South Africans pacers made the most out of the seaming conditions on offer at Centurion by restricting Pakistan to 211 in their first innings. After a mini-collapse saw Pakistan struggling at 56-4, it was the 81-runs 5th wicket stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam that took the Pakistan team towards a respectable first innings total. Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson cashed in after a superb opening hour of bowling from Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, which openers Shan Masood and Saim Ayub rode their luck to survive.
The story of the opening session changed the moment Temba Bavuma gave the ball to debutant Bosch. He began with a loosener well outside off stump. Masood, who had been forced to deal with an unerring fourth stump all of the first hour, had his eyes light up as he slashed at it, with a thick outside edge carrying to Jansen at third slip to give Bosch a first-ball wicket.
All of a sudden, the good balls that kept missing edges started to find them. Paterson nipped one away to Ayub, who was uncharacteristically defensive, accumulating a painstaking 14 off 34 balls till that point. It kissed the outside edge, and both openers were back in the pavilion. Paterson wasn’t done, because Babar Azam, returning to the side, also had a prod at one well outside off stump, the tentativeness of his stroke revealing his lack of confidence; it was meat and drink for the slips again.
The only bright spot for Pakistan was the knock of Kamran Ghulam, who scored 54 runs. However, his dismissal triggered another collapse, with Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha and Aamer Jamal also falling prey to the South African bowlers.
With the conditions serving as a paradise for the pacers, much hopes are pinned to the pace battery of Pakistan team, especially Mohammad Abbas who makes a comeback to the red-ball format after 2021.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.