South Africa dominated the second day of the second Test against Pakistan at Newlands on Saturday with a strong batting performance that led them to a total of 615 in their first innings. Double centurion Ryan Rickelton played a crucial role in the South African innings as he made a chanceless 259, becoming South Africa’s joint seventh highest Test score. Rickelton’s innings, combined with contributions from Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen, helped South Africa score almost five runs an over.
The Pakistan team struggled in response to South Africa’s batting display, ending the day at 64-3 with Babar Azam unbeaten on 31. Opening batsman Saim Ayub was ruled out of the match due to a broken right ankle, leaving Babar forced to open the batting. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen made early breakthroughs for South Africa, putting Pakistan in a difficult position with a deficit of 551 runs. Despite the challenges, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan tried to stabilize the innings with an unbeaten 44-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
South African captain Temba Bavuma opted to keep Pakistan in the field until the last man, 18-year-old debutant Kwena Maphaka, was out 40 minutes after tea. Maphaka, who became South Africa’s youngest Test player at 18 years and 270 days, was bowled for a duck by Mohammad Abbas, who claimed his 100th Test wicket. Abbas took three wickets in the South African innings, while wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan held six catches. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, South Africa continued to score runs at a brisk pace, putting pressure on the Pakistani bowlers.
Rickelton’s 259-run innings was the highlight of South Africa’s batting performance, with Kyle Verreynne also making a significant contribution with a quick century off 147 balls. Verreynne’s innings included five sixes and nine fours before he was dismissed for 100. Jansen, who thrashed a 42-ball half-century, added to South Africa’s total before he was out for 62 off 54 balls. Keshav Maharaj also played a quickfire innings, scoring 40 off 35 deliveries to further extend South Africa’s lead over Pakistan.
The Pakistan team faced a tough task as they began their innings, losing early wickets to Rabada and Jansen. Pakistan captain Shan Masood was dismissed for two in the first over of their reply, while Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel also fell cheaply. Despite the early setbacks, Babar and Rizwan showed resilience and put on an unbeaten 44-run partnership to help Pakistan end the day on a slightly positive note. With a substantial deficit to overcome in the remaining days of the Test match, Pakistan will need a strong batting performance to challenge South Africa’s dominant position.
