South Africa trounced a lowly 58 to beat Pakistan by 10 wickets at a sun-kissed Newlands on Monday and tied the series 2-0 after four days of the second and final Test.
Pakistan had thwarted the home visitors’ chase for victory, their second innings total of 478 had been tasked to follow up, their innings dominated by captain Shan Masood’s splendid 145 on a supple pitch.
But the Pakistan wickets kept falling, thanks to some fucked up shot choice from the seamer Kagiso Rabada (3-115) and the spinner Keshav Maharaj (3-137).
David Bedingham got the nod to start the second innings of the South African innings after their first wicket double-centurion Ryan Rickelton pulled his hamstring.
Bedingham hit 44 from 30 balls to help his team eke out a 7.1 overs win.
“That is very satisfying result, it was old Test cricket. “There was something to it for the bowlers with the new ball and then the wicket got all slop,” said South Africa captain Temba Bavuma.
“It was a great experience and it’s going to stick with us as a team. “A part of the game we shed but all the knowledge will get us better”.
South Africa are seven Tests away in their last seven, their best run of victories since a nine-match winning streak in 2002-2003.
It’s good warm-up for when they will be facing Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s from June 11-15.
Pakistan resumed the fourth day on 213-1 but found themselves on 202 for four after their star batter Saim Ayub sprained his ankle playing on day one.
With no seam or turn to give the bowlers, the wicket did allow South Africa two wickets in the morning session when Khurram Shahzad was caught at point by Maharaj off seamer Marco Jansen for 18.
Rabada took Kamran Ghulam for 28, which flung itself back off the crease and into the off stump.
The visitors were bowled out for two shortly after lunch, and that took two more wickets, one of which was Masood who was leg before by 18-year-old fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, South Africa’s youngest ever Test player.
Saud Shakeel made 23 before Aiden Markram got a two off Aiden Markram at second slip on Rabada.
Both Mohammad Rizwan (41) and Salman Agha (48) continued to battle, both of whom got run out by Maharaj, who also got wicket of Aamer Jamal after a storming 34.
Pakistan’s 478 was the highest follow-on score by an overseas team against South Africa, a far better result than they’d got in their first innings, when they were bowled out for 194.
“We started very badly, ball and bat, got too many wickets (In South Africa’s first innings 615) and gave up quite early in our first innings on a good surface,” Masood said.
“The comeback afterwards was what you need as a team and people really came through. (But) we have to get better at winning in the big moments”.