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South Africa reach 51/2 in chase of 277-run target at stumps on Day 3 of the first Test against Pakistan

wow Already SA batting? seems like unplayable surface. I think left handers are better bet against Pakistan. If i were toruing side i would load the side with left handers.
 
Impress with Rickelton but South Africa should dropped mulder to at 7.

He is not a number 3 test batsman.
:kp
 
Sajid is having bad match, and nomi is having hard time against lefties. Next match add another spinner in abrar. That's why these two guys scored in previous innings as well.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
wow Already SA batting? seems like unplayable surface. I think left handers are better bet against Pakistan. If i were toruing side i would load the side with left handers.
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Ultimately lottery pitches. Side batting first will win like Windies did earlier in the year. If SA bat first with Maharaj back in next game, they win.

Don't see how Pak can ever compete in SENA if pacers don't develop. Not won a match since 2018 including multiple whitewashes. Completely Bangladesh tier strategy.

Even India had flat pitches from 2016-19 when the pace attack was developing and only started dustbowls post 2021 for WTC points.
 
saimayubera said:
Ultimately lottery pitches. Side batting first will win like Windies did earlier in the year. If SA bat first with Maharaj back in next game, they win.

Don't see how Pak can ever compete in SENA if pacers don't develop. Not won a match since 2018 including multiple whitewashes. Completely Bangladesh tier strategy.

Even India had flat pitches from 2016-19 when the pace attack was developing and only started dustbowls post 2021 for WTC points.
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Pakistan has gone Bangaldesh route. Bangaldesh is going Pakistan route. As simple as that. Bangladesh beat pakistan with their pace attack. Pakistan is doing what BD used to do at Mirpur beating England, Australia on that pitch.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Pakistan has gone Bangaldesh route. Bangaldesh is going Pakistan route. As simple as that. Bangladesh beat pakistan with their pace attack. Pakistan is doing what BD used to do at Mirpur beating England, Australia on that pitch.
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Even won a test in NZ recently with pacers.
 
Shafique is the most useless player I have seen.
Always drops a catch, and batting has been very mediocre
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Pakistan has gone Bangaldesh route. Bangaldesh is going Pakistan route. As simple as that. Bangladesh beat pakistan with their pace attack. Pakistan is doing what BD used to do at Mirpur beating England, Australia on that pitch.
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Pitch is actually not too bad.

It was bad batting from Pakistan and earlier from South Africa.

These are not complete lottery pitches, spinner heavy yes, but better batting sides can cope more with these pitches.
 
The_KING said:
Not exciting when spinners are taking all the wickets.
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Completely agree the last time Pak got their pitches right was the 2021 series vs SA.

There was movement for pace bowlers and enough turn for spinners and if you applied yourself the batters had fun.

But since then the PCB have been incompetent with their pitches and it's either been a road or spinners paradise
 
Shafique is parchi, how does a guy keeps returning to the side after being dropped after three ducks against inswinging delviery? He didnt even work on his weakness or perform in domestics to make case.
 
cricfan432 said:
Shafique is parchi, how does a guy keeps returning to the side after being dropped after three ducks against inswinging delviery? He didnt even work on his weakness or perform in domestics to make case.
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Babar
Shafique
Get lost

Bring in some domestic beasts
 
After seeing Mulder batting, now I can understand why he didn't go for world record
 
South Africa bat deep. They will not make the same second innings mistakes again. Rickleton and Zorze showing that this Pakistani spin attack can be tackled
 
neonoir said:
Completely agree the last time Pak got their pitches right was the 2021 series vs SA.

There was movement for pace bowlers and enough turn for spinners and if you applied yourself the batters had fun.

But since then the PCB have been incompetent with their pitches and it's either been a road or spinners paradise
Click to expand...
Nothing more exciting than seeing pacers take wickets. Pakistan's history is great pacers. Our legacy of great fast bowling is already on the ventilator, and we will completely kill it if we keep making spin friendly wickets where spinners take all the wickets.

And besides, how are these spinners going to help in SENA countries where pitches are more pacer-friendly than spin friendly.
We need to find the right balance and make pitches that have something in it for everyone. Batsmen, pacers and spinners.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Pakistan has gone Bangaldesh route. Bangaldesh is going Pakistan route. As simple as that. Bangladesh beat pakistan with their pace attack. Pakistan is doing what BD used to do at Mirpur beating England, Australia on that pitch.
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This what happen when people are judged on results they go to desperate measures to achieve results this strategy of doctored pitches will harm our cricket into minnows we will only win if we doctor the pitches and win toss overseas we will get murdered.
 
The game is in the balance

Rickelton-Zorzi partnership is the key for South Africa

Pakistan will need to strike at regular intervals. One good partnership and the game can quickly drift away from Pak + we are not Australia (men or women) who do not give an inch and fight till the last ball.
 
imshally81 said:
What about M Nawaz instead of Hasan Ali ?
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Abrar will be a better option

A leg spinner will offer more variety to the attack.

Hassan Ali needs to be replaced by Abrar. Do not need more than one pacer on these pitches.
 
Azhar Mahmood shared following thoughts in a presser today, following end of Day 3;

Poor Shot Selection and Defense Strategy

* "We put ourselves in this situation. We lost our fifth wicket at 150, and then four or six wickets for just 17 runs. I believe there is no one to blame but ourselves for our shot selection and decision-making. Despite that, given the condition of the pitch, we are hopeful that we will defend the target, God willing."
* "Looking at the overall situation, it appears that, Inshallah (God willing), we will be able to defend it."

Importance of Partnerships and Breaking Them
* "Today, we've seen the spinners play a very important role. Noman Ali bowled outstandingly, and we saw the opposing spinners perform well too. Regarding this current partnership, it is extremely important to break it. If it continues for long, Pakistan will definitely face difficulties."
* "Whenever there is a partnership, you have to keep the bowling tight instead of giving away easy runs. That way, when you get one wicket, you are often able to get another one quickly."
* "If we have to play on such pitches moving forward, we must be patient about how we approach it and how we build partnerships."

Test Match Nature and Wicket Clusters
* "Look, this is precisely what Test match cricket is all about. You don't just get wickets in one session. You must have watched the match unfold. In our first innings, we lost three wickets twice without any fuss."
* "We often see ourselves suddenly lose a cluster of wickets. Just look at the Bangladesh series in Australia and then the England series—it’s a recurring pattern."

Batsmen's Performance
* "It's simple: you are playing Test match cricket. We did have a good first innings."
* "In the second innings, you saw us repeat the same error where our partnerships didn't last. When you lose five wickets for 17 runs, that’s not acceptable. The pitch did break up a bit, but the pitch itself didn't dismiss anyone; it was our poor shot selection. We are discussing this, and we need to understand these things."

* "Once a batsman is set, he has a complete opportunity to score big."

* "I would like for our players to convert their starts into bigger scores."

* "If we are to play this type of cricket moving forward, we must adopt a different shot selection—the sweep shot, the reverse sweep—to improve our scoring options."

* "I thought that shot was unnecessary. It immediately put pressure on us. Soon after, when Rizwan came in following the tea break, the plan was to build a partnership, but he got out immediately."

Pitch Conditions and Bowling Strategy

* "That pitch was used. Then, the pitch in the West Indies was very conducive to spin. On this pitch, you will perform well if you bat well. You saw that their batsmen who applied themselves found it easy to spend time at the crease."
* "The ball did break up a bit, but the pitch itself did not dismiss anyone."

* "Our decision to play two pacers... What was the reason behind this, even though we knew the pitch was spin-friendly and that an extra spinner would have put pressure on South Africa? If you look at our pacers' bowling, the slowness of this pitch meant the ball didn't come on well, and the fast bowlers didn't get hit for many runs. However, the match situation developed in a way that the spinners kept taking wickets, so the fast bowlers didn't get much chance to bowl."

* "Our idea was that the ball would reverse here and trouble the South African batsmen. We thought it was absolutely the right decision."
 
zahid01 said:
This what happen when people are judged on results they go to desperate measures to achieve results this strategy of doctored pitches will harm our cricket into minnows we will only win if we doctor the pitches and win toss overseas we will get murdered.
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Pakistan used to prepare the same type of wickets even when they had quality pacers in Imran, the two Ws, Shoaib Akhtar and Asif mainly because of their weak batting (always reliant on one or two quality batsmen) and fear of opposition pacers. Hence pacers developed the art of reverse swing.
 
Pakistan need early wickets tomorrow, hopefully if they get them then they can go on to win the game.

Pitch did offer more spin today, but batting was very poor at same time from pakistan
 
For the record these turners, even lottery pitches, are much better than the embarrassing dead roads made for Aus and England first test.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Most important day of this test match
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16 wickets - too many on a single day for my liking. Pak batters’ performance in second innings must be scrutinised as posters have mentioned we probably have the worst second innings record going around currently, first innings and SA’s spin woes will save us though.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Pitch is actually not too bad.

It was bad batting from Pakistan and earlier from South Africa.

These are not complete lottery pitches, spinner heavy yes, but better batting sides can cope more with these pitches.
Click to expand...
106 overs bowled by pakistan. 95 by spinners. This is following the same pattern as few previous tests that happened before.
 
neonoir said:
Completely agree the last time Pak got their pitches right was the 2021 series vs SA.

There was movement for pace bowlers and enough turn for spinners and if you applied yourself the batters had fun.

But since then the PCB have been incompetent with their pitches and it's either been a road or spinners paradise
Click to expand...
This has been a fairly good pitch. Not sure what is so bad about this one.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
106 overs bowled by pakistan. 95 by spinners. This is following the same pattern as few previous tests that happened before.
Click to expand...
Did you watch the match or follow scorecard only?

All the main batsmen on both sides threw their wickets away with the exception of Babar who was done by slight bit of reverse.

It is spin heavy, but not as bad as some of the previous pitches. There is a decent battle between bat and ball but nobody has applied themselves.

I think if batting had been better pacers would have been utilized much more. I have been against lottery pitches by Pakistan, but honestly, this one isn't too bad.
 
zahid01 said:
This what happen when people are judged on results they go to desperate measures to achieve results this strategy of doctored pitches will harm our cricket into minnows we will only win if we doctor the pitches and win toss overseas we will get murdered.
Click to expand...
Ideally it should become even more balanced, but it is a step forward from previous series and when Aqib wanted to build spin mambas in all domestic pitches. That was suicide.
 
The_KING said:
Nothing more exciting than seeing pacers take wickets. Pakistan's history is great pacers. Our legacy of great fast bowling is already on the ventilator, and we will completely kill it if we keep making spin friendly wickets where spinners take all the wickets.

And besides, how are these spinners going to help in SENA countries where pitches are more pacer-friendly than spin friendly.
We need to find the right balance and make pitches that have something in it for everyone. Batsmen, pacers and spinners.
Click to expand...
It's true when you think of Pakistan the first thing that springs to your mind is the long legacy of fast bowling, by making these types of pitches they are just sitting ducks.

But one aspect is that the current crop of pacers aren't really that good

Some of the older members have seen all the greats and the pitches that Pakistan used to produce in the 80s and 90s were far more benign than the ones they currently play on.

Apart from Naseem and Abbas Pk currently does not have any bowlers who can reverse it or take full advantage of a new ball on sub continent pitches
 
Nikhil_cric said:
This has been a fairly good pitch. Not sure what is so bad about this one.
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That the pace bowlers are basically non-existent need them to perform as well but like I previously said it may not be the pitches but the quality of current Pak seamers
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Did you watch the match or follow scorecard only?

All the main batsmen on both sides threw their wickets away with the exception of Babar who was done by slight bit of reverse.

It is spin heavy, but not as bad as some of the previous pitches. There is a decent battle between bat and ball but nobody has applied themselves.

I think if batting had been better pacers would have been utilized much more. I have been against lottery pitches by Pakistan, but honestly, this one isn't too bad.
Click to expand...
I watched some. Waqar younis repeatedly stressed how disappointed he is to see ppakistan rolling out pitches like this with seamers not making an impression. I just go by his words. Stats say the same. Around the same time last year for second test against England Pakistan started using these type of pitches. 5 matches 92 wickets 90 going to spinners. Just 2 wickets went to Kashif the seamer. Nothing wrong in having home advantage a strategy which helped Bangladesh beat big teams like Australia, England.
 
Do you know why I quote Rana post because he brings Rizwan the T20 batsman and same way I bring Agha the T20 batsman/ captain.

Tum bich m Jane kha se aa gye.

:klopp :kp
RyanRyan10 said:
He talked about Salman Agha. I mentioned that he scored 93 in the first innings. In reply, he brought up Rizwan.

And then he says we bring Rizwan into every discussion @Rana @mominsaigol
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jnaveen1980 said:
I watched some. Waqar younis repeatedly stressed how disappointed he is to see ppakistan rolling out pitches like this with seamers not making an impression. I just go by his words. Stats say the same. Around the same time last year for second test against England Pakistan started using these type of pitches. 5 matches 92 wickets 90 going to spinners. Just 2 wickets went to Kashif the seamer. Nothing wrong in having home advantage a strategy which helped Bangladesh beat big teams like Australia, England.
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Stats will tell some of the story but not the full picture. It is like saying Headingly pitch and MCG pitch are the same as seamers bowl most of the overs.

In this case you can definitley say it is spin heavy, but it is not ragging and turning wild like the pitches against WIndies or as bad as the Mirpur pitch in Bangladesh.

Overall, I am not in favour of this strategy long term either. My preference is for pitches that suit a 2+2 bowling combo, but it is a step in the right direction from the pitches that were turning square from ball one in the previous series. I think Pakistan may have anticipated it being different too, thats why they selected two seamers but Saffers crumbled against Spin quite quickly so they kept them on.
 
The_KING said:
Nothing more exciting than seeing pacers take wickets. Pakistan's history is great pacers. Our legacy of great fast bowling is already on the ventilator, and we will completely kill it if we keep making spin friendly wickets where spinners take all the wickets.

And besides, how are these spinners going to help in SENA countries where pitches are more pacer-friendly than spin friendly.
We need to find the right balance and make pitches that have something in it for everyone. Batsmen, pacers and spinners.
Click to expand...
But even in 90s and 80s pak never produced ultra bouncy or seaming tracks

Always flat wickets but not pattas. Like there was moderate movement on offer for the first 10 overs and then with reverse.

I reckon pak, India and all Asian teams should never sacrifice their strength that is supposed to be the ability to play spin. Keep turning wickets but allow for bounce as well so the quicks can get some help.

Aussie kind of bouncy wickets is the alternative I would say for Pakistan as the weather conditions are much cooler than India. In India apart from very northern regions, it’s very difficult to make bouncy seaming pitches. Weather is not conducive for such tracks. But Pakistan depending on location generally is much cooler than India so they should imo focus on producing bouncy wickets whilst offering turn as well.
 
zahid01 said:
This what happen when people are judged on results they go to desperate measures to achieve results this strategy of doctored pitches will harm our cricket into minnows we will only win if we doctor the pitches and win toss overseas we will get murdered.
Click to expand...
That’s what India did in 90s

We won almost all home games and got smashed away from home.

It’s not fun. Yea you win a lot at home but it affects your ability to win overseas

Aussies make the fairest pitches albeit on the bouncy side
 
kron said:
That’s what India did in 90s

We won almost all home games and got smashed away from home.

It’s not fun. Yea you win a lot at home but it affects your ability to win overseas

Aussies make the fairest pitches albeit on the bouncy side
Click to expand...
Nowadays because of WTC there is more of an incentive to game the system a bit that wasn't there in the 90s.

Teams like Pakistan can look at the draw and, if it's favourable, plot a path to the final by tilting home matches in our favour.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
South Africa should have been 3 down.

The pitch is good. Don't see what all the fuss is about. This pitch is closer to what we saw in the England series last year when they finally got it right.
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This pitch is fine but I would. Suggest to have more bounce

Not just for pakistan

All Asian teams.

Some turn and bounce too

Like to give you a %

Aus pitches bounce around 70% to even 75% generally. Bounce factor
SA around 65 and nz around 60 ish

So Asian teams should aim for like 50 55 atleast and yes allow for turn as per normal. Can be done in Pakistan due to nature of soil. India has harsher weather so it’s difficult tbh.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Nowadays because of WTC there is more of an incentive to game the system a bit that wasn't there in the 90s.

Teams like Pakistan can look at the draw and, if it's favourable, plot a path to the final by tilting home matches in our favour.
Click to expand...
I agree. Just want to see more bounce so Shaheen etc can take advantage.
 
kron said:
That’s what India did in 90s

We won almost all home games and got smashed away from home.

It’s not fun. Yea you win a lot at home but it affects your ability to win overseas

Aussies make the fairest pitches albeit on the bouncy side
Click to expand...
Australian pitches have changed significantly since 2024. Before Australian pitches were known for being flat and bouncy. I think bounce is a defining characteristic of Australia that is always there.
 
If a pitch gives you 3.5-4 solid days of test cricket, I consider it to be a good pitch. There is no such thing as a perfect pitch so people should stop hoping for that. All I ask for is that a match doesn't finish inside 3 days or doesn't go to a boring 5 day draw.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
If a pitch gives you 3.5-4 solid days of test cricket, I consider it to be a good pitch. There is no such thing as a perfect pitch so people should stop hoping for that. All I ask for is that a match doesn't finish inside 3 days or doesn't go to a boring 5 day draw.
Click to expand...
I think Waqar's disappoint was how it has totally taken the pakistan signature attacking method out of the equation. He has to accept Pakistan's pace bowling in Tests is probably one of the worst in the world. Being a fast bowler himself he has a point. But this works. So he shouldn't be hung up on nostalgia.
 
What a coincidence

Players wearing jersey no 56 and 57 scored 42 and 41, faced 72 and 73 deliveries respectively

1760455870022.png
1760455881808.png
 
jnaveen1980 said:
I think Waqar's disappoint was how it has totally taken the pakistan signature attacking method out of the equation. He has to accept Pakistan's pace bowling in Tests is probably one of the worst in the world. Being a fast bowler himself he has a point. But this works. So he shouldn't be hung up on nostalgia.
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Absolutely. Most of these pacers don't even have the fitness to play test cricket. How will you, when you barely play an first-class cricket? Shaheen is playing test cricket after more than a year, ditto for Hasan Ali. This spin-heavy strategy is the most pragmatic thing Pakistan have done since the UAE days when they had a similar strategy.

I think alot of people have trouble accepting that Pakistan is simply not a particularly good test team that is capable of winning in different conditions. You can either choose to go with a strategy where you win at home and try to steal a match in SENA, or you can choose lose/draw everywhere, which is what they were doing before this.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
I think Waqar's disappoint was how it has totally taken the pakistan signature attacking method out of the equation. He has to accept Pakistan's pace bowling in Tests is probably one of the worst in the world. Being a fast bowler himself he has a point. But this works. So he shouldn't be hung up on nostalgia.
Click to expand...
Yup. At least they are winning something this way.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Nowadays because of WTC there is more of an incentive to game the system a bit that wasn't there in the 90s.

Teams like Pakistan can look at the draw and, if it's favourable, plot a path to the final by tilting home matches in our favour.
Click to expand...

I like WTC. It has made Tests more relevant.
 
kron said:
This pitch is fine but I would. Suggest to have more bounce

Not just for pakistan

All Asian teams.

Some turn and bounce too

Like to give you a %

Aus pitches bounce around 70% to even 75% generally. Bounce factor
SA around 65 and nz around 60 ish

So Asian teams should aim for like 50 55 atleast and yes allow for turn as per normal. Can be done in Pakistan due to nature of soil. India has harsher weather so it’s difficult tbh.
Click to expand...
There is definitely room for fine-tuning the strategy. Personally, I don't think this is something that should continue in the long-run. In the short-term it's fine for getting results and building confidence. But you can't take the pacers out of the game completely. They have a role to play on these pitches particularly with reverse-swing.

Though I'm not sure how much bounce Pakistani pitches will give you, even if it's a lively surface.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
There is definitely room for fine-tuning the strategy. Personally, I don't think this is something that should continue in the long-run. In the short-term it's fine for getting results and building confidence. But you can't take the pacers out of the game completely. They have a role to play on these pitches particularly with reverse-swing.

Though I'm not sure how much bounce Pakistani pitches will give you, even if it's a lively surface.
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Down the line teams will come fully prepared with a lot of spinners in their own side. Then toss will decide the match. If Pakistan loses a couple of tosses and loses the series then there will be some revisit to the strategy. This strategy relies on just one bowler. I don't rate Sajid Khan guy. He just enjoys the presence of noman at other end. If Noman is handled Pakistan will be running out of options
 
kron said:
I agree. Just want to see more bounce so Shaheen etc can take advantage.
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most fans want it too. Long term, it will become soul-destroying to see spinner bowl over and over again and again.

We are playing SA, NZ and SL at home. i will be intrigued if they try this against SL, perhaps they will introduce more seam friendly pitches for that series.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
most fans want it too. Long term, it will become soul-destroying to see spinner bowl over and over again and again.

We are playing SA, NZ and SL at home. i will be intrigued if they try this against SL, perhaps they will introduce more seam friendly pitches for that series.
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Team with more lefties will be a problem for pakistan. NOman averages 19 against right handers 32 against left handers. Same way Sajid averages 10 against right handers. But 30 against left handers.
 
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