The Gaddafi pitch is expected to look firm with a tinge of grass early on, promising some seam movement for fast bowlers in the first session, but expected to become slower and assist spinners from Day 3 onwards.
It will be a sunny October day in Lahore on Saturday, with temperature hovering around 29 degrees Celsius. There will be no rain threat throughout the five days of the entire game.
Toss
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first.
Lineups
PAK XI: Shan Masood (C), Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Khurram Shahzad, Noman Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Abrar Ahmed.
SA XI: Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Aiden Markram (C), Dewald Brevis, David Bedingham, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Corbin Bosch, Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, and Wiaan Mulder.
Match Report
After opting to bat first, Pakistan’s opening pair of skipper Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique stitched a decent opening partnership of 79 runs in 22.4 overs. Marco Jansen broke this partnership, dismissing Masood on the fourth ball of the 23rd over, getting him caught behind the wickets by Ryan Rickelton. Masood scored 45 runs off 88 balls, with six fours. Following his dismissal, Shafique was joined by the star batter Babar Azam, and the duo added 86 runs for the second wicket before Shafique fell prey to Simon Harmer. Pakistan had scored 165 runs in 48.2 overs at the time of Shafique’s dismissal. Furthermore, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan added another much-needed partnership of 107 runs for the third wicket. This partnership came to an end when former skipper Babar missed a well-deserved century, getting dismissed by Wiaan Mulder at the individual score of 91 runs off 156 balls, with 11 fours and a six. Later in the innings, Rizwan and Saud Shakeel played the knocks of 38 and 46 runs, respectively. On the back of these knocks, Pakistan scored 337 in 97.2 overs before getting bundled out. Simon Harmer shone with the ball for the Proteas, picking four wickets for 98 runs in his 32 overs. Besides him, Wiaan Mulder (1/42) and Marco Jansen (3/71) also made some crucial contributions with the ball.
In response to Pakistan’s 337-run total, South Africa faced an early blow, losing their first wicket at the score of just 13 runs in six overs, when Tristan Stubbs (7) was trapped by star Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi on the last ball of the sixth over. His dismissal was followed by an important 91-run partnership for the second wicket between Tony de Zorzi and Aiden Markram. De Zorzi scored 61 (119), with eight fours, followed by skipper Markram’s knock of 56 runs of 97 balls, with seven fours and a six. Meanwhile, South Africa’s score went 161/4 from 123/2 before the 64-run partnership for the fifth wicket between David Bedingham (48) and Ryan Rickelton (39) for the fifth wicket. However, these knocks weren’t enough for the visitors to go past Pakistan’s first-innings total, as they were bowled out at the score of 279 runs. Shaheen Afridi and Abrar Ahmed scalped three wickets for their side, alongside two wickets picked by Khurram Shahzad. At the end of the first innings, Pakistan managed to get a 58-run lead, which would help them post a fighting target to restrict the Proteas before the target.
Abdullah Shafique’s 64-run knock, followed by another batting masterclass by Babar Azam (77 runs off 108 balls), laid a strong foundation to help the hosts score 242 before getting bundled out in 75.1 overs. Later in the innings, Mohammad Rizwan’s 62-ball 36 also played a major role for Pakistan in the second innings. Harmer’s five-wicket haul (5 wickets for just 79 runs in his 29 overs) was also one of the highlights in the second innings. He was accompanied by his fellow pacers, Wiaan Mulder (3/64) and Wiaan Mulder (2/38).
While chasing the target, South Africa lost their first wicket at the score of 42 runs in 13.5 overs, losing Tristan Stubbs (21) off Shaheen Shah Afridi. This opening stand was followed by a 46-run partnership for the second wicket between Tony de Zorzi and Aiden Markram. De Zorzi scored 44 runs off 93 balls, with six fours, before Markram’s 64-run knock. However, the other batters didn’t live up to the expectations, and it was only David Bedingham (36), who displayed a bit of resistance, followed by Rickelton’s 24 (49). But these knocks fell short of helping the visitors chase the target as they were bundled out at the score of 224 runs in 77.4 overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi once again shone with the ball, scalping four wickets for 62 runs in 19.1 overs. The spin duo of Abrar Ahmed and Noman Ali shared five wickets between them, picking three and two wickets, respectively. These bowling contributions helped Pakistan win the game by 76 runs to gain a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series.
Player of the Match
Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his brilliant batting performances in both the innings. He played an amazing 91-run knock in the first innings, followed by a decisive 77-run knock in the second innings. Besides that, he also stitched a few crucial partnerships to help the hosts post fighting totals in both the innings.