RAWALPINDI: A late burst of brilliance from debutant Asif Afridi turned the tide for Pakistan as the hosts clawed their way back into contention on the second day of the World Test Championship clash against South Africa at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
When it seemed that the visitors were tightening their grip on the contest, Asif Afridi (2-24) produced two telling blows that swung the momentum back in Pakistan’s favour. The left-arm spinner first broke a flourishing partnership by removing the resolute Tony de Zorzi (55) before dismissing young Dewald Brevis (0) in quick succession, the latter without troubling the scorers, leaving South Africa wobbling at 185 for 4 in their first innings.
South Africa still trail by 148 runs, with six wickets in hand, as they look to erase Pakistan’s first-innings lead of 333. At stumps, Tristan Stubbs stood firm on a composed 68 not out, his innings laced with six crisp boundaries and a towering six off 184 deliveries. “Stubbs knows well the value of his wicket going into the third day. He is a sort of player who can play long innings,” South African batting coach Ashwell Prince said. “This wicket is ideal for a batsman who spend some time on it as he has done. So I think he knows the baviour of the wicket well. I am sure will carry the burden of digging deep and keeping South Africa in the game,” he added.
The right-hander, together with de Zorzi, had added a crucial 113-run stand for the second wicket, rescuing the tourists from a precarious 54 for 2 and steadying their chase. The morning session belonged entirely to Keshav Maharaj, who delivered a spellbinding performance with the ball. The South African left-arm spinner registered a remarkable 7 for 102, the best-ever figures by a South African spinner against Pakistan to dismantle the hosts’ middle and lower order. Resuming on a promising note, Pakistan’s overnight pair Saud Shakeel (66) and Salman Ali Agha (45) appeared solid early on but never truly comfortable against Maharaj’s guile and flight. The partnership worth 50 off 109 balls ended when Salman was trapped leg-before by Maharaj, sparking a collapse that saw Pakistan lose their last five wickets for just 17 runs. Saud, who weathered several close calls and played with determination, reached his half-century from 118 deliveries, managing to withstand the early pace threat of Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen. However, just when it looked like he would anchor Pakistan past 350, he fell to a sharp turner from Maharaj, edging one to Aiden Markram at slip, a dismissal that opened the floodgates. “I know well my wicket was important at that time. We should have stayed at the wicket for some extra overs as there was nothing special in the wicket,” Saud said.
Shaheen Shah Afridi departed without scoring as Maharaj completed his five-wicket haul before cleaning up the tail with surgical precision. Pakistan, eyeing a commanding total beyond 350, were instead bundled out for 333, their recurring first-innings woes in Test cricket once again on full display.
In reply, South Africa’s openers Markram and Ryan Rickelton negotiated the initial spell carefully before Shaheen Shah Afridi broke through shortly after lunch, forcing Rickelton (14) into a nick behind. Sajjad Khan then struck with a crucial blow, having Markram (32) caught in the deep to leave the tourists in early trouble at 54 for 2.