Despite Mohammad Abbas’s brilliant bowling sparking hopes of an incredible victory, Pakistan fell short.
Marco Jansen sent a delivery outside off stump from Mohammad Abbas racing to the boundary through point, letting out a roar of triumph. With his bat raised high in the air, he celebrated, while Kagiso Rabada joined in wild jubilation at the other end. The two embraced as their teammates in the South African dressing room erupted into similar scenes of euphoria. Their unbridled celebration was well-deserved. The Proteas had pulled off a remarkable comeback, securing a stunning win and booking their first-ever spot in the World Test Championship final.
When Corbin Bosch, the eighth batter, departed, South Africa were still 49 runs away from victory with just two wickets in hand. From there, an unbroken 51-run partnership between Jansen and Rabada for the ninth wicket carried the team to a thrilling win.
In the first Test of the series at Centurion, South Africa triumphed by 2 wickets. Chasing a modest target of 148, they reached it in the second session of the fourth day.
Despite Abbas’s outstanding bowling, which gave Pakistan hope for an unlikely win, it wasn’t enough. Returning to Test cricket after nearly three and a half years, Abbas delivered a career-best performance, taking 6 wickets for 54 runs.
Rabada, one of the match’s heroes, scored 31 runs off 26 balls with 5 fours, while Jansen contributed 16 runs off 24 balls with 3 fours. Earlier in the match, Jansen had also claimed 6 wickets in Pakistan’s second innings.
However, Aiden Markram was named Player of the Match for his contributions of 89 and 37 runs in the two innings.
Starting the fourth day at 27/3, South Africa still needed 121 runs to win. Markram and Temba Bavuma weathered the early storm, surviving the first hour of play. Bavuma was given out once, but a successful review saved him.
After the drinks break, Abbas bowled Markram with a delivery that stayed low. Markram’s 63-ball knock of 37 included 6 boundaries.
Bavuma, joined by David Bedingham, reduced the deficit before South Africa endured a dramatic collapse, losing 4 wickets in 12 balls.
Abbas dismissed Bavuma (40 off 78 balls) with a delivery that replays later revealed had hit the batter’s body rather than the bat. Kyle Verreynne dragged a delivery from Naseem Shah onto his stumps. Abbas then struck twice in consecutive deliveries, removing Bedingham and Bosch.
From 96/4, South Africa crumbled to 99/8, staring defeat in the face. But Rabada and Jansen held their nerve, guiding their team to the win. They went into the lunch break needing 32 runs and completed the task afterward.
This was only the fourth time in Test cricket history that a team won after losing 8 wickets for fewer than 100 runs in the fourth innings. The last such instance involved Pakistan beating England at Lord’s in 1992, chasing a target of 138 despite being 95/8.
The second Test begins on Friday in Cape Town.
Brief Scores:
- Pakistan 1st Innings: 211
- South Africa 1st Innings: 301
- Pakistan 2nd Innings: 237
- South Africa 2nd Innings: 150/8 in 39.3 overs (Markram 37, Bavuma 40, Bedingham 14, Verreynne 2, Jansen 16*, Bosch 0, Rabada 31*; Shehzad 10-0-47-1, Abbas 19.3-6-54-6, Naseem 9-0-34-1, Jamal 1-0-11-0)
Result: South Africa won by 2 wickets.
Series: South Africa lead the 2-match series 1-0.
Player of the Match: Aiden Markram.
