- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
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Pakistan 313/5 (Imam 93, Masood 76, Rizwan 62, Agha 52, Muthusamy 2-101) vs South Africa
A solid all-round batting effort, highlighted by two crucial partnerships, handed Pakistan the upper hand on day one against World Test Champions South Africa. Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood added 161 runs for the second wicket, while Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha closed out the day with an unbroken 114-run stand. All four batters reached half-centuries, with Imam falling agonisingly short of a well-deserved hundred.
Despite glimpses of control in the middle session, South Africa’s bowlers struggled to maintain pressure on a pitch already showing signs of wear. They briefly sparked a comeback with three wickets for no run around the tea interval, reducing Pakistan from 199/2 to 199/5, but dropped catches and inconsistent bowling allowed Pakistan to regain control.
South Africa’s inexperienced attack — featuring three spinners and two seamers — toiled hard on a turning track. The spin trio of Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, and Prenelan Subrayen bowled 74 overs between them, taking four wickets but conceding 248 runs as Pakistan capitalised on loose deliveries.
Earlier, Kagiso Rabada struck in the first over, trapping Abdullah Shafique lbw for a duck, but Masood’s counterattack, including a towering six off Subrayen, set the tone for Pakistan’s aggressive intent. Imam’s fluent stroke play and smart rotation of strike guided Pakistan to 107/1 by lunch.
Masood reached his fifty after the break but fell lbw to Subrayen for 76, ending a fine stand. Babar Azam’s arrival was met with cheers, though his stay was brief — Harmer trapped him plumb for 21 after surviving an earlier close call on review. Imam’s dismissal for 93 and Saud Shakeel’s soft return catch to Muthusamy gave South Africa hope, but Rizwan’s calm resilience and Agha’s composure tilted momentum back to Pakistan.
By stumps, Pakistan’s total of 313/5 looked commanding on a surface likely to deteriorate further. With runs already on the board and spin expected to dominate, Pakistan hold the advantage heading into day two.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan
South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Prenelan Subrayen, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada
A solid all-round batting effort, highlighted by two crucial partnerships, handed Pakistan the upper hand on day one against World Test Champions South Africa. Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood added 161 runs for the second wicket, while Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha closed out the day with an unbroken 114-run stand. All four batters reached half-centuries, with Imam falling agonisingly short of a well-deserved hundred.
Despite glimpses of control in the middle session, South Africa’s bowlers struggled to maintain pressure on a pitch already showing signs of wear. They briefly sparked a comeback with three wickets for no run around the tea interval, reducing Pakistan from 199/2 to 199/5, but dropped catches and inconsistent bowling allowed Pakistan to regain control.
South Africa’s inexperienced attack — featuring three spinners and two seamers — toiled hard on a turning track. The spin trio of Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, and Prenelan Subrayen bowled 74 overs between them, taking four wickets but conceding 248 runs as Pakistan capitalised on loose deliveries.
Earlier, Kagiso Rabada struck in the first over, trapping Abdullah Shafique lbw for a duck, but Masood’s counterattack, including a towering six off Subrayen, set the tone for Pakistan’s aggressive intent. Imam’s fluent stroke play and smart rotation of strike guided Pakistan to 107/1 by lunch.
Masood reached his fifty after the break but fell lbw to Subrayen for 76, ending a fine stand. Babar Azam’s arrival was met with cheers, though his stay was brief — Harmer trapped him plumb for 21 after surviving an earlier close call on review. Imam’s dismissal for 93 and Saud Shakeel’s soft return catch to Muthusamy gave South Africa hope, but Rizwan’s calm resilience and Agha’s composure tilted momentum back to Pakistan.
By stumps, Pakistan’s total of 313/5 looked commanding on a surface likely to deteriorate further. With runs already on the board and spin expected to dominate, Pakistan hold the advantage heading into day two.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan
South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Aiden Markram (c), Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Prenelan Subrayen, Senuran Muthusamy, Simon Harmer, Kagiso Rabada
