South Africa will enter Day 4 of the first Test against Pakistan with one eye on the World Test Championship 2025 final spot on Sunday. South Africa need just 121 runs to win the series opener and become the first team to secure the WTC final berth.
Rain killed the first session of Day 3 and then Pakistan dominated after lunch with Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel extending their fourth-wicket partnership to 79 runs. Babar registered his 27th Test fifty, and first since December 2022, to continue his newly-found form.
However, both Pakistan witnessed an embarrassing collapse to their innings after Maroc Jansen removed Babar just after the latter reached his fifty. Shakeel top-scored with 84 runs off 113 balls but his teammates had no answer to Jansen’s terrific spell. Jansen picked 6 wickets for 52 and Kagiso Rabada claimed 2 to bowl out the travelling side to 237 in 59.4 overs.
Chasing the 148-run target, South Africa struggled to take complete control and lost three big wickets before the end of the day’s play at SuperSport Park. Mohammad Abbas dismissed Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs and Khurram Shahzad removed Ryan Rickelton to stumble the Proteas to 27 for 3 in 9 overs.
But, with Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma in the middle and due to a depth in their batting order, South Africa will look to enter Sunday as a slight favourite to win the game. Pakistan will also fancy their chances if they manage to get a few wickets in the opening session on Day 4.
South Africa Playing XI: Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma(c), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson.
Pakistan Playing XI: Shan Masood(c), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Abbas.
