South Africa beat Pakistan by two wickets in the first Test of the series. On the fourth day of play, they were able to reach the goal of 148 runs. South Africa now has a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series after this win.
South Africa’s chase got off to a slow start, but opener Aiden Markram (37) and captain Temba Bavuma (40) got things going well. Markram was out at 62 runs when Mohammad Abbas put him out, and soon after, Bavuma was out at 96 runs when Abbas also put him out. South Africa stayed steady enough to reach the goal, even though they had a brief breakdown when wickets fell quickly after 99 runs.
Kagiso Rabada scored 31 runs without being out, which was very important, and Marco Jansen added 16 runs without being out, which helped the team win. David Bedingham (14) and Kyle Verreynne (2) also made important efforts.
Mohammad Abbas was Pakistan’s best bowler, with an excellent six-wicket performance. One wicket was taken by both Khurram Shahzad and Naseem Shah.
The national team had been out for 237 runs earlier, which gave South Africa a goal of 148. South Africa had a 90-run lead after their first innings, with a score of 301. Pakistan’s first innings had scored 211 runs.
Now Pakistan will try to tie the series against South Africa in the second Test, which starts on January 3 in Cape Town.
