Pakistan’s bowling attack tightened its grip on the fourth morning of the first Test in Lahore, moving to within four wickets of victory and leaving South Africa’s chase of 277 runs in a precarious state.
Resuming their second innings at an overnight score of 51-2, the visitors suffered an immediate setback. Speedster Shaheen Afridi struck in the day’s very first over, sending Tony de Zorzi back to the pavilion for 16 runs.
The pressure mounted as spinner Noman Ali, in excellent form, claimed his third wicket of the innings by having Tristan Stubbs caught for just two runs off eight deliveries.
A brief recovery followed as Dewald Brevis joined David Rickelton at the crease, forging a 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket that guided South Africa past the 100-run mark. Brevis, who registered a duck in the first innings, redeemed himself with a brisk 54 off 54 balls, notching his second Test half-century.
However, the revival was cut short when Noman Ali struck again, dismissing the dangerous Brevis with the score at 128-5. The collapse continued as off-spinner Sajid Khan removed the settled Rickelton for 41, further denting South Africa’s hopes.
At the lunch interval on Day 4, the Proteas find themselves in deep trouble at 137-6 after 48 overs, still requiring 140 runs for an unlikely win. The unbeaten pair of Senuran Muthusamy and Kyle Verreynne will resume the fight in the afternoon session.
Recap of Day 3:
South Africa’s chase began shakily on the third evening. After Pakistan was bowled out for 167 in their second innings, the Proteas reached 51-2 by stumps. Captain Aiden Markram fell early to Noman Ali for just three runs, and the spinner struck again to remove Wiaan Mulder for a duck. A 33-run partnership between Rickelton and de Zorzi provided some stability before the close of play.
Pakistan’s second innings had unraveled dramatically. From a relatively comfortable position of 150-4, the hosts suffered a spectacular collapse, losing their final six wickets for just 17 runs to be all out for 167. Babar Azam (42) and Abdullah Shafique (41) were the top scorers. The innings was dominated by South African spinner Senuran Muthusamy, who recorded his maiden 10-wicket match haul with figures of 5-57, ably supported by Simon Harmer’s 4-51.
In their first innings, South Africa had posted 269 runs, largely thanks to a composed century from Tony de Zorzi (104) and a solid 71 from David Rickelton. For Pakistan, Noman Ali was the standout bowler, claiming 6-112, with Sajid Khan taking three wickets.
