The first Test match at Centurion is tantalisingly poised after Pakistan took three wickets in nine overs to leave South Africa wobbling at 27 for 3, still 121 runs away from the 147-run target that seals a win, as well as a place in the 2023-25 World Test Championship [WTC] final.

After South Africa had bowled Pakistan out for 237, they needed a fairly comfortable 148 to secure victory, but an unerring spell of accurate medium-fast bowling from Mohammed Abbas and Khurram Shahzad was well rewarded. Aside from Aiden Markram , the South Africa batters were somewhat timid in their approach to the last few overs of the day, while Abbas and Shahzad targeted the pads. Abbas brought one to jag back in sharply into Tony de Zorzi for the first breakthrough.

Pakistan’s reviewing was chalk and cheese from the previous innings, successfully overturning two lbw calls. Shahzad found similar seam movement from around the wicket to strike Ryan Rickleton on the front pad, viciously enough that it hit him in line despite the batter having moved well across.

Having successfully overturned that one, Pakistan repeated the formula, with Abbas finding the right line and adequate sideways movement, which has seen him find bouts of high success. Tristan Stubbs took a step out of his crease but was beaten on the outside edge, and yet again Pakistan went up collectively for the umpire to turn them down. But Shan Masood signalled to go upstairs once more and was proven right again.

Earlier in the day, Marco Jansen’s six-wicket haul had helped South Africa tighten their control over the game. He picked five wickets in the afternoon as Pakistan squandered a promising start following a rain delay that wiped out the morning session. He picked one more in the final session as the hosts returned to polish off the Pakistan tail after stubborn resistance from Saud Shakeel.

Babar Azam and Shakeel put on 79 for the fourth wicket, with Babar reaching his first Test half-century in nearly two years, but holed out to deep point immediately after. Mohammad Rizwan was squeezed down leg as Pakistan crumbled around Shakeel.

Persistent rain saw the game start an hour after the lunch break concluded, and Pakistan began by taking advantage of a bowling effort that was nowhere near its best. Shakeel and Babar each worked Kagiso Rabada away for four in the third over, and the runs flowed for the next half an hour. Twenty-three runs came off the next three, and though Babar still found himself beaten a few times, he was also finding the timing that in the past was so often a precursor to a big score.

Corbin Bosch found that out when he missed his line twice and Babar helped himself to two fours, before a clip into the covers brought up his long-awaited half-century, his first in 20 innings. But he threw it away disappointingly, failing to get on top of a short and wide one from Jansen, Bosch barely having to move to send a devastated Babar on his way.

Jansen was finding the wickets that eluded him in the first innings, with Rizwan and Salman Agha falling cheaply. A brief stand between Shakeel and Aamer Jamal once more gave the impression Pakistan would go into tea six down, before Jamal lobbed a tame Dane Paterson bouncer straight to deep midwicket, and Naseem Shah helpfully nicking Rabada into the slips.

Shakeel attempted to farm the strike post-tea and would enjoy some success as wayward bowling allowed for the odd boundary and comfortable late-over singles. A regal pick-up for six over midwicket was the highlight, but Pakistan’s penchant for gifting wickets to deliveries that did not merit them struck again when a knee-high full toss rapped into Shakeel’s front pad and effectively concluded Pakistan’s batting effort.

It appeared to be the final nail in the coffin, but Pakistan’s bowlers have seen to it that South Africa do not rest easy overnight.

Brief scores:
South Africa 301 and 27 for 3 (Aiden Markram 22*, Mohammed Abbas 2-3) need another 121 runs to beat Pakistan 211 and 237 (Saud Shakeel 84, Babar  Azam 50; Marco Jansen 6-52, Kagasio Rabada 2-68)