In Rawalpindi, Pakistan did not merely lose a Test match, they surrendered a position of advantage, authority and identity on their own soil. The eight-wicket defeat to South Africa in the second Test was not an accident of conditions, luck, or weather. It was a failure of planning, mindset, temperament, and the very cricketing basics that form the backbone of a winning Test side.
Pakistan can have spinning tracks of their own choice as home advantage but the players must also learn how to handle those strips
On pitches prepared to favour Pakistan, it was South Africa who understood the script better, adapted faster, and executed with clinical precision. The series ended 1-1, but the impression left behind is far more worrying: Pakistan are still unsure of how to play on the very surfaces they are eager to prepare for others.
For years, experts have argued that Pakistan’s home advantage lies in its slow, turning tracks, surfaces where local spinners know the angles, the drift, and the fields. And yes, Rawalpindi’s pitch did offer turn, bite and uneven bounce. But conditions do not win you matches, understanding those conditions does.
Pakistan’s batting lineup, even with familiarity, looked hesitant, reactive, and uncertain in their shot selection. The Proteas, on the other hand, arrived in Rawalpindi wounded from their Lahore defeat, and responded with maturity.
Their spin duo, Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer, showcased how to bowl on such surfaces: patient lines, consistent fields, relentless pressure. Harmer’s career-best 6-50 in Pakistan’s second innings was not magic - it was method.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s own spinners, despite being at home, lacked the same discipline, variation and clarity of plans. The contrast was painful. Cricket is a game of sessions, and sometimes of partnerships that defy logic.
The partnership between South Africa’s 9th and 10th wickets, yielding 169 runs, was the defining moment of this Test. It wasn’t just runs, it was belief being shifted across the field.
Kagiso Rabada and Senuran Muthusamy batted with purpose, clarity, and bravery. Pakistan’s bowlers seemed rattled, defensive, and short of ideas. That 71-run lead, which should have been manageable, psychologically crushed Pakistan’s resilience. This is where good teams press, and weaker teams fade. Unfortunately, Pakistan faded.
Shan Masood, a thinking and technically gifted cricketer, admitted after the match, “we have a lot to work on.” That statement, unfortunately, has become a theme rather than a reflection. Masood now has 10 defeats in 14 Tests as captain, numbers that hint at systemic issues, not just tactical missteps.
Pakistan’s third-innings batting continues to collapse regularly. Their lower order contributes minimally. Their fielding intensity fluctuates wildly. And on home pitches, they look confused between attack and defense. These are coaching, planning, and leadership challenges, not just bad days.
Much was hoped of Babar Azam, whose bat has gone unusually silent since December 2022. His dismissal once again highlighted the burden of expectation, and the stark reality that Pakistan lack secondary batting pillars to support him.
Until Pakistan develop reliable batting partners who can anchor, resist and rebuild, Babar’s struggle will remain symbolic of a deeper structural flaw.
Aiden Markram’s words after the Test were telling. South Africa treated this tour as preparation for India. They studied the pitch behavior, refined their spin strategies, and backed their bowlers to dictate pace. Pakistan, meanwhile, continue to rely on instinct rather than systems, passion rather than planning. Markram said: “Players putting their hands up at crucial moments gives belief to the entire dressing room.”
That belief was visible in every South African performance, even when they were under pressure. If Pakistan want to regain their stature in Test cricket, the following must be addressed urgently: Develop a strong lower order that can resist and contribute under pressure; Refine spin bowling strategy to include patience, not just turn; Improve fielding standards, dropped chances are match killers; Rebuild mental strength, matches must be fought, not surrendered; Adopt long-term planning, not short-term surface-based tactics and home advantage is meaningful only when your team is prepared to command it.
A third Test could have given Pakistan a chance to redeem themselves, but now, as attention shifts to the T20Is, the lesson must not be buried under shorter-format excitement. South Africa leave Pakistan with confidence restored, strategies strengthened, and belief enhanced. Not about talent. Pakistan has always had talent. But about discipline. Clarity. Identity. And the willingness to evolve.
Rawalpindi must not be forgotten as just “a Test lost.” It must be remembered as a lesson delivered with precision, by a side that respected the conditions more than the team that owned them. If Pakistan truly want to return to the upper tier of Test cricket, this must be the turning point. Not the beginning of another decline.
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