The same trend has continued as ‘Ram and Hanuman bhakt’ Keshav Maharaj from South Africa sent the Pakistan batters on a spin in the 2nd Test at Rawalpindi on Tuesday. Maharaj scalped 7/102, marking a spectacular return from injury, to bundle out Pakistan for 333 before lunch on the second day at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. The home side lost 5/74 in the first session of play on Day 2, with Maharaj running through the lower middle-order.
He broke the 22-year-old record of best bowling figures by a bowler in a Test match played between Pakistan and South Africa in Pakistan. Before Maharaj, the record belonged to former chinaman bowler Paul Adams, who had claimed 7/128 against Pakistan in Lahore for SA team led by Graeme Smith.
Maharaj, who missed South Africa’s series-opening Test at Lahore last week due to a groin injury, claimed the last five Pakistan wickets for 15 runs on Day 2 in a dramatic batting collapse. Maharaj’s ancestors reportedly belong to Sultanpur in India and migrated to South Africa in 1874. Off-spinner Simon Harmer had figures of 2/75 and pace bowler Kagiso Rabada returned 1/60.
Maharaj’s figures are also the best by any spinner in Pakistan vs South Africa Tests beating Adams. Former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has the third-best figures claiming 6/78 at Durban while Saeed Ajmal had scalped 6/96 at Cape Town.
Resuming Tuesday at 259 for 5, Saud Shakeel (66) and Salman Ali Agha (45) extended their sixth-wicket stand to 70 runs before Pakistan’s lower-order collapsed sensationally against Maharaj on a dry wicket. South Africa made amends to their below par fielding on Day 1, when they dropped several catches, and held onto all their chances on Day 2.
Pakistan’s sixth-wicket pair combined well in the first hour with left-hander Shakeel completing his half century off 118 balls when he pushed Maharaj to square leg for two runs. Maharaj’s sliding delivery hit Agha on the shin as he went to play for the turn but missed the straight ball. In his next over, Maharaj found the outside edge of Shakeel’s bat and Markram snapped it up easily
Debutant Asif Afridi was out without scoring when he played Maharaj across the line and was clean bowled.