South Africa 301 and 27 for 3 (Markram 22*, Abbas 2-3) need 121 more runs to beat Pakistan 211 and 237 (Shakeel 84, Babar 50, Jansen 6-52, Rabada 2-68)

The first Test match in Centurion is tantalizingly clear after Pakistan took three wickets in nine overs to leave South Africa reeling at 27 for 3, still 121 runs short of the 147-run target that secures a win as well as a place in 2023. -25 World Test Championship [WTC] finally.

Pakistan’s review was the chalk and cheese of the previous innings, successfully overturning two lbw calls. Shahzad found similar seaming movement around the wicket to hit Ryan Rickleton on the front pad, viciously enough that it hit him on line despite the batter having moved well across.

After knocking it over, Pakistan repeated the formula, with Abbas finding the right line and appropriate sideways movement, which has seen him find bouts of great success. Tristan Stubbs took a step out of his crease but was beaten on the outside edge and once again Pakistan collectively went up for the umpire to dismiss them. But Shan Masood signaled to go upstairs once more and was right again.

Persistent rain saw the match start an hour after the lunch break ended, and Pakistan began by capitalizing on a bowling effort that was nowhere near its best. Shakeel and Babar each worked Kagiso Rabada away for four in the third over and the runs flowed for the next half hour. Twenty-three runs came off the next three, and although Babar still found himself beaten a few times, he also found the timing that was so often a precursor to a big score in the past.

Corbin Bosch found that out when he missed his line twice and Babar helped himself to two fours before a clip at cover brought up his long-awaited half-century, his first in 20 innings. But he threw it away disappointingly and failing to get on top of a short and wide one from Jansen, Bosch barely needed to move to send a devastated Babar on his way.

Jansen was finding the wickets that eluded him in the first innings, with Rizwan and Salman Agha falling cheaply. A brief standoff between Shakeel and Aamer Jamal once again gave the impression that Pakistan were going to tea six down before Jamal lobbed a tame Dane Paterson bouncer straight to deep midwicket and Naseem Shah helpfully got Rabada into the slips.

Shakeel tried to cultivate the strike after tea and would enjoy some success as wayward bowling allowed the odd boundary and comfortable late over singles. A royal pick-up for six over midwicket was the highlight, but Pakistan’s penchant for giving wickets to deliveries that didn’t deserve them struck again when a knee-high full toss thumped into Shakeel’s front pad, effectively ending Pakistan’s batting effort.

That looked to be the final nail in the coffin, but Pakistan’s bowlers have ensured that South Africa do not rest easy overnight.