PAK vs SA Ball by Ball Commentary

PAK

138/10333/10

73/2404/10

Day 4Session 1

South Africa beat Pakistan by 8 wickets

Commentary

South Africa 2nd Innings

8:00 AM IST Right then, that wraps up this memorable second Test and the series as a whole. South Africa and Pakistan finish on level terms in what turned out to be a thoroughly entertaining contest. We all wish there had been a decider, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. The trophy is now shared, with both captains, Shan Masood and Aiden Markram, lifting it together. Both teams will now shift their focus to the shortest format, as a three-match T20I series awaits. The first game is scheduled for Tuesday, 28th October, at 3 pm GMT, but you can join us early for all the pre-match build-up. Until then, cheers and goodbye!

7:57 AM IST Aiden Markram, the victorious skipper of South Africa, says that this is a really good response from them. Adds that after they were put under pressure in the first Test, the boys have excelled in this game. Mentions that they will take a lot of confidence from this one, and this is a good space to be in as a team. Says that they are still a work in progress on conditions like these, but the players have put their hands up at different times. Tells that in South Africa, people think they have good seamers and some spinners, but they are really good with the spinners as well. Says that he has seen KG bat in the nets, but this was special, and he won them the game with the bat. End by saying that they learned plenty of lessons from this series, and now they head to India.

7:53 AM IST Shan Masood, the captain of Pakistan, says that they need to give credit to the opposition. Adds that they kept fighting and found a method for all the batters. Says they did not finish the first innings well in terms of bowling, and the last two wickets cost them dearly. Mentions the lead in the first innings makes a huge difference. Maharaj, Muthusamy, and Rabada played well, but they missed a few chances in the field. Further adds, they can't give opportunities to a team like South Africa, who are the current WTC champions.. Tells that they have had four wins out of six games from the spin-friendly surfaces. Ends by saying that they need to work on a few things, like lower-order batting, third innings of batting, need to work well, and get better.

7:45 AM IST Senuran Muthusamy is the PLAYER OF THE SERIES for his 11 wickets and 106 runs. He says that he is trying to do his best whenever he gets the chance for the team. Adds that this win means a lot to him. Says that he got a good few spells in the first Test and is happy with the wickets that he got. Mentions that he comes from Durban, where the wickets are spin-friendly, which helped him on how to approach his batting in this series. Tells that Maharaj and Harmer bowled well, so he was not needed but is happy to contribute with the bat. Ends by saying that initially he looked to farm strike, but once he and Rabada got into the zone, they wanted to score as many as possible.

7:40 AM IST Keshav Maharaj is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his 9 wickets and 30 runs. He says that he just tried to rely on the flight and tried to be as consistent as possible with the ball. Adds that Muthusamy is a youngster to international cricket but he has a lot of experience in domestic cricket. Shares that he worked on his batting. Mentions that full credit must go to Rabada and Muthusamy for that partnership. Closes by adding that this transition of the team has been phenomenal and it shows how much they have been growing as a team.

7:38 AM IST Presentation Time...

7:38 AM IST Pakistan once again found themselves in trouble in the second innings, struggling to cope with Simon Harmer’s probing spin, who picked up a six-fer. The lone positive was Babar Azam, who brought up a half-century to lift the home crowd, but he fell shortly afterward. The rest of the batting lineup failed to make an impact, with only Salman Agha contributing some valuable runs, leaving Pakistan to set a modest target of just 68. South Africa came out to chase, with Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton starting confidently - Markram played aggressively, scoring a quick 42, though he couldn’t see it through, and Tristan Stubbs fell for a duck. Despite that, the Proteas comfortably sealed the chase without any real trouble.

7:34 AM IST The match began to shift once Pakistan took the second new ball. Senuran Muthusamy showed incredible composure and skill, shepherding the lower order brilliantly. Initially, he received support from Keshav Maharaj as they inched closer to the total, but the hosts’ frustration didn’t stop there. Kagiso Rabada played the innings of his life, notching up his maiden Test half-century and finishing with a polished 71, while Muthusamy ended unbeaten on 89. Together, they pushed South Africa to 404, setting up a first-innings lead of 71 runs.

7:27 AM IST South Africa found themselves in early trouble in their first innings, but a crucial 113-run partnership between Tristan Stubbs and Tony de Zorzi steadied the ship, with both batters bringing up well-earned half-centuries. However, the visitors were back under pressure early on Day 3, slipping to 235/8 as debutant Asif Afridi weaved his magic to claim his maiden Test five-wicket haul. At that stage, it looked like Pakistan were set to take control and secure a first-innings lead, but as we all know, cricket has a way of defying expectations.

8:39 AM IST Let’s take a quick look back at how this Test unfolded. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 333 in their first innings - built around a classy 87 from Shan Masood, with solid fifties from Abdullah Shafique and Saud Shakeel, while Salman Agha chipped in with useful runs lower down the order. Keshav Maharaj was the standout performer with the ball, claiming seven wickets, though South Africa would feel they missed a trick by dropping a few crucial catches on the opening day.

7:17 AM IST A famous win for South Africa in Rawalpindi! This victory perfectly sums up why they are the reigning World Test Champions - a performance built on resilience, determination, and eventually, sheer dominance. It’s also a historic moment for the Proteas, as they register their first Test win in Pakistan since 2007, and only their third in Asia over the past decade.

End of over 12.38 runs

SA: 73/2CRR: 5.84

Ball

Ryan Rickelton:25 (29)

Tony de Zorzi:0 (0)

Sajid Khan:2.3-0-15-0

12.3

Sajid Khan to Ryan Rickelton, 6 runs

SIX! Ryan Rickelton finishes things off in style! Sajid Khan tosses it up, full and on off, Rickelton skips down the track and dispatches it over the long off fence for a biggie. South Africa win by 8 wickets and level the series 1-1!

12.2

Sajid Khan to Ryan Rickelton, no run

Floated, full and on middle, Ryan Rickelton knocks it back to the bowler.

12.1

Sajid Khan to Ryan Rickelton, 2 runs

SCORES LEVEL! Flatter, full and on off, Ryan Rickelton looks to push it away but gets an outside edge along the ground and past first slip for a couple of runs.

7:09 AM IST Tony de Zorzi comes out to the middle now.

End of over 129 runs

SA: 65/2CRR: 5.42

Ball

Tristan Stubbs:0 (4)

Ryan Rickelton:17 (26)

Noman Ali:6-0-40-2

11.6

Noman Ali to Tristan Stubbs, no run

OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Noman Ali gets his second in the over! He slows it up, full and around off, turning it away. Tristan Stubbs takes a big stride forward and pushes at it with hard hands. Gets an outside edge towards first slip, where Salman Agha makes no mistake. Stubbs is not happy with himself as he goes back for a 4-baller.

Tristan Stubbs

0 (4b 0x4 0x6)SR: 0.00

c Salman Agha b Noman Ali

11.5

Noman Ali to Tristan Stubbs, no run

Looped up, full and on middle, Tristan Stubbs fends it away.

11.4

Noman Ali to Tristan Stubbs, no run

Slows it up, full and on off, Tristan Stubbs taps it to silly point.

11.4

Noman Ali to Tristan Stubbs, 1 run

Flighted, full and on middle, Tristan Stubbs blocks it out. It is called a No Ball for overstepping.

7:06 AM IST Tristan Stubbs walks out to bat at number 3.

11.3

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

OUT! LBW! Finally, a wicket for Pakistan! Noman Ali tosses it up, full and on middle, turning away a bit. Aiden Markram goes for the sweep again, but this is not that full for that shot. He has to stretch out a bit and misses to get hit on the pads. There is a big appeal for LBW, and this time the finger goes up. Markram takes the review. UltraEdge confirms no bat involved and Ball Tracking shows two reds and that the ball is hitting the top of off on umpire's call. Markram goes back for 42 off 45.

Aiden Markram

42 (45b 8x4 0x6)SR: 93.33

lbw b Noman Ali

11.2

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 4 runs

FOUR MORE! South Africa just one hit away from victory! Floated, full and on middle and leg, Aiden Markram brings out another sweep and hits it sweetly to the deep backward square leg fence for another boundary.

11.1

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 4 runs

FOUR! Excellent shot! Flighted, full and around middle, Aiden Markram goes down and crunches the slog sweep to the deep square leg fence for a boundary. South Africa need just 8 runs to win now.

End of over 115 runs

SA: 56/0CRR: 5.09

Ball

0
0
3LB
0
2
0

Ryan Rickelton:17 (26)

Aiden Markram:34 (42)

Sajid Khan:2-0-7-0

10.6

Sajid Khan to Ryan Rickelton, no run

Darts one full and on leg, Ryan Rickelton plays anoher reverse sweep but straight to point.

10.5

Sajid Khan to Ryan Rickelton, 2 runs

Floated, full and on middle, Ryan Rickelton reverse sweeps it again but this time past point for a brace.

10.4

Sajid Khan to Ryan Rickelton, no run

Good stop! Flatter, full and on middle, Ryan Rickelton reverse sweeps it wide of point, where Noman Ali dives to his right to save a boundary.

3LB

10.3

Sajid Khan to Aiden Markram, 3 runs

Aiden Markram survives! Flighted, full and on middle, turns in again, Markram goes down across to paddle it away but the ball goes under his bat and deflects off the pads. It rolls away towards the fine leg region as the batters get three leg byes. There is a massive appeal for LBW in between, but the umpire says no. Shan Masood takes another review. UltraEdge confirms no bat involved. Ball Tracking comes up and shows it to be clipping the leg stump. Sajid Khan is not happy, but the umpire's call saves Markram here.

10.2

Sajid Khan to Aiden Markram, no run

Flatter, full and on middle, Aiden Markram clips it to mid-wicket.

10.1

Sajid Khan to Aiden Markram, no run

79.6kph

Another big shout for LBW, but turned down again! Tossed up, full and on middle, turns in sharply, Aiden Markram gets half-forward to work it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. Probably spinning a bit too much down the leg side.

End of over 105 runs

SA: 51/0CRR: 5.10

Ball

Ryan Rickelton:15 (23)

Aiden Markram:34 (39)

Noman Ali:5-0-31-0

9.6

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, no run

Quicker, full and on off, Ryan Rickelton stays back and keeps it out.

9.5

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, no run

83.2kph

Flatter, shortish and on middle, Ryan Rickelton knocks it to the right of the bowler.

9.4

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 1 run

Drags his length back, on off, Aiden Markram punches it through extra covers for one. South Africa just 17 runs away from the win now.

9.3

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

77.0kph

A big shout for LBW, but turned down! Floated, full and around leg, turns away sharply, Aiden Markram goes down to swipe it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. Shan Masood takes the review more in desperation. Ball Tracking comes up and shows it is pitching outside leg. Review lost!

9.2

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 4 runs

FOUR! 50 up for South Africa! Tossed up, full and on middle, Aiden Markram once again gets down on one knee and slog sweeps it powerfully to the deep mid-wicket fence for a one-bounce four.

50 Runs for the teamSouth Africa

Runs: 50/0

9.1

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

Flighted, full and on middle, Aiden Markram strides out and taps it to the off side.

End of over 95 runs

SA: 46/0CRR: 5.11

Ball

Ryan Rickelton:15 (21)

Aiden Markram:29 (35)

Sajid Khan:1-0-5-0

8.6

Sajid Khan to Ryan Rickelton, no run

Gives this some more air, full and on middle, Ryan Rickelton blocks it out.

8.5

Sajid Khan to Ryan Rickelton, no run

Loopy delivery, full and on off, Ryan Rickelton drives it firmly but straight to short covers.

8.4

Sajid Khan to Aiden Markram, 1 run

Quicker, short and outside off, Aiden Markram reaches out and punches it to sweeper covers for a single.

8.3

Sajid Khan to Aiden Markram, no run

Flighted, full and on middle, Aiden Markram tucks it to short mid-wicket.

8.2

Sajid Khan to Aiden Markram, 4 runs

91.7kph

FOUR! Aiden Markram looks in a hurry now! Floated, full and on off, Markram gets into position early and executes the reverse sweep to perfection through point for a boundary.

8.1

Sajid Khan to Aiden Markram, no run

81.2kph

Tossed up, full and on middle, Aiden Markram gets forward and blocks it out.

6:47 AM IST Sajid Khan has been introduced into the attack now.

End of over 810 runs

SA: 41/0CRR: 5.13

Ball

Aiden Markram:24 (31)

Ryan Rickelton:15 (19)

Noman Ali:4-0-26-0

7.6

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 1 run

Looped up, full and on off, Aiden Markram drives it through covers for one. 10 runs off the over!

7.5

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 4 runs

81.3kph

FOUR! Fine shot! Floated delivery, full and on off, Aiden Markram extends his arms to get under it and thumps it down to the long off fence for another boundary. South Africa need just 28 runs to win now!

7.4

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

85.4kph

Short and on middle, Aiden Markram pushes it back to the bowler.

7.3

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

78.4kph

Flatter, full and on leg, Aiden Markram goes for the sweep again but misses and gets hit on the pads. The ball lobs up and drops on the pitch.

7.2

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 4 runs

79.9kph

FOUR! Safe shot! Tossed up, full and on middle, turns away, Aiden Markram goes down to play the slog sweep as he knows there is no protection in the deep. He gets a bit of a top edge, but the ball lands safely and goes towards deep square leg, trickling away to the fence.

7.1

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, 1 run

83.7kph

Flighted, full and around off, Ryan Rickelton reverse paddles it towards third man for a run.

End of over 73 runs

SA: 31/0CRR: 4.43

Ball

Aiden Markram:15 (26)

Ryan Rickelton:14 (18)

Asif Afridi:4-0-15-0

6.6

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, no run

82.7kph

Shorter in length and on off, Aiden Markram stays back and keeps it out on the pitch.

6.5

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, no run

84.0kph

Slower through the air, full and on middle, Aiden Markram defends it on the front foot.

6.4

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, 1 run

89.1kph

Tossed up, full and on off, Ryan Rickelton strides out and guides it off the outer half of the bat past first slip for another run.

6.3

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, 1 run

84.9kph

Flighted, full and on middle, Aiden Markram knocks it down to long on for a run.

6.2

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, 1 run

84.5kph

Short again, on leg, Ryan Rickelton nudges it through mid-wicket for a single.

6.1

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, no run

85.9kph

Floated, short and on middle, Ryan Rickelton pushes it back to the bowler.

End of over 64 runs

SA: 28/0CRR: 4.67

Ball

Aiden Markram:14 (23)

Ryan Rickelton:12 (15)

Noman Ali:3-0-16-0

5.6

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

78.2kph

Loops it up, full and on off, Aiden Markram is solid in his defense.

5.5

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

85.7kph

Drags his length back, on middle, Aiden Markram pats it back to the bowler.

5.4

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

76.8kph

Slows it up, full and on off, turns away, Aiden Markram strides out and fends it towards short covers.

5.3

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 4 runs

81.8kph

FOUR! Lovely shot! Flighted, full and around middle, Aiden Markram goes down on one knee and nails the sweep to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary.

5.2

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

86.5kph

Goes short and on off, Aiden Markram stabs it out to short covers.

5.1

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

83.8kph

Tossed up, full and on middle, Aiden Markram prods forward and blocks it out.

End of over 55 runs

SA: 24/0CRR: 4.80

Ball

Ryan Rickelton:12 (15)

Aiden Markram:10 (17)

Asif Afridi:3-0-12-0

4.6

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, 4 runs

91.3kph

FOUR! Nice use of the feet! Flighted, full and on off, Ryan Rickelton dances down the track and chips it over the mid off fielder for a boundary. South Africa need 44 runs to win now!

4.5

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, no run

89.4kph

Another short delivery, on middle, Ryan Rickelton nudges it to short mid-wicket.

4.4

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, no run

91.7kph

A bit short and on middle, turns in sharply, Ryan Rickelton misses his flick and gets hit high on the body as the ball drops on the pitch.

4.3

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, no run

88.4kph

Floated, full and on leg, Ryan Rickelton turns it to the leg side.

4.2

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, no run

93.9kph

Flatter, full and on fof, keeps low too, Ryan Rickelton watches it through and blocks it out.

4.1

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, 1 run

91.1kph

Short and on off, Aiden Markram punches it to long off for a single.

End of over 49 runs

SA: 19/0CRR: 4.75

Ball

1
0
2NB
NB
0
1
4
0

Ryan Rickelton:8 (10)

Aiden Markram:9 (16)

Noman Ali:2-0-12-0

3.6

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, no run

81.1kph

Darts this one full, on middle, Ryan Rickelton steers it wide of first slip.

3.5

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, 4 runs

79.0kph

EDGED AND FOUR! That should have been taken! Flighted delivery, full and on off, keeps straight, Ryan Rickelton prods forward and plays for the turn in. Gets a thin outside edge behind, where Mohammad Rizwan fails to get his gloves in line with the ball. It deflects away and races to the deep third fence for a boundary.

3.4

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 1 run

Tossed up, full and on off, Aiden Markram drives it to long off for a run.

3.3

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

Flatter, full and on leg, Aiden Markram glances it to backward square leg.

3.3

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 1 run

82.5kph

BEATEN! Slower through the air, full and on off, grips and turns away sharply. Aiden Markram gets drawn forward into his defensive stroke but gets beaten on the outside edge. Ali has overstepped again. No Ball called.

2NB

3.3

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, 2 runs

84.0kph

Flatter, full and around off, Ryan Rickelton reverse sweeps it towards third man for a run. Well, Ali has overstepped here and it is called a No Ball.

3.2

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, no run

86.2kph

Tossed up, full and on off, turns in, Ryan Rickelton looks to drive it through covers but gets an inside edge towards mid-wicket.

3.1

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 1 run

Flighted, full and on leg, Aiden Markram eases it to long on for a single.

End of over 35 runs

SA: 10/0CRR: 3.33

Ball

Aiden Markram:7 (12)

Ryan Rickelton:3 (6)

Asif Afridi:2-0-7-0

2.6

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, 1 run

92.2kph

Looped up, full and on leg, Aiden Markram works it through mid-wicket for one.

2.5

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, 4 runs

85.6kph

FOUR! Up and over! Tossed up, full and on middle and leg, Aiden Markram clears his front leg away and lofts it cleanly towards the long on fence for the first boundary of the chase.

2.4

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, no run

92.3kph

Quicker, short and on middle, Aiden Markram moves back and keeps it out on the pitch.

2.3

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, no run

94.8kph

Fires one full and on the pads, Aiden Markram clips it to square leg.

2.2

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, no run

88.7kph

Flighted, full and on middle and leg, Aiden Markram knocks it down the pitch.

2.1

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, no run

94.0kph

Flatter, full and on middle, skids through, Aiden Markram stays back and blocks it out.

End of over 23 runs

SA: 5/0CRR: 2.50

Ball

Ryan Rickelton:3 (6)

Aiden Markram:2 (6)

Noman Ali:1-0-3-0

1.6

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, no run

86.5kph

Drags his length back and on off, Ryan Rickelton pats it down towards covers.

1.5

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, 2 runs

63.0kph

Floated, full and on middle, Ryan Rickelton uses his feet and drills it wide of long on. Saud Shakeel runs to his right and slides to stop it. Two taken. South Africa need 63 runs to win now!

1.4

Noman Ali to Ryan Rickelton, no run

84.2kph

Flatter, full and on off, Ryan Rickelton decides to move back and keeps it out.

1.3

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, 1 run

83.0kph

Goes short and around off, Aiden Markram punches it to sweeper covers for a single.

1.2

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

86.1kph

Flighted, full and on middle, Aiden Markram defends it on the front foot.

1.1

Noman Ali to Aiden Markram, no run

86.2kph

Noman Ali begins with a tossed up delivery, full and on middle, Aiden Markram prods forward and blocks it out.

6:23 AM IST Noman Ali to bowl from the other end. Also, Shaheen Afridi is off the field with a strapping on his left elbow.

End of over 12 runs

SA: 2/0CRR: 2.00

Ball

Ryan Rickelton:1 (3)

Aiden Markram:1 (3)

Asif Afridi:1-0-2-0

0.6

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, no run

91.3kph

Slows it up, full and around middle, Ryan Rickelton blocks it out. 2 runs off the first over!

0.5

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, no run

92.4kph

Fires one full and on off, Ryan Rickelton moves back and keeps it out.

0.4

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, 1 run

84.8kph

Drags his length back and around off, Aiden Markram pushes it through covers for a run.

0.3

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, no run

93.0kph

Quicker, short again and on off, Aiden Markram punches it back to the bowler.

0.2

Asif Afridi to Aiden Markram, no run

92.4kph

Floated, shortish and around of, Aiden Markram stays back and stabs it out to the off side.

0.1

Asif Afridi to Ryan Rickelton, 1 run

93.9kph

South Africa are underway in the chase! Asif Afridi starts with a flatter delivery, short and on leg, Ryan Rickelton flicks it through square leg for a single.

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