DAY 3: Play underway on third day of SA v Pakistan test

Play finally got underway on the third day of the first test between South Africa and Pakistan at Supersport Park in Centurion on Saturday after persistent light rain in the morning delayed the start of play.

The contest is intriguingly poised with the tourists resuming on 88-3 in their first innings, a deficit of just two runs, with former captain Babar Azam on 16 and Saud Shakeel on eight.

Dane Paterson (5-61) and debutant Corbin Bosch (4-63) shared nine wickets on the first day as Pakistan were bowled out for 211 but South Africa were just just two runs ahead at 213-8 when Aiden Markram was dismissed for 89 shortly after lunch on the second day.

Bosch, however, continued his extraordinary debut match by scoring an unbeaten 81 batting at No 9 and added a further 88 runs for the final two wickets with Kagiso Rabada (13) and Dane Paterson (12) to boost the lead to 90.

Marco Jansen (2-17) and Rabada (1-31) claimed three wickets on the second evening to give the home side a significant advantage although Markram said at the close of play: “The match is still very much in the balance…”

The pitch has produced increasingly uneven and unpredictable bounce which suggests a fourth innings run-chase of over 150 could produce a nail-biter.

Teams:

South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson.

Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Amir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas.

SOUTH AFRICA: Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson.

PAKISTAN: Shan Masood (captain), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Amir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas.