DAY 4: Pakistan resistance continues against Proteas

Pakistan’s second innings resistance continued to lunch on the fourth day of the second test against South Africa, ending the first session on 312 for three at World Sports Betting Newlands in Cape Town on Monday morning.

Captain Shan Masood has led the resistance with a wonderful unbeaten century, his sixth, heading back into the changeroom on 137 alongside Saud Shakeel (16 not out) with Pakistan just 109-runs behind South Africa’s first innings of 615.

The visitors had been enforced to follow-on after being bundled out for 194 in their first innings with Kagiso Rabada (15-3-55-3) leading the charge. Kwena Maphaka, making his debut, claimed 2-43, with his maiden test wicket being that of Babar Azam who top-scored with 58.

Keshav Maharaj (8-2-14-2) also picked up two wickets while Marco Jansen (12-4-36-1) and Wiaan Mulder (11-0-44-1) also weighed in on the fun.

However, Pakistan’s second innings has been in complete contrast to their first effort with Masood and Babar (81) laying a foundation for an epic fight, considering that regular opener, Saim Ayub had fractured his ankle on the opening day and has not been able to bat.

The pair added 205 for the first wicket, beating the previous-best opening stand against South Africa of 137 set by Taufeeq Umar and Imran Farhat back in 2002-03. However, 15 minutes before stumps on day three, Babar slashed at a wide delivery from Jansen (16-0-74-2) sending the ball straight to David Bedingham in the gully region.

Khurram Shahzad (18) entered as night watchman and executed his duties with aplomb. Resuming on the fourth morning on 213 for one, the pair added a further 22 runs before Jansen had Shahzad driving to Maharaj at backward point for the first wicket of the morning session.

Rabada, who has been dogged with no-balls, managed to keep his foot behind the line and cleaned-up Kamran Ghulam’s stumps with Pakistan 278 for three. Ghulam had been dropped with his score on nought from the bowling of Jansen with Bedingham putting down a chance at first slip.

However, Shakeel and Masood negotiated the balance of the session to leave Pakistan 109 runs in arrears. Shakeel survived a leg-before shout against Maphaka (7-0-33-0) five minutes before the lunch-break but was turned down by the umpire and Temba Bavuma did not send it upstairs – replays showed that the ball was crashing into leg stump.

Ryan Rickelton’s masterful 259 in just over 10 hours at the crease was the one highlight of many during South Africa’s five session at the crease. Rickelton surpassed his previous First Class best of 202 not out while sharing in a record-breaking stand for the fourth wicket with captain Temba Bavuma (106).

The pair added 235 for the fourth wicket at Newlands, beating the previous-best of 197 set by Les Ames and Wally Hammond for England back in 1938-39. This was after the visitors had reduced the home side to 72 for three at lunch on the first day with Aiden Markram (17), Mulder and Tristan Stubbs (0) all back in the pavilion.

Rickelton and Bavuma batted for most of the first day before Bavuma ran out of steam, edging spinner Salman Agha (38-4-148-3) through to Mohammad Rizwan behind the stumps shortly before stumps.

Bedingham (5) did not last long on the second morning before Rickelton was joined at the crease by Kyle Verreynne (100). The pair mounted more hardship on the visiting bowling attack, adding 148 for the sixth-wicket.

Rickelton’s epic innings finally came to an end when he holed out to Mohammad Abbas at long on from the bowling of Mir Hamza (30-3-127-2). The departures of Verreynne and Rickelton did not spare Pakistan from the batting onslaught as Jansen (62) and Maharaj (40) made sure that South Africa passed the 600-run mark.

Such was the ferocity of the batting that Jansen needed just 54 balls before being caught in the covers by Babar from the bowling of Hamza while Maharaj faced 35 balls before edging Shahzad (25-4-123-2) through to Rizwan.

Maphaka’s first foray with the bat in test cricket lasted all of two deliveries before being cleaned-up by Abbas (27.3-1-94-3).

SOUTH AFRICA: Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka.

PAKISTAN: Shan Masood (capt), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Mohammad Abbas, Mir Hamza, Khurram Shahzad.