CENTURION: Right-handed opener Aiden Markram waged a lone battle against a spirited Pakistan’s bowling attack to maintain South Africa’s command after the opening day of the first Test here at the SuperSport Park on Thursday.
Markram displayed remarkable grit to single-handedly lead South Africa to 82/3 in 22 overs in response to Pakistan’s first innings’ 211.
The right-handed batter was just three shy of his 13th Test half-century when the Stumps were drawn. He, alongside Temba Bavuma (four not out), will resume South Africa’s first innings on the second day, with the hosts still trailing by 129 runs.
Earlier in the final session of the opening day, right-arm pacer Khurram Shahzad jolted South Africa’s top-order by dismissing Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton in quick succession.
Returning pacer Mohammad Abbas chipped in by trapping Tristan Stubbs (nine) lbw to give Pakistan their third success.
Put into bat first, the green shirts only managed to score 211 before getting bowled out on the just the third delivery after the Tea when Marco Jansen got Khurram Shahzad caught for 11.
At the conclusion of an eventful second session, the touring side were 209/9 with tailenders Khurram and returning Mohammad Abbas, unbeaten on nine and 10 respectively.
Pakistan, however, had a decent start to the second session as wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam put together an 81-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Ghulam was the frontrunner in the stand, scoring a well-crafted half-century before falling victim to Paterson in the 38th over. The right-handed batter remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with 71-ball 54, comprised of eight fours and a six.
Rizwan followed the suit just two overs later when he was caught in slips off Paterson after scoring a cautious 27 off 62 deliveries.
The second-biggest partnership for the green shirts came when all-rounders Salman Ali Agha and Aamir Jamal added 47 runs for the sixth wicket.
The duo frustrated momentum-filled South African bowling attack with their strokes until both perished in quick succession, alongside number nine batter Naseem Shah, resulting in Pakistan slipping to 189/9.
Later, Khurram and Abbas displayed remarkable grit and added valuable 20 runs amid their crucial 10th-wicket partnership.
After being asked to bat first, Pakistan struggled to build momentum.
Openers Shan Masood and Saim Ayub were unable to withstand the pressure from the aggressive South African pacers.
Masood, who had faced 58 balls for just 17 runs, became the first casualty when debutant Corbin Bosch dismissed him in the 15th over, leaving Pakistan at 36/1.
Babar Azam, walking in at number three, made an immediate impact with a boundary on the first ball he faced.
The 30-year-old reached a significant milestone, becoming the 12th Pakistan batter to score 4000 runs in Test cricket.
In doing so, he joined an elite group, becoming only the third player to score 4000 runs in all three formats of international cricket, alongside India’s Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
However, Pakistan’s recovery was short-lived.
In the 16th over, Dane Paterson struck, removing Saim Ayub for 14 runs off 35 balls. This left Pakistan at 40/2.
Paterson’s dominance continued, sending Babar back to the dressing room for just four runs, reducing Pakistan to 41/3 in 17.2 overs.
With the pressure mounting, Saud Shakeel and Kamran Ghulam tried to rebuild the innings, with Saud playing aggressively, hitting three boundaries.
However, Bosch made another breakthrough, dismissing Saud for 14 off just six deliveries.
At 56/4 in 18.3 overs, Pakistan were in deep trouble.
After Saud's dismissal, Mohammad Rizwan and Kamran Ghulam fought hard to stabilize the innings.
Rizwan, with a composed 10 runs and Ghulam, on 23, found ways to rotate the strike, keeping the scoreboard ticking.
Ghulam even attacked the South African pacers with back-to-back boundaries, offering a glimmer of hope.
By lunch on Day 1, Pakistan were 88/4 in 24 overs, with Rizwan and Ghulam at the crease.
Corbin Bosch and Dan Paterson each took two wickets, while Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen remained wicketless in their respective spells so far.
- Aiden Markram
