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RAWALPINDI: South Africa’s Senuran Muthusamy’s unbeaten 89* backed by Simon Harmer’s three wickets left Pakistan reeling, but Babar Azam’s composed knock ensured that Pakistan stayed in the game on the third day of the second Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Pakistan were 94-4 at the end of the day’s play, leading by 23 runs with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan at the crease.
Babar Azam made 49 from 83 balls with the aid of seven fours, while Rizwan scored 16 not out from 49 deliveries with the help of a boundary.
For South Africa, it was Simon Harmer’s magic with the ball, picking up three wickets which rattled the home side’s top-order.
The off-spinner trapped Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood lbw, which left Pakistan 16-2 in six overs. The former could only manage nine, whereas the latter could not repeat his first innings heroics and went without scoring.
The scorecard read still 16 when Kagiso Rabada removed Abdullah Shafique after scoring just six runs.
However, Babar Azam arrested the slide and added a brief 44-run stand with Saud Shakeel, which put Pakistan into the lead.
Saud scored 11 from 43 with the aid of one four before Harmer got his wicket. Meanwhile, Babar, who was in search of runs, looked composed and struck seven fours in his knock, which gave the home side some respite at stumps.
Earlier, Senuran Muthusamy and Kagiso Rabada stitched a stunning 98-run stand for the tenth wicket, helping South Africa post 404 all out before Tea.
Resuming after Lunch at 285-8, still trailing by 48 runs, South Africa’s tail launched a remarkable counterattack.
Muthusamy, who began the session unbeaten on 48, reached his second Test fifty and anchored the innings with remarkable composure.
He first forged a 71-run partnership with Keshav Maharaj, who contributed 30 off 53 balls, before falling to Noman Ali, offering Pakistan a glimmer of relief.
But Rabada had other ideas. The pacer took the attack to Pakistan’s spinners, smashing four fours and as many sixes in a blistering 71 off 61 balls, as the Proteas erased the deficit and went on to claim a 71-run first-innings lead.
Their 98-run partnership, dominated by Rabada’s fearless hitting and Muthusamy’s calm presence, frustrated Pakistan’s bowlers for more than an hour before Asif Afridi finally ended the stand.
He trapped Rabada to complete his six-wicket haul on debut.
Muthusamy remained unbeaten on 89 off 155 deliveries, a resilient knock laced with eight boundaries.
Asif Afridi continued his dream debut, finishing with 6 for 79 in 34.3 overs, while Noman Ali picked up two wickets. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sajid Khan claimed one apiece.
South Africa resumed Day 3 on 185-4. However, their hopes of narrowing the deficit took a blow when Kyle Verreynne departed for just 10, becoming Asif’s third victim.
Soon after, Tristan Stubbs, who had shown remarkable composure with a 205-ball 76, fell to Afridi’s guile.
Asif Afridi, bowling with relentless accuracy, continued his rampage by trapping Simon Harmer lbw for 2, sealing his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
With wickets tumbling, Muthusamy and Marco Jansen tried to rebuild, stitching together a brief 25-run stand before Noman Ali joined the act, removing Jansen (12) to make it 235-8.
From there, Muthusamy took charge, playing with admirable composure against Pakistan’s spin duo. He found a reliable partner in Keshav Maharaj, and the pair ensured South Africa avoided further damage heading into the Lunch interval.
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