Pakistan 64 for 3 (Babar 31*, Ghulam 12, Rabada 2-9) trail South Africa 615 (Rickelton 259, Verreynne 100, Jansen 62, Abbas 3-94) by 551 points
Having taken command before lunch, South Africa reduced Pakistan to dust in the afternoon. Rickelton ended up with 259, just below Stephen Fleming’s 262 as the highest score at Newlands. Verreynne spoke about her fourth Test hundred. Jansen, out of form with the bat all of 2024, brought in the new year with a whirlwind half-century. Six fours and three sixes helped him get there in 42 balls. Thus, as many as 137 runs were added in the second session as South Africa jumped to 566 for 7 by tea, already their highest score at home in four years.
Pakistan continued to fight, but their efforts never seemed to bear fruit on a wicket that had long since flattened out and batters who had long since settled down. Much of the second session became a staking exercise. Verreynne continued with the belligerence that had lit up the first session, a boundary off Mohammad Abbas and a single off the next ball bringing up three figures. This got Newlands back on his feet; their legs may hurt from how often they have had to do it.
Salman Ali Agha then struck to reward him as Verreynne attempted a difficult sweep, but that did not deter South Africa’s momentum. With no pressure on the scoreboard, Jansen let his natural talent do the talking, swinging freely and timing beautifully. It took him 11 balloons to take off, but once he did, there was no stopping him. Two fours and a six from Khurram Shahzad in two successive overs helped take the partnership to 50 in 46 balls, while Rickelton and Jansen each helped themselves to sixes from Salman.
Pakistan finally saw Rickelton’s back before tea was called. After slapping Mir Hamza over the head for four minutes, he edged the next ball to Abbas at long-off, who latched on to send it back, but not before almost doubling his Test total in one single sleeve.
By the morning, Rickelton had become the first South African in eight years to score a double hundred in the Test as South Africa tightened their grip on the Test. Pakistan began the session with some promise, immediately taking the new ball and batting in four overs, when Abbas tempted David Bedingham by pushing him outside off stump and inducing an outside edge. This gave Pakistan a boost, but Rickelton simply continued with the discipline that saw him remain unbeaten overnight on 176. He was cautious about the length of deliveries and disdained everything else .
Verreynne, meanwhile, was less perceptive in his shot selection, a hook over Abbas on the retreat revealing his intentions. It was a shot that defined the session for him; he collected two more sixes against Jamal in the final before lunch in the same manner. When Shan Masood placed three players in cover, he still found a way to break them through that region against Hamza, whose attempts to induce moves into cover were successful, but not in the way he had hoped.
At the other end, Rickelton reached his double hundred with a punch in the offside, walking halfway down the field in celebration. But the highlights all belonged to Verreynne, who greeted Salman with a reverse sweep for four off the second ball, and another to end the over. Before the end of the session, Verreynne had beaten Jamal by plundering 17 more points.
Pakistan finally managed to end the innings after more than 140 overs in the hot Newlands sun, finishing, with pleasing symmetry, as they had started. Abbas struck early to repel the stumps of debutant Kwena Maphaka, just as Abbas’ follow-up to the thrown ball would have done with the first ball of the innings had Aiden Markram’s pad not got in the way.
But as soon as they started with the bat, they could almost have wished that South Africa’s innings hadn’t ended. Masood didn’t see first, pushing on a Rabada delivery that nibbled at him and took his outside edge with it. Saud Shakeel fell in almost identical fashion as he drove uncharacteristically at Rabada, the same advantage going to the same defensive player, David Bedingham making no mistake.
In between, Jansen’s extra pace and bounce forced Kamran Ghulam into an awkward position which resulted in his stumps being scattered behind him.
South Africa’s opening salvo was so menacing and Pakistan’s batters were so listless that they thought the hosts might bury themselves deep in the tail this evening. But Babar Azam, opening in Ayub’s absence, found himself alongside Mohammad Rizwan, and South Africa’s replacement bowlers were not quite at the devastating level of Rabada and Jansen.
It helped that Pakistan made sure to end a day without any redeeming features, in the hope that the next one could delay the inevitable a little longer.
Danyal Rasool is the Pakistan correspondent for PK Press Club. @Danny61000
