South Africa rode on stunning bowling blitz from Dane Paterson and Corbin Bosch to take charge of the first Test against Pakistan as they were trailing by only 129 runs with seven wickets remaining after the close of Day 1's play. Dane Paterson delivered a stellar show with the bowl, claiming a five-wicket haul and bundled out Pakistan for a modest total of 211 runs in Centurion on December 26, Thursday.
South Africa dominate, Pakistan suffer batting collapse
Under overcast conditions Pakistan opted to bat first after winning the toss, anticipating their top order to navigate the challenging conditions. In a moments time Pakistan realised that their decision to bat first backfired them as South African pacers capitalised effectively on the seam-friendly pitch. Pakistan batter looked completely helpless before Paterson and Bosch's robust bowling, who combined to dismiss nine of the vistor batters. The Pakistani batting unit displayed a lack of application, with several batters falling prey to soft dismissals while attempting aggressive shots.
After losing captain Shan Masood (17), Saim Ayub (14) and Babar Azam (4) in a span of 41 runs, Kamran Ghulam tried steadying Pakistan's boat with his gritty 54-run innings, braving South Africa's disciplined bowling attack. However, his dismissal triggered another collapse, with Pakistan losing five wickets for just 52 runs in the middle session.
Mohammad Abbas (10 not out) and Khurram Shahzad (11) displayed commendable spirit in the face of adversity, frustrating the South African bowlers with a spirited last-wicket stand and helped Pakistan go past 200-run mark and post a total of 211.
Dane Paterson rips through Pakistan's batting line-up
Dane Paterson was the star of the day for South Africa, as he ripped through the Pakistan's batting line-up with a commendable spell of 5/61. He found a perfect ally in debutant Corbin Bosch who ended up picking four wickets despite occasional wayward deliveries. Kagiso Rabada bowled with exceptional skill and generated consistent pressure, however, failed to take a single wicket.
South Africa's response to Pakistan's first innings was a shaky start. Khurram Shahzad dismissed Tony de Zorzi (2) and Ryan Rickelton (8) early, leaving the hosts reeling at 24/2. The situation worsened when Mohammad Abbas trapped Tristan Stubbs (9) lbw, leaving South Africa precariously positioned at 66/3.
However, Aiden Markram then came to South Africa's rescue and played a composed and skillful knock. He scored an unbeaten 47 runs off 67 balls, which was decorated with with seven boundaries to ensure South Africa don't lose any more wicket. Captain Temba Bavuma (4*) also remained intact on the crease by the end of Day 1's play when South Africa's scoreboard read 82/3 after 22 overs.