Tag: Pakistan vs South Africa

CENTURION: Pakistan pacer Mohammad Abbas’ heroics went in vain as South Africa held on to their nerves to claim a thrilling two-wicket victory on the fourth day of the Boxing Day Test here on Sunday.

Kagiso Rabada (31*) and Marco Jansen (16*) steered South Africa to victory with a gutsy 51-run stand after Abbas’ fiery spell.

Abbas, who was playing an international match after three years, returned with bowling figures of 6-54, while Khurram Shahzad and Naseem Shah bagged one wicket each.

South Africa were in a precarious position at Lunch with the scoreboard reading 116-8, needing 32 runs to win. Kagiso Rabada (10*) and Marco Jansen (58) were on the crease.

The home side started the day on 27-3 while chasing a modest 148, however, they could add 35 more runs before Abbas broke halted their momentum.

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Abbas castled Aiden Markram, who played a patient knock of 27 runs from 63 deliveries with the help of six boundaries.

The veteran pacer then removed the South African captain Temba Bavuma to instigate a dramatic collapse. Bavuma returned after a cautious 40-run knock, which featured four fours and a six.

Naseem Shah dismissed wicketkeeper batter Kyle Verreynne (2) in the next over before Abbas took two back-to back wickets to leave South Africa at 99/8.

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Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada then joined hands and forged a crucial 17-run partnership, ensuring no further damage until Lunch.

Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood (c), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas.

South Africa Playing XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch.

READ: Babar Azam nominated for ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award

CENTURIAN: South Africa all-rounder Corbin Bosch missed a well-deserved debut hundred however he managed to etch his name in the record books on the second day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan here on Friday.

Bosch remained unbeaten on 81, laced with 18 fours, as Dane Paterson (12) was dismissed by Saim Ayub, ending a crucial 47-run stand for the final wicket.

Prior to this knock, he returned with bowling figures of 4-63 on the opening day, helping South Africa bundle Pakistan for 211.

These performances earned him a place in the record books as he became the first-ever South African player to score a fifty and take four or more wickets on Test debut.

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He came into the team for Keshav Maharaj, who got injured before the first ODI against Pakistan, and made an immediate impact with his all-round exploits.

It’s worth noting that overall Bosch is the 16th player to achieve this historic feat and the third to achieve this in this century.

Former New Zealand captain Tim Southee, who recently retired, was the first to achieve this feat in this century, while Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga was the second.

Players to score 50+ and take 4+ wickets on Test debut

Albert Trott (Australia) vs England in 1895

Leonard Braund (England) vs Australia in 1901

Frank Foster (England) vs Australia in 1911

Walter Hammond (England) vs South Africa in 1927

Bruce Taylor (New Zealand) vs India in 1965

Tony Greig (England) vs Australia in 1972

Gary Gilmour (Australia) vs New Zealand in 1973

John Lever (England) vs India in 1976

Tony Dodemaide (Australia) vs New Zealand in 1987

James Adams (West Indies) vs South Africa in 1992

Darren Gough (England) vs New Zealand in 1994

Mark Ealham (England) vs India in 1996

Gavin Robertson (Australia) vs India in 1998

Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka) vs South Africa in 2020

Tim Southee (New Zealand) vs England in 2008

Corbin Bosch (South Africa) vs Pakistan in 2024

READ: Steve Smith equals Younis Khan, Brian Lara’s Test record

CENTURIAN: Pacers took three quick wickets to keep South Africa on top at Stumps after Corbin Bosch scored a gutsy 81* on the second day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan here on Friday.

Pakistan were on 88-3 at Stumps on Day 2 with Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel on the crease at 16 and 8 respectively.

The visitors started their second innings with a 90-run deficit and lost their first wicket with 49 runs on the board. Kagiso Rabada castled Saim Ayub (28) to provide the first breakthrough.

Skipper Shan Masood also scored 28 runs before falling prey to Marco Jansen, who also removed Kamran Ghulam (4) in the next over.

Babar and Saud then survived the final minutes of the day before umpires decided to end the day’s play early due to bad light.

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Earlier, the South African innings ended on 301 with Bosch remaining unbeaten on 81 which was laced with 18 fours. Saim Ayub dismissed Dane Paterson (12) to end a crucial 47-run stand for the final wicket.

Bosch previously added a quick partnership of 41 runs for the ninth wicket with Kagiso Rabada (13) to help South Africa take a crucial lead of 90 runs.

Khurram and Naseem took three wickets each for Pakistan, while Aamir Jamal took two. Mohammad Abbas and Saim Ayub contributed with one wicket each.

Aiden Markram (47*) and captain Temba Bavuma (4*) resumed the innings for South Africa in the morning with the scoreboard reading 82-3.

They extended their partnership to 70 runs before Aamir Jamal removed Bavuma, who scored a patient knock of 31 runs.

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David Bedingham (30) joined Markram and they added 42 runs for the fifth wicket before he became the first victim of Naseem Shah, during a brilliant display of pace bowling.

Naseem then dismissed Kyle Verreynne (2) and Marco Jansen (2) to leave South Africa reeling at 191-7.

Markram held on to his end and scored a gutsy 89 from 144 balls with the help of 15 boundaries before his innings was cut short by Khurram Shahzad.

It’s worth noting that Pakistan were skittled for 211 on the first day with Kamran Ghulam top-scoring with a 71-ball 54 against the dominant pace attack of South Africa.

Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood (c), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas.

South Africa Playing XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch.

READ: Steve Smith equals Younis Khan, Brian Lara’s Test record

CENTURIAN: Aiden Markram remained unbeaten on 47 as South Africa closed the opening day of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan with the scoreboard reading 82-3 here on Thursday.

Markram came out to open the innings with Tony de Zorzi, who managed to score a meagre two runs before falling to Khurram Shahzad. The right-arm pacer removed Ryan Rickelton (8) soon afterwards to leave South Africa reeling on 24-2.

Tristan Stubbs (9) joined Markram and helped stabilize the innings with a 42-run stand, which was dominated by the latter.

However, Abbas removed Stubbs to bring South African captain Temba Bavuma to the crease. Bavuma scored 4 runs from 23 balls to support Markram as they helped close out the day without further damage.

Earlier, Pakistan had a horrible start to their innings as they ended the first session with 88 runs on the board at the loss of four wickets.

Pakistan were asked to bat first and the opening pair stitched a 36-run partnership before South Africa pacers wreaked havoc.

Shan Masood (17) and Saim Ayub (14) fell in quick succession before Babar Azam came out to bat dismissed after adding a mere four runs to the total.

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Saud Shakeel struck three boundaries on his way to 14 off 6 before he was dismissed by debutant Corbin Bosch, leaving Pakistan reeling at 56-4.

Kamran Ghulam (23*) and Mohammad Rizwan (10*) then joined hands to help launch Pakistan’s recovery as he ensured no further damage until Lunch.

Ghulam and Rizwan extended their unbeaten partnership to 81 runs in the second session before Paterson dismissed both batters in quick succession.

Ghulam top-scored for Pakistan with a 71-ball 54, while Rizwan played a cautious 27-run knock from 62 balls.

Aamir Jamal struck 28 runs from 27 balls and added 47 runs for the seventh wicket with Salman Ali Agha (18) before South Africa bowlers made a resounding comeback, taking three quick wickets.

Pakistan lost their last wicket on the third ball after the Tea as Khurram Shahzad (11) fell prey to Marco Jansen. Returning pacer Mohammad Abbas remained unbeaten on 10.

Paterson returned with the bowling figures of 5-61, while debutant Bosch gave away 63 runs for his four wickets.

Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood (c), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas.

South Africa Playing XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch.

READ: Babar Azam joins Virat Kohli in elusive club during Boxing Day Test

Former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has raised questions over the decision to exclude fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi from the two-match Test series against South Africa.

Shaheen played a key role in Pakistan’s historic whitewash victory in the ODI series against South Africa, however, he is not part of the ongoing Test series.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to rest the ace pacer from the Test series as part of his workload management so that he is in his best fitness and form for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

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However, Mickey Arthur expressed his disbelief over the decision and voiced his criticism, stating that bowling in South Africa would have helped the pacer.

“I can’t believe it. If he’s not bowling in South Africa, then where the hell are they bowling him? It’s the best place to bowl in the world, almost,” said Arthur.

“Plus, he gives you a left-arm option. I know they have got Mir Hamza, but Shaheen is a game-breaker and match-winner.

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“I’m not in the inner echelon in terms of knowing the ins and outs of why they haven’t selected him, but on pure skill, I would have him in South Africa in any team I pick.”

It’s worth noting that Shaheen Shah Afridi has been roped in by Fortune Barishal and is set to make his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) debut during the upcoming season.

The star pacer is likely to feature in the first five games for Fortune Barishal as he has been granted a no-objection certificate (NOC) by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) until January 15.

READ: Babar Azam joins Virat Kohli in elusive club during Boxing Day Test

CENTURIAN: Pakistan batter Babar Azam has joined the Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli in an elusive list during the ongoing Boxing Day Test against South Africa here on Thursday.

Babar scored a meagre four runs, with a boundary, before he fell prey to Dane Paterson. However, during this brief knock, he achieved a historic milestone.

Prior to the match, Babar was just three runs away from the 4000-run milestone, which he successfully achieved with a boundary on the very first ball of his innings.

With this achievement, he became the 12th batter from Pakistan batter to score 4000 runs in Test cricket.

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He also became the third player in cricket history to score 4000 runs across all three formats of the game, joining Indian stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

It’s worth noting that Pakistan had a horrible start to their innings as they ended the first session with 88 runs on the board at the loss of four wickets.

Pakistan were asked to bat first and the opening pair stitched a 36-run partnership before South Africa pacers wreaked havoc.

Shan Masood (17) and Saim Ayub (14) fell in quick succession before Babar Azam came out to bat dismissed after adding a mere four runs to the total.

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Saud Shakeel struck three boundaries on his way to 14 off 6 before he was dismissed by debutant Corbin Bosch, leaving Pakistan reeling at 56-4.

Kamran Ghulam (23*) and Mohammad Rizwan (10*) then joined hands to help launch Pakistan’s recovery as he ensured no further damage until Lunch.

Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood (c), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas.

South Africa Playing XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch.

READ: Virat Kohli penalised for on-field altercation with Sam Konstas

CENTURIAN: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday, unveiled their Playing XI, including star batter Babar Azam and veteran pacer Mohammad Abbas, for the first Test against South Africa.

The Boxing Day Test will be played at the Supersport Park from 26 December to 30 December.

Top-order batter Abdullah Shafique, who opened the innings alongside Saim Ayub during the Test series against Bangladesh and England, has been dropped owing to his below-par form.

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In Abdullah’s absence, captain Shan Masood will join Saim at the top of the order.

Meanwhile, Babar, who was dropped after the crushing defeat in the first Test of the home series against England, has returned to the line-up.

The rest of the batting order remains the same as that played in the last two Tests against England featuring Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha.

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Pakistan’s bowling attack will feature the returning Mohammad Abbas, who last represented Pakistan in August 2021.

He will be joined by pacers Naseem Shah and Khurram Shahzad and all-rounder Aamir Jamal to form an all-pace bowling attack.

Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood (c), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas.

South Africa Playing XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch

READ: Fakhar Zaman breaks silence on his post in support of Babar Azam

CENTURIAN: Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Tuesday unveiled their Playing XI for the first Test of the two-match series against Pakistan, scheduled to start here on December 26.

The Boxing Day Test will be played at the Supersport Park and will feature almost the same team that played in the final Test against Sri Lanka earlier this month, with one change.

Experienced spinner Keshav Maharaj was ruled out of the first Test due to an injury and was replaced by uncapped all-rounder Corbin Bosch in the Playing XI.

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Maharaj suffered a groin strain just before the first ODI against Pakistan and was replaced by all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo in the line-up.

Following the injury, Maharaj underwent a series of scans to evaluate the extent of the damage. The results confirmed that he is dealing with a left adductor strain.

Bosch will be joining Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen and Dan Paterson to form an all-pace bowling attack.

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Tony de Zorzi and Aiden Markram are expected top open the innings with Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma, and David Bedingham to follow.

The Test series against Pakistan is vital for South Africa as they aim to strengthen their chances for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.

South Africa Playing XI: Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch

READ: ICC reveals schedule of Champions Trophy 2025

The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Mohsin Naqvi has extended his heartiest congratulations to the Pakistan men’s cricket team for their historic clean sweep victory in the ODI series against South Africa on Friday.

Pakistan, under the inspired leadership of Mohammad Rizwan, became the first-ever team to clean-sweep the Proteas in an ODI series in South Africa after their 36-run victory in the third and final match.

Following the victory, Mohsin Naqvi congratulated the whole team on their dominant performance and attributed the victory to the combined efforts of all the players.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the national team for winning the third ODI and completing a clean sweep against South Africa,” Naqvi stated.

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“The result of teamwork is reflected in this remarkable success. The Pakistani team displayed confidence, passion, and hard work on the field.”

He heaped high praise on Saim Ayub, who played a 101-run knock in the third ODI and clinched the Player of the Match as well as Player of the Series awards.

The chairman also lauded the contributions of Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and young bowler Sufiyan Muqeem.

“Once again, Saim Ayub showcased his class by scoring a century and playing a pivotal role in the victory,” he added.

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“Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam batted exceptionally well, while Sufiyan Muqeem won the hearts of the nation with his outstanding bowling performance.”

He expressed his belief that this victory will provide the Green Shirts with a much-needed boost in momentum ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

“This victory will boost the players’ morale and inspire the Pakistani team to maintain their performance in the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament,” he concluded.

READ: Saim Ayub joins Virat Kohli, Fakhar Zaman in exclusive club

Pakistan’s young opening batter Saim Ayub joined his compatriot Fakhar Zaman and Indian batting maestro Virat Kohli in an elusive list with his match-winning century in the third ODI against South Africa on Sunday.

Saim played a stellar quick 101-run knock from 94 balls, laced with 15 boundaries that included two sixes, in the third ODI and helped Pakistan white-wash South Africa in the three-match series.

Saim’s remarkable performance in the series culminated in his second century, a feat that not only highlighted his batting prowess but also earned him the coveted Player of the Series award.

Over the course of the series, he amassed an impressive total of 235 runs and contributed with the ball, claiming two wickets.

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His second century positioned him among an elite group of overseas batters who have scored multiple ODI centuries on South African soil.

This prestigious list features renowned cricketing legends such as Virat Kohli, David Warner, Joe Root, Fakhar Zaman, and Kevin Pietersen.

While batting first Saim Ayub lost his opening partner Abdullah Shafique in the first over. He then built a partnership of 114 runs from 133 balls for the second wicket with Babar Azam to set up Pakistan’s total of 308-9.

However, Kwena Maphaka broke the stand as he removed Babar, who scored 52 runs from 71 balls with the help of seven boundaries.

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Saim was joined by skipper Mohammad Rizwan (53) and they increased the scoring rate with their 93-run stand that conceded only 75 balls.

Rizwan and Saim fell in quick succession but Salman Ali Agha played a quick-fire knock of 48 runs from 33 balls and added a crucial partnership of 74 runs with Tayyab Tahir (28) to provide a finishing touch to Pakistan’s innings.

In response, South Africa, despite a spirited performance, were bundled for 271 runs in 42 overs.

It’s worth noting that Pakistan became the first-ever team to clean-sweep the Proteas in an ODI series in South Africa.

WATCH: Mohammad Rizwan takes stunning catch to dismiss David Miller