South Africa captain Temba Bavuma and left-handed batter Ryan Rickelton shattered an 87-year-old record at Newlands, Cape Town during the first innings of the 2nd Test against Pakistan. Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton notched up their respective tons to put the Proteas in command at the end of the opening day of the second game in Cape Town. Bavuma slammed his fourth Test century, while Ryan Rickelton got to his second ton and is eyeing a double now.
Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton put together 235 runs for the fourth wicket as they shattered the record for the highest partnership for the fourth wicket at Newlands. The previous record belonged to England’s Les Ames and Wally Hammond, both of who had made 197 runs for the fourth wicket in a clash against the Proteas in 1938.
The Proteas had opted to bat first after winning the toss. They ended the opening day on 316/4 with David Bedingham and Ryan Rickelton going unbeaten on four and 176, respectively. South Africa have already qualified for the World Test Championship final and are looking to sweep Pakistan in the two-match series.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : “This is a good toss to win. The south-eastern wind is blowing. There are a lot of bare patches, the groundsman has taken a lot of grass off. It might be on the slower side. There are a few cracks visible and they’ll come into play on day three, four and five with the sun baking down on this surface.
It’s a really good surface, runs on the board are going to be vital. Spinners will come into play. It’ll dry pretty fast. These bare patches might loosen up. There’ll always be something in it for the pacers, there’ll always be some moisture in the first hour.” reckons Mike Haysman and Vernon Philander.
Toss : South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and chose to bat with three changes in the playing XI including debutant Kwena Maphaka in the playing XI. Pakistan skipper Shan Masood bowling first made one change in the playing XI bringing in Mir Hamza for Naseem Shah.
Day 1 : Morning Session : Pakistan bounce back with wickets after South Africa’s good start
Pakistan came back well in the second half of the first session following a 61-run opening stand that set the tone for South Africa’s innings in the second Test in Cape Town. Ryan Rickelton reached his second fifty-plus score but the wickets of Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs helped Pakistan bounce back strongly as South Africa went into Lunch on Day 1 at 72/3.
Abbas bowled 19.3 consecutive overs at SuperSport Park last weekend for a career-best 6 for 54 and took the new ball at Newlands. His first delivery hit Markam on the front pad and Pakistan thought they had the first wicket. Umpire Nitin Menon was unmoved so they reviewed but replays showed it was clipping the top of off. Markram survived on umpire’s call.
It was a productive first hour’s play for South Africa after the hosts opted to bat, with Ryan Rickelton leading the charge. Rickelton played some crisp drives, getting three fours inside the first five overs before Markram drove Mir Hamza for two successive boundaries.
Meanwhile, Saim Ayub twisted his ankle while fielding and had to be helped off the field, and later was taken to a hospital for scans, adding to Pakistan’s concerns. The bowlers didn’t find much help barring the occasional movement, with Ryan Rickelton’s two back-to-back fours off Khurram Shahzad in the 12th over helping South Africa past 50.
The ease of conditions aside, the runs still had to be scored. Ryan Rickelton and Bavuma put on a fine display against a Pakistan side that suffered an early blow. They lost Saim Ayub to what has turned out to be a match-ending injury. Ayub twisted his ankle in the field and was taken to hospital for further scans. The PCB confirmed he would take no further part in the Test, and the extent of his injury would be assessed by specialists in London.
Abbas bowled 19.3 consecutive overs at SuperSport Park last weekend for a career-best 6 for 54 and took the new ball at Newlands. His first delivery hit Markam on the front pad and Pakistan thought they had the first wicket. Umpire Nitin Menon was unmoved so they reviewed but replays showed it was clipping the top of off. Markram survived on umpire’s call.
Markram, who was saved by the umpire’s call on the first ball of the match, had another reprieve in the second over after the drinks break, dropped by Abdullah Shafique at cover when the batter played a hard cut off Shahzad. At the other end, Ryan Rickelton continued to collect runs at a good rate, playing a fine on-drive off Mir Hamza for his seventh boundary to enter the 40s. The opening partnership, however, came to an end when Markram tried to drive a Shahzad delivery pitched outside off and edged it to the ‘keeper.
Ryan Rickelton was the more free-flowing of the opening pair and scored seven boundaries to Markram’s three, in an opening stand worth 61. Ryan Rickelton offered one chance in that time, when an edge off Khurram Shahzad fell short of second slip and South Africa went on their highest first-wicket partnership since March 2023.
Against the run of play, Markram eventually offered a chance when drove Shahzad loosely to the substitute fielder Abdullah Shafique. After three ducks in the ODIs and no game time since, Shafique was under pressure and the ball went straight into and out of his hands. Markram was on 17.
No actual damage was done as, in the next over, Markram slashed at a ball that just moved away and inside-edged through to Mohammad Rizwan. Abbas’ return after a seven-over break found Mulder’s outside edge to give Pakistan a second wicket. And Pakistan burgled another on the stroke of lunch when Stubbs stayed back to a tossed-up ball from part-time spinner Salman Agha and edged to Rizwan.
Pakistan squandered the opportunity to maximize their advantage after the break when they stuck with Aamer Jamal at one end and Agha on the other instead of bringing on one of their strike bowlers and allowed Bavuma to ease in. Bavuma got his first runs when he steered Jamal to deep third and unfurled a series of gorgeous drives to continue his fine form this summer.
Pakistan were a lot more disciplined with their line and length in the second hour but it didn’t help that the edges weren’t carrying to the slip cordon. Their persistence finally brought a reward when Mulder became the next to depart, caught behind off Mohammad Abbas who kept bowling in the outside-off channel patiently. Ryan Rickelton reached fifty in the final over before the break but South Africa suffered another setback as Stubbs edged behind a delivery from Salman Agha at the stroke of Lunch.
Day 2 : Post Lunch Session : Ryan Rickelton ton puts South Africa in front in wicketless session
Ryan Rickelton’s second Test hundred and his century partnership with Temba Bavuma helped South Africa wrest back control on Day 1 of the second Test against Pakistan in Cape Town. Rickelton was unbeaten on 105 and put on an unbroken 112-run stand with Bavuma (50*) as South Africa moved to 184/3 at Tea, having started the session at 72/3.
Masood brought Mir Hamza on five overs after the break and Shahzad after eight overs. By then, Ryan Rickelton was into the 60s. He hit two boundaries off Shahzad’s first second-session over and the sting was taken out of Pakistan’s attack. They allowed South Africa easy run-scoring opportunities with the field spread and a variety of lengths.
The control that Pakistan displayed in the latter part of the first session was lacking post lunch as Aamer Jamal was leaking runs, being hit for four fours in the four overs he bowled at the start of the second session. His replacement, Khurram Shahzad, also conceded a few boundaries as the fourth wicket pair raised a fifty stand in quick time. Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton were quick to capitalize on anything in their zone, be it short or full, as they displayed a good range of shot-making.
Ryan Rickelton entered the 90s with back-to-back boundaries off Shahzad and quietly worked his way to 99. He only faced one ball in the next two overs as Bavuma kept strike but when Agha bowled one on his pads, he whipped it away to bring up a second hundred in three Tests. Two overs later Bavuma brought up fifty off 82 balls and South Africa went to tea on 184 for 3.
Ryan Rickelton entered the 90s with two successive fours off Shahzad, and then moved to 99 with a boundary off Mohammad Abbas. Bavuma took most of the strike for the next couple of overs, leading to heightened anticipation at the ground before Ryan Rickelton reached the three-figure mark with a glance off Salman Agha for a four. The boundary also brought up the century stand before Bavuma took a single off Abbas to get to fifty as both batters went into the Tea break unbeaten.
Day 2 : Afternoon Session : Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma tons deflate Pakistan on opening day at Newlands
Ryan Rickelton’s second Test hundred and Temba Bavuma’s fourth ton in the format headlined South Africa’s day out with the bat at Newlands on Friday (January 3). Rickelton (172*) was involved in a 235-run partnership with Bavuma (106) as South Africa ended the opening day of the second Test against Pakistan at 316/4, with only 80 overs being bowled on the day.
The fourth wicket pair’s strong show continued into the final session, with Bavuma even striking a six over long-off off Agha. However, the captain was seen hobbling soon after, showing slight discomfort with what appeared like cramps, and needed the physio’s attention.
The evening session was all South Africa as Ryan Rickelton and Bavuma filled their boots. Bavuma smashed the innings’ first six when he mowed Agha over mid-wicket, and Pakistan may have been left to wonder about the wisdom of not employing a specialist spinner, even just as a holding bowler at that point. Rickelton scored South Africa’s second six, over mid-wicket, in an over where he took 14 runs off Jamal.
He was good to continue after that, putting away the loose balls, and even came down the track to strike a four and a six off Agha. Ryan Rickelton took on Jamal again, scoring two fours and a six in an over and a short while later raised his bat for his maiden 150 in Tests, getting there with a four off Shahzad.
He reached 150 with a cover-driven four off Khurram, with Bavuma 11 away from a hundred. He got there seven overs later, with a single off Jamal and ran almost to the long-on boundary, pumping his arms in celebration before swishing his bat wildly at the media end. Bavuma’s emotions may have gotten the better of him when he edged Agha to Rizwan 17 minutes before the end of play. Since taking over as captain, Bavuma has scored three of his four Test hundreds and averages 57.78.
After the drinks break, the duo raised the double century stand and Bavuma entered the 90s as Pakistan’s toil continued. It didn’t help that Jamal bowled one Bavuma’s pads that allowed him to tickle it for a four to move to 97. He got to his hundred with a single off Jamal, to mark the first instance two batters scoring hundreds on Day 1 of a Test at Newlands since February 2013, when Younis Khan (111) and Asad Shafiq (111*) hit tons.
Finally, there was some respite for Pakistan as the big stand came to an end late in the day when the South Africa skipper nicked an Agha delivery to the ‘keeper. Ryan Rickelton and David Bedingham saw South Africa through to Stumps, with the post-tea session yielding 132 runs in 30 overs.
Road Ahead on Day 2 for South Africa and India
Ryan Rickelton, promoted to open the batting in Tony de Zorzi’s injury-enforced absence, and Temba Bavuma, enjoying the form of his career, both scored hundreds on a perfect batting day at Newlands. The pair shared a 235-run stand, the highest fourth-wicket partnership by a South African pair against Pakistan and at Newlands.
The pair played perfectly complementary roles, with Ryan Rickelton scoring heavily on the off side (102 of his 176 runs came there) and Bavuma plundering the on-side. Together, they reeled off some exquisite drives and while Ryan Rickelton’s runs came in the areas straight down the ground, Bavuma was excellent on the flick and pull.
The volume of runs tells as much about the flatness of the pitch as it does about Pakistan’s attack, which lacked genuine pace. That may have been the only way to force an error on a surface that is playing exponentially better than it did last last year when a vicious pitch saw the match end in 107 overs. Then, 23 wickets fell on the opening day. Now, the same strip which has similar mottled green patches, has played placidly and is expected to get better for batting over the next day and a half.
A brilliant opening day for the Proteas as they surge ahead in the initial phase of this game. After winning the toss and opting to bat, SA got off to a good start courtesy their openers, Markram and Ryan Rickelton. But, the former wasted his start as he went chasing after a loose delivery and nicked one behind off Shahzad’s bowling. Mulder struggled for rhythm and got trapped by Abbas in the outside off stump channel.
Soon after, Agha got the better of Stubbs just at the stroke of lunch. Pakistan had fought back well but things went pear-shaped for them post the break. The duo of Ryan Rickelton and Bavuma scored at a brisk pace and kept the visitors at bay. They mixed caution with aggression to perfection and took the game away from the opposition.
Both Ryan Rickelton and Bavuma converted their fifties into hundreds as Pakistan kept meandering away with some insipid bowling. Pakistan’s fielding also left a lot to be desired as the visitors seemed to be going through the motions.
Their over-rate was poor as well. A lapse in concentration from Bavuma resulted in his wicket but he had already done his job brilliantly. Ryan Rickelton is looking composed as ever and is nearing his maiden double ton. The second new ball is due and it will be interesting to see if the visitors take it straightaway tomorrow morning.
Injury update on Saim Ayub has been ruled out of further participation in the second men’s cricket Test against South Africa after twisting his right ankle while fielding. Saim underwent X-rays and MRI tests this afternoon and the reports have been sent to specialists in London for further advice on the treatment and time away from competitive cricket.