South Africa defeated Pakistan by 10 wickets in the second Test match held in Cape Town on Monday. This victory secured a 2-0 series win for South Africa.
Pakistan displayed second-innings resistance but it wasn’t enough.
Trailing by 421 runs after the first innings, Pakistan was asked to follow on.
They managed to score 478 all out in their second innings.
South Africa, having already qualified for the World Test Championship final, comfortably chased down the target of 58 runs late on the fourth day.
David Bedingham played a key role in the chase, scoring an unbeaten 44 off just 30 balls.
South Africa achieved victory in a mere 7.1 overs.
Bedingham opened the innings in place of Ryan Rickelton.
Rickelton had suffered a hamstring strain while fielding after a remarkable 259-run knock in South Africa’s first innings total of 615.
Pakistan captain Shan Masood led his team’s fightback with a commendable 145.
Masood’s innings ended when he was trapped leg before wicket by 18-year-old debutant Kwena Maphaka, facing the second new ball.
This occurred just three balls after Kagiso Rabada dismissed Saud Shakeel, caught at second slip for 23.
The partnership between Masood and Shakeel had yielded 51 runs for the fourth wicket.
Pakistan, playing a batter short due to Saim Ayub’s broken ankle sustained while fielding on the first day, still trailed by 92 runs after these two quick wickets.
Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha contributed valuable runs with scores of 41 and 48 respectively, adding 88 runs for the sixth wicket.
Aamer Jamal’s brisk 34 further boosted Pakistan’s total before their innings concluded. The pitch offered little assistance to the South African bowlers throughout the match.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, expected to be a significant threat on the fourth day pitch, found minimal spin.
He toiled for 45 overs, taking three wickets for 137 runs.
South Africa enters the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in June with a streak of seven consecutive wins.
This is the second-longest winning streak in their Test history.
