Pakistan vs South Africa Highlights, 1st Test Day 3: Spinners Dominate as Pakistan Close In on Victory
October 15 (Pakistan National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team):
Pakistan took firm control of the first Test on Tuesday, needing just eight wickets to secure victory, while South Africa faced an uphill task chasing a challenging target on a slow, deteriorating Gaddafi Stadium pitch dominated by spinners.
Set 277 to win the opening match of the two-Test series, South Africa stumbled to 51/2 at stumps, still requiring 226 runs for victory. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali spearheaded Pakistan’s attack, removing captain Aiden Markram and Wiaan Mulder cheaply to leave the visitors under pressure.
Ryan Rickelton (29*) and Tony de Zorzi (16*) will resume South Africa’s innings on Day 4. De Zorzi, who earlier struck a brilliant century (104) in the first innings, saw his side bowled out for 269 after resuming at 216/6 overnight. Pakistan earned a crucial 109-run lead in the first innings.
However, Senuran Muthusamy produced a superb spell to drag South Africa back into contention, claiming 5/57 as Pakistan were dismissed for 167 in their second innings. A dramatic collapse saw Pakistan lose their last six wickets for just 17 runs, repeating their first-innings slump when they lost five wickets for 16 runs.
Spinners were the story of the day. Noman Ali ended with 6/112 from 35 overs in South Africa’s first innings and added two more on Day 3, while partner Sajid Khan supported well with 3/98. For South Africa, Muthusamy and Simon Harmer (4/51) dismantled Pakistan’s middle and lower order, with Muthusamy’s match figures of 11 wickets ranking as the fourth-best performance by a South African spinner in Test history.
Earlier, Pakistan lost Imam-ul-Haq early in their second innings, stumped off Harmer in the second over. By lunch, Pakistan extended their lead to 145 runs before Abdullah Shafique (41) and Babar Azam (42) fell in quick succession — the latter trapped leg-before by Kagiso Rabada in a rare fiery spell from the pacer.
As the Test heads into Day 4, Pakistan hold the upper hand, with South Africa needing a remarkable effort to chase down 226 more runs against a dominant spin attack.
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