Cape Town: South Africa secured a commanding 10-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Cape Town Test, cementing their position at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings and extending their unbeaten run in the format to seven matches on Monday.
The Proteas dominated from the outset, amassing a massive 615 runs in their first innings. Ryan Rickelton stole the show with a career-best 259, supported by centuries from Temba Bavuma (106) and Kyle Verreynne (100). Pakistan’s bowlers, led by Mohammad Abbas and Mir Hamza with three wickets apiece, struggled to contain the South African batsmen.
In response, Pakistan crumbled to 194, with skipper Babar Azam (58) and Mohammad Rizwan (46) offering resistance. South Africa’s pace attack, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada (3/42) and supported by Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen with two wickets each, proved too potent. Facing a daunting deficit of 421 runs, Pakistan were forced to follow on.
The second innings saw a spirited fightback from Pakistan, led by Shan Masood’s gritty 145 and a 205-run opening stand with Babar Azam (81). Contributions from Mohammad Rizwan (41) and Salman Agha (48) helped Pakistan reach 478, avoiding an innings defeat. Keshav Maharaj played a crucial role in breaking partnerships, finishing with four wickets in the match.
Needing just 58 runs to win, South Africa raced to the target in 7.1 overs, with David Bedingham smashing an unbeaten 47 off 30 balls and Aiden Markram chipping in with 14*.
This win marked South Africa’s second 10-wicket victory over Pakistan in Tests, the first dating back to 2002 in Durban. The result leaves Pakistan languishing near the bottom of the WTC standings, while South Africa’s unbeaten streak in the current cycle continues.
Pakistan will now return home to face the West Indies in their next series, while South Africa’s dominance serves as a reminder of their all-round strength in the longest format.
