Pakistan Faces Steep Hill to Chase 90-Run Deficit Against South Africa
Day two of the first Cricket Test in Centurion saw South Africa post a total of 301 runs, courtesy of Aiden Markram's 89 and debutant Corbin Bosch's 81, to take a 90-run lead over Pakistan. The visitors, who were 88 for three at stumps, still trail by 2 runs with seven wickets in hand, underscoring the steep task ahead.
The day began with South Africa resuming their innings at 82 for three, and the hosts chipped away at the target, accumulating 219 runs in 69.4 overs. Markram's contribution of 89 runs and Bosch's maiden Test ton has placed them firmly in the driver's seat. The duo, along with Aiden Markram and David Bedingham, scored contributions of 31 and 30 runs respectively to bolster the South African total. In response, Pakistan's bowling attack was led by Khurram Shahzad and Naseem Shah, who bagged three wickets each, Ardeshir Jamil and Mohammad Abbas notching one each, combining to haul the Pakistanis over the line in the first innings.
In their second innings, Pakistan started on shaky ground, losing Saim Ayub and Shan Masood to Marco Jansen's bowling to lose 28 runs off their opening partnership. Babar Azam (16) and Saud Shakeel (8) showed resilience at the crease, remaining unbeaten as the stumps were drawn, as they need to stretch their stay for a substantial score to claw themselves back to a competitive position.
Pakistan now face an uphill task in Centurion and trail by 90 runs with seven wickets left. Their batting lineup will need dig deep into their bag of tricks to overcome a potentially precarious situation that emerged late on the second night. The match is still in the balance with plenty of cricket to be played, and South Africa will look to build a commanding lead by the end of day three to put pressure from their opponents. The contest is however looking like it could go down to the wire and maybe even beyond, keeping fans of both sides on the edges of their seats as they eagerly look for a new turn to unfold on the live test pitch.
