South Africa vs Pakistan Cricket Live Score, 2nd Test Day 4 (South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard): Captain Shan Masood and Babar Azam shared Pakistan’s record-breaking opening stand of 205 runs against South Africa after the Proteas enforced the follow-on on the third day of the second and final Test on Sunday.
Left-handed Masood led the tourists’ fightback with an unbeaten 102 off 166 balls but Babar missed out on his first Test century in more than two years when he drove left-armer Marco Jansen late in the final session on Day 3 and got caught at gully for 81.
Pakistan, which was bowled out for 194 earlier on Day 3, reached 213/1 at stumps, but still has plenty of work to do to save the game, trailing by 208 runs.
Masood and Babar had defied South Africa for nearly a session and a half after the tourists lost the last six wickets for 76 runs in the first innings and were dismissed halfway through the second session of the day.
Their double-century stand wiped out Pakistan’s previous best opening partnership of 137 runs between Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar at Faisalabad in 2003.
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54.6 – Pulls the length back by a quarter and angles it away, just outside off, another push from Shahzad that fails to make a connection.
54.5 – Very full this time, on middle and off, Shahzad eases it out to mid off.
54.4 – Great ball! Angling away, on a length, around middle and off and shaping away a bit off the deck. Khurram Shahzad looks to push it out but gets beaten on the outside edge. Not that far off from the stumps either.
54.3 – Yorker, outside off, but a touch wide. Khurram Shahzad looks to steer it away but misses.
54.2 – Down the leg side, Masood flicks it behind square leg for a single.
54.1 – Massive shout for LBW, but not with conviction. Think there was bat involved. No review taken.
53.6 – Lopped above the eye line, tempting the batter to go after it. Khurram Shahzad firms the drive but straight to cover.
Batsman_1 : Khurram Shahzad 16(36)
Batsman_2 : Shan Masood 107(174)
Bowler : Keshav Maharaj 0/43(18)
Over : 54
Run : 1
Wicket : 0
Score : 226/1
53.5 – Quicker through the air, full and on middle and leg, Khurram Shahzad chips it down to the right of the bowler.
53.3 – Around middle and off, Khurram looks to defend again but gets a bit of an inside edge onto his pads.
53.4 – Full, at the stumps, blocked by Shahzad.
53.2 – From around the wicket, another slower ball, flighted on off, Khurram Shahzad defends it solidly.
53.1 – Slower through the air, short in length outside off, Shan Masood goes back and punches it uppishly through mid on for a single.
Just came to know that Ryan Rickelton has not taken the field this morning. The news from the South African dressing room is that he is suffering from cramps but that reason looks a bit weird. Suspect it has got to do something with his hamstring. Last evening, while trying to run after a ball, Rickelton experienced some discomfort. Could be related to that. Corbin Bosch is substituting for him.
52.6 – Back to landing it full, on off, Khurram drives it to mid off.
Batsman_1 : Khurram Shahzad 16(31)
Batsman_2 : Shan Masood 106(173)
Bowler : Marco Jansen 1/62(12)
Over : 53
Run : 1
Wicket : 0
Score : 225/1
52.5 – Drags the length back by a bit but keeps the line of attack the same. Khurram Shahzad does well to block.
52.4 – Comes from around the wicket and serves it very full, on off, Shahzad pushes it out to cover.
52.3 – A touch shorter now, outside off, the skipper punches it through cover-point for a single.
52.2 – Beauty. The pace is just 133 kph, but the line and length are immaculate. The line is just on the 6th stump, outside off and the length is in between full and good. Masood pushes at it, but without moving his feet. Misses.
52.1 – Overpitched, outside off, gentle pace at 132 kph, Shan Masood leans and drives, but finds cover.
51.1 – A touch short, outside off, spinning in, Shan Masood gets across, goes back and works it through mid-wicket for a single.
51.6 – Slightly quicker on this occassion, on off, Khurram Shahzad taps it just short of silly point.
Batsman_1 : Khurram Shahzad 16(28)
Batsman_2 : Shan Masood 105(170)
Bowler : Keshav Maharaj 0/42(17)
Over : 52
Run : 5
Wicket : 0
Score : 224/1
51.5 – Flighted full, at the stumps, Khurram Shahzad gets his bat ahead and pushes it back to the bowler.
51.4 – Lands it nice and full, on off, Shahzad blocks it to cover.
51.3 – FOUR! Nothing late or early in this one. Perfectly picked, perfectly hit. Flighted, on off, Khuraam comes forward and swings it cleanly over mid on. So Shahzad is not going to just hang in there. The deficit is now 197.
51.2 – Very well bowled. Slower through the air, around middle, Khurram Shahzad looks to flick but is way too early. Gets a leading edge, just wide of silly point.
50.5 – Fuller, on off, kept out by Shahzad towards cover.
The first two days belonged entirely to South Africa. They posted a mammoth 615 runs in their first innings, led by Ryan Rickelton, who scored his maiden double century. Contributions from skipper Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne, both of whom scored centuries, added to Pakistan’s woes. Day 3 started on a promising note for Pakistan, as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan added 98 runs for the fourth wicket in their first innings. However, debutant Kwena Maphaka got rid of Babar, and a reckless shot from Rizwan led to his dismissal shortly after.
50.6 – FOUR! How good a shot was that?
Batsman_1 : Khurram Shahzad 12(23)
Batsman_2 : Shan Masood 104(169)
Bowler : Marco Jansen 1/61(11)
Over : 51
Run : 5
Wicket : 0
Score : 219/1
South African bowlers struggled with discipline, conceding 23 no balls in the match so far, which has been a persistent issue for them. With tired bowlers and lapses in execution, South Africa will be eager to regroup quickly to regain control of the game. As Day 4 begins, all eyes will be on Pakistan’s batters to see if they can continue their fightback and make a game out of this. Will South Africa’s bowlers find a way to break through and enforce an innings defeat, or will Pakistan’s resilience turn this into an unforgettable Test match? The pitch is likely to assist the spinners as the day progresses, but Pakistan’s skipper Shan Masood will be keen to guide his team through the pressure. Stay tuned as the action resumes in just a few minutes!
Pakistan’s batting then collapsed from 118/3 to 194/9, lagging South Africa’s total by 421 runs. The absence of Saim Ayub, who has been ruled out of the match due to a right ankle injury, only added to their batting woes. With the followon enforced, South African fans were hoping for a Day 3 finish but Pakistan had other plans for their second innings. Shan Masood and Babar Azam came out with a positive intent, playing with patience and determination. Shan brought up his sixth Test century, while Babar played a fluent knock of 81 before falling to Marco Jansen late in the day.
50.1 – On a length, around off, Shan Masood pushes it towards cover.
49.6 – Quicker and fuller, on off, kept out by Shahzad.
Batsman_1 : Khurram Shahzad 8(19)
Batsman_2 : Shan Masood 103(167)
Bowler : Keshav Maharaj 0/37(16)
Over : 50
Run : 1
Wicket : 0
Score : 214/1
49.5 – Loops it up a lot and keeps it outside off, Shahzad sees the flight and goes for a big swipe and misses. The ball scoots under his bat and goes past to the keeper to his right.