, and wrest momentum back to take into the second day.
Markram then got South Africa’s innings underway with an elegant straight drive to the boundary but Shahzad accounted for his partner Tony de Zorzi as he rattled the stumps. With a peach of a delivery, Shahzad got one to seam inwards and had de Zorzi bowled for just two. Ryan Rickelton survived a review after he shouldered arms to a ball which came inwards but fortunately for him was missing the off-stump.
Markram punished two poor deliveries for four off Mohammad Abbas as he moved into double digits but Shahzad scalped his partner, getting him to nick behind to the ‘keeper. Markram and new batter Tristan Stubbs steadied the ship with a 44-run partnership which was dominated by the former. Markram played the ball with soft hands and guided testing deliveries to the fence along with pouncing on any width on offer.
Stubbs, who made only nine, was dismissed in an unfortunate manner with the ball keeping low and trapping him LBW. Skipper Temba Bavuma and Markram then played out the remaining overs to take South Africa to Stumps without any further wickets.
His peers, however, couldn’t sustain that quality, and South Africa settled. Aiden Markram has been under fire lately for getting out after getting in, and was brave enough to be positive all the same, never letting Pakistan put too much pressure on the batters. That was crucial, especially with Tristan Stubbs looking less than assured at the crease.
His manner of dismissal, though was unfortunate, as one appeared to hit a crack and make a beeline for his front shin, giving Pakistan encouragement to take from a day that, thanks to Paterson and Bosch, South Africa will claim as theirs.
Road Ahead on Day 2 for South Africa and Pakistan
South Africa did to Pakistan what they always do to Pakistan at Centurion, blitzing them with the ball in the second hour of the first session before skittling them out for 209. Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson cashed in after a superb opening hour of bowling from Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, which openers Shan Masood and Saim Ayub rode their luck to survive.
A couple of partnerships for Pakistan were more than offset by the wickets Paterson, who ended up with five, and Bosch, took in clumps, and just after the third session began, Pakistan had folded for 209, Kamran Ghulam’s half-century the only real source of resistance. Pakistan responded gamely with the ball in hand, puncturing South Africa with three wickets, but having added 82, South Africa will feel they have had the better of the day.
Dane Paterson leads the South Africans off the field, back-to-back 5-wicket haul for the pacer. The last wicket partnership notwithstanding, it has been South Africa’s day so far. They asked Pakistan to bat first, were frustrated in the first hour, but then they were helped along by some outrageous cricket from the visitors as they sliced through the top-order.
Kamran Ghulam made a plucky 50 before he too threw his wicket away. At 189 for 9, an early finish was on the cards, but the last pair did take out some time. Five wickets for Dane Paterson, 4 for Corbin Bosch, but you’d think they reaped the rewards from the pressure put by Kagiso Rabada.
South Africa will be pleased with how things have progressed on Day 1. After winning the toss, they elected to bowl under overcast conditions and on a surface that had something in it for the seamers. Pakistan probably let that play in their minds a little too much because that was the only explanation of their rather strange approach while batting. They seemed to be a little jittery and unnecessarily aggressive when they probably could have gritted things out the old fashioned way.
They lost wickets in clumps and most were soft-dismissals. The wicket of Saud Shakeel, normally a compact and old-fashioned grafter, was most telling of Pakistan’s perplexing strategy as he fell for a 6-ball 14 while trying to force the issue.
They were bundled out for 211 just after Tea with Dane Paterson claiming a fifer and the debutant Bosch getting four. When South Africa came out to bat, Markram started out and continued to be positive even as he lost partners at the other end. He remains unbeaten on 47 overnight and will be keen on turning it into a big score come tomorrow.