South Africa clinched a comfortable 10-wicket win in the second Test on Day 4 in Cape Town, securing the series 2-0 against Pakistan. The hosts chased down a small target of 58 in just over seven overs.
This came after Pakistan scored 478 in their second innings, putting up a remarkable performance after being forced to follow on. With this victory, South Africa ended the 2024/25 Test season unbeaten, with nine wins and one draw. South Africa will face Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June 2025.
Pakistan posted their highest opening partnership against South Africa as the skipper who went for only 30 runs in the first innings smashed a ton and former skipper of the Pakistan team Babar Azam scored another half-century. Marco Jansen provided a much-needed breakthrough as Babar nicked the outside off delivery at the end of Day 3.
Once again, Kamran Ghulam got off to a good start but couldn’t convert it into something when his team needed it the most, and Rabada managed to get through his gates. However, Masood kept battling from the other side.
After lunch, South Africa quickly took the important wickets of Saud Shakeel and Masood with the new ball. Rabada, leading the pace attack, got Shakeel out when he got an outswinger from around the wicket, and Shakeel edged it to the second slip.
In the next over, Maphaka dismissed Masood LBW after South Africa requested the third umpire’s review, after the umpires’ not-out decision on the field. The ball hit Masood right in front of the off-stump and was straight enough to hit the top of the stump. However, after the match, the Pakistani skipper was unhappy about the decision as he questioned the ball-tracking technology.
Pakistan was still ready to make a comeback after Tea, with Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Rizwan at the crease. Rizwan brought up a 400 on the board with a four off Keshav Maharaj, who was still without a wicket at that point. However, the 88-run partnership ended when Rizwan played a simple shot off Maharaj and handed a catch to Temba Bavuma at cover.
Salman Ali Agha, known for handling spin well, survived an LBW appeal but seemed uneasy while batting on 48. Just two balls later, he edged the ball towards slip, where Aiden Markram made a stunning diving catch.
Aamer Jamal and Mir Hamza attempted to counterattack the South African bowlers, hitting a few boundaries, but they couldn’t maintain control of the attack and Pakistan only managed to set a target of 58 runs for the hosts.
After winning the series 2-0, Bavuma and Co will travel to London in full confidence. After the match, South African head coach Shukri Conrad confirmed that they will try to get a Test match in the UK before the WTC final to adjust to UK conditions.
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Jasir Basharat is a cricket enthusiast capturing the heart of the game through insightful analysis and storytelling sharing his passion for the sport through engaging narratives. He is a business graduate from University of Kashmir.
