51.6 – Slightly quicker on this occassion, on off, Khurram Shahzad taps it just short of silly point.

Batsman_1 : Khurram Shahzad 16(28)

Batsman_2 : Shan Masood 105(170)

Bowler : Keshav Maharaj 0/42(17)

Over : 52

Run : 5

Wicket : 0

Score : 224/1

51.5 – Flighted full, at the stumps, Khurram Shahzad gets his bat ahead and pushes it back to the bowler.

51.4 – Lands it nice and full, on off, Shahzad blocks it to cover.

51.3 – FOUR! Nothing late or early in this one. Perfectly picked, perfectly hit. Flighted, on off, Khuraam comes forward and swings it cleanly over mid on. So Shahzad is not going to just hang in there. The deficit is now 197.

51.2 – Very well bowled. Slower through the air, around middle, Khurram Shahzad looks to flick but is way too early. Gets a leading edge, just wide of silly point.

51.1 – A touch short, outside off, spinning in, Shan Masood gets across, goes back and works it through mid-wicket for a single.

50.6 – FOUR! How good a shot was that?

Batsman_1 : Khurram Shahzad 12(23)

Batsman_2 : Shan Masood 104(169)

Bowler : Marco Jansen 1/61(11)

Over : 51

Run : 5

Wicket : 0

Score : 219/1

South African bowlers struggled with discipline, conceding 23 no balls in the match so far, which has been a persistent issue for them. With tired bowlers and lapses in execution, South Africa will be eager to regroup quickly to regain control of the game. As Day 4 begins, all eyes will be on Pakistan’s batters to see if they can continue their fightback and make a game out of this. Will South Africa’s bowlers find a way to break through and enforce an innings defeat, or will Pakistan’s resilience turn this into an unforgettable Test match? The pitch is likely to assist the spinners as the day progresses, but Pakistan’s skipper Shan Masood will be keen to guide his team through the pressure. Stay tuned as the action resumes in just a few minutes!

50.5 – Fuller, on off, kept out by Shahzad towards cover.

The first two days belonged entirely to South Africa. They posted a mammoth 615 runs in their first innings, led by Ryan Rickelton, who scored his maiden double century. Contributions from skipper Temba Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne, both of whom scored centuries, added to Pakistan’s woes. Day 3 started on a promising note for Pakistan, as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan added 98 runs for the fourth wicket in their first innings. However, debutant Kwena Maphaka got rid of Babar, and a reckless shot from Rizwan led to his dismissal shortly after.

50.4 – Angles it into the batter, on a back of a good length, over middle, Shahzad dabs it out in front of mid on.

50.3 – A bouncer, but down the leg side, Khurram Shahzad ducks. Good work by the keeper, Kyle Verreynne, diving to his left.

50.2 – Full, on middle, Masood flicks it towards deep square leg for a single.

Who will bowl from the other end? It will be Marco Jansen. 10-0-56-1 so far.

50.1 – On a length, around off, Shan Masood pushes it towards cover.

49.6 – Quicker and fuller, on off, kept out by Shahzad.

Batsman_1 : Khurram Shahzad 8(19)

Batsman_2 : Shan Masood 103(167)

Bowler : Keshav Maharaj 0/37(16)

Over : 50

Run : 1

Wicket : 0

Score : 214/1

49.5 – Loops it up a lot and keeps it outside off, Shahzad sees the flight and goes for a big swipe and misses. The ball scoots under his bat and goes past to the keeper to his right.

49.4 – Full and on leg, Khurram Shahzad tucks it to short leg.

Another bright and sunny day welcomes us. Plenty of expectations from both sides. Runs galore? Wickets galore? Or a bit of both? The players make their way out to the middle. First job for South Africa – get rid of the nightwatchman. Shan Masood has a long chat with Khurram Shahzad. It will be spin to set things off for the day. Keshav Maharaj will bowl to the Pakistan skipper. 15-3-36-0 so far.

49.3 – Fuller, around off, from around the wicket, Khurram Shahzad just dead-bats it.

49.2 – Around off, watchfully defended.

49.1 – And just what South Africa wanted. Get the set batter off strike. Flighted, outside off, Shan Masood gets a big stride and pushes it down the ground for a single.

While we wait for the action to kick off here, there’s some exciting news from just across the cricketing globe. Afghanistan have secured a commanding 72-run victory over Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in a thrilling Test match. The game had it all – momentum shifts, grit, and drama, but it was Afghanistan’s batting in the second innings, coupled with Rashid Khan’s magical bowling in the final innings, that proved decisive. Rashid picked up a sensational 7-wicket haul, dismantling Zimbabwe’s batting order and sealing the series 1-0 for Afghanistan. A remarkable performance and yet another milestone for a team that continues to grow in stature in the longest format!

Pakistan’s batting then collapsed from 118/3 to 194/9, lagging South Africa’s total by 421 runs. The absence of Saim Ayub, who has been ruled out of the match due to a right ankle injury, only added to their batting woes. With the followon enforced, South African fans were hoping for a Day 3 finish but Pakistan had other plans for their second innings. Shan Masood and Babar Azam came out with a positive intent, playing with patience and determination. Shan brought up his sixth Test century, while Babar played a fluent knock of 81 before falling to Marco Jansen late in the day.

Guess Pakistan themselves won’t have an answer if someone asks them about the pitch getting better to bat or not. The deck has stayed the same throughout the day, but it is amazing to see what can mental resolve do. Skipper Shan Masood and Babar Azam, coming out to bat for the second time in this Test, having a mountain to climb, just put their head down and batted. They were helped with a few freebies by the South African seamers but they did not waste their start. Both made their starts count, adding a massive 205 for the opening wicket, giving immense confidence to the dressing room. Babar continued his form from the first innings, getting his second half century in the match, but just towards the closing stages of the day, lost his concentration and his wicket for 81.

Talking about Shan Masood, he has definitely led from the front. Wonderful to see a player execute an array of strokes when in form. Against the new ball, Masood drove to his heart’s content and then, when the ball got older and the lengths got shortened, he resorted to pulling the balls. He is unbeaten on 102 and thanks to 14 boundaries, he is batting at a strike rate of 61, which is pretty decent in this format of the game. Pakistan themselves are going along at more than 4 runs per over, something which is commendable against a pretty good bowling attack.

A nervy end to the day but what a day of Test match cricket for Pakistan. We have seen two sides of the same team on Sunday. They had a torrid first half of the day, losing their way completely from a decent position, and having the followon enforced. But in reply, barring that last 15 minutes of the day, they have ended Day 3 pretty strongly.

48.6 – Oh dear, that goes past the edge and the off stump! End of an incredible day as STUMPS have been called on DAY 3 with Pakistan at 213/1 trailing by 208 more runs. Marco Jansen lands it perfectly on a fuller length, just marginally outside off, and angles it into the batter. Khurram Shahzad with absolutely no foot movement has a feel for it away from the body and misses. The ball zips past the outside edge and mind you, not that far off from the off stump too.

Batsman_1 : Khurram Shahzad 8(14)

Batsman_2 : Shan Masood 102(166)

Bowler : Marco Jansen 1/56(10)

Over : 49

Run : 6

Wicket : 0

Score : 213/1

48.5 – Very full, at the stumps, Khurram Shahzad blocks it out.

48.4 – FOUR! Amidst all the nerves, Khurram Shahzad gets one through the gap for a boundary. On a length, outside off, Shahzad pokes his bat at it with a slightly angled face. Gets a thick outside edge that splits the slip cordon to go past the second slip to his right and finds the fence.

48.3 – Close to the outside edge! Shahzad is probably expecting a short ball and hence is way behind in the crease. The ball lands on a length and comes in with the angle but KS is standing away from the line of the ball, to the leg side. Pokes at the ball and cannot reach it, missing it by a distance.

Hello and welcome to the fourth day of the second and final Test match between South Africa and Pakistan, being played at the iconic Newlands in Cape Town. After three days of cricket, the match is nicely poised. While South Africa dominated the early part of the game, Pakistan’s incredible fightback in their second innings has added a twist to the tale. Now trailing by 208 runs, Pakistan’s opening pair put up a commendable show, stitching together a massive 205-run partnership to keep their team in the contest after being forced to follow on.

So, from a possible Day 3 finish, we head towards an highly anticipated Day 4. Pakistan are still 208 runs behind but this batting display in the second innings gives them and the viewers confidence that maybe, they could avoid an innings defeat and give South Africa something competitive to chase. But for that to happen, the visitors need to bat the whole of Day 4. South Africa will definitely be aiming to come back pretty hard and improve their lines and lengths and finish this off in two sessions. Will we have a Day 5? To find out the answer, you will have to join us as we take you through this journey. The first ball on Monday, 6th January, 2025 will be bowled at 8.30 am GMT but our buildup will begin much sooner. So do join us early. And you can also catch the action from the final day of the second Zimbabwe-Afghanistan Test. Enjoy. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!

Good bowling attack, yes. But did they bowl well? Not quite. The new-ball bowlers sprayed the ball around and then when the ball stopped moving after the first 5-odd overs, they got frustrated and let it get the better of them. That frustration turned into desperation as they resolved to sledging the opposition to try and earn a wicket but nothing helped. Add to it, their continuous array of no balls would have given headaches to the bowling coach and he has his task cut out for Monday, in the nets. As many as 13 no balls were bowled in the first innings and we have already seen 10 in this innings alone. Make that 23 in roughly 103 overs, means one nearly every 4 overs. Only Keshav Maharaj seemed to assert some control as he was getting nice purchase out of the rough created by the footmarks of the faster bowlers.