Recent Competition Report – South Africa v Pakistan 1st Test 2020/21

Elgar and Markram went into lunch with South Africa still 121 behind

Lon South Africa 220 and 37 for route 0 (Elgar 18 *, Markram 16 *) Pakistan 378 (Alam 109, Ashraf 64, Azaher 51, Rabada 3-70, Maharaj 3-90) with 121 runs

South Africa started on the third day just as desperately as they had caught a miserable second day, allowing Pakistan’s tail to be less than hopping, skipping and jumping all the way to the lead. could be sure. A 55-run partnership for the tenth wicket left a deeper bet through the heart of South Africa’s chances in this Test while Pakistan weighed in with 378, taking the lead to 158 and ensured that South Africa had to fight hard just to take Pakistan back in this Test.

Yasir Shah’s guts may have looked casual what with the smile that was always on his face and the warning he threw to the wind on the way, but this was no laughing matter for the people. -visits. After Pakistan started the day with eight wickets down and 88 ahead, South Africa knew that every run they added would go further against them. They got off to a good start when Kagiso Rabada defeated Hasan Ali’s middle stump in the second run of the day to reach the third fastest to 200 wick Test.

But there was little time to celebrate, especially since Nauman Ali and Shah decided they still wanted a bat. The former Rabada crunched for four of the first members to hit South Africa. Shortly afterwards, Shah put it through the covers before making a perfect square cut for another finish in one over. Pakistan lifted 350, and the 150-run lead as Shah danced down the ground to invest Keshav Maharaj over time for six.

The left-arm spinner finally snatched Nauman but not before the lead had stretched to 158, and South Africa had an hour to negotiate before lunch. The only thing they could draw consolation from Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram was managing it better than Pakistan had dealt with last time on the first day, neutralizing the new ball in the hands of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan. Markram may have been walking off when he was caught in front of him by Afridi, but he was saved when the investigation found the ball had slipped out of his leg. It was a small win for a visiting team that needs enough bigger wins to make their way back in this Test.