Lahore, Oct 15 (IANS) Pakistan’s spin duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan did the heavy lifting before Shaheen Shah Afridi applied the finishing touches as the hosts wrapped up a 93-run victory over World Test Championship (WTC) winner South Africa on the fourth day of the first Test at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.
The win not only gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the two-match series but also ended South Africa’s remarkable 10-Test winning streak, the longest in their history.
Defending a target of 276, Pakistan maintained their stranglehold on a surface that had grown increasingly treacherous for batting. The chase — never before achieved at the Gaddafi Stadium — was rendered even more improbable as Pakistan’s spinners exploited the sharply deteriorating pitch. Noman Ali, with his subtle variations and unrelenting accuracy, claimed his third Test-match 10-for, while Afridi’s late four-wicket burst ensured the visitors’ resistance ended swiftly.
South Africa’s hopes had briefly flickered through Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton, who defied the conditions with contrasting methods. Brevis, playing only his third Test, produced a dazzling 54 off 54 balls, counterattacking with six fours and two sixes — including a no-look hit over long-on that brought up his half-century.
Rickelton, more sedate in approach, compiled a patient 45 off 145 balls, providing stability amid the chaos. But both fell before lunch, Noman bowled Brevis with a delivery that gripped and turned past his defence, while Sajid removed Rickelton with a teasing off-break that found the edge.
By the interval, South Africa were reeling at 139 runs still needed with four wickets remaining, and Pakistan’s nerves settled once Senuran Muthuswamy was trapped lbw soon after the break. The visitors’ middle and lower-order then merely delayed the inevitable, with Kyle Verreynne and Simon Harmer hanging on without genuine progress against persistent spin.
South Africa did manage to edge past Pakistan’s third-innings total — the first time a fourth innings had done so since these dry, spin-friendly surfaces were introduced — but the outcome was never truly in doubt.
The decisive moment arrived when Afridi, who had been relatively quiet through much of the match, was reintroduced around the wicket with an ageing ball on an ageing pitch. He found reverse swing immediately, dismissing Verreynne with a vicious inswinger that struck him plumb in front.
With his rhythm restored, Afridi tore through the tail — Prenelan Subrayen and Kagiso Rabada both succumbing to searing yorkers that clattered their stumps — as South Africa were bowled out well short of the target.
Earlier in the morning, Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs had perished in the opening exchanges, reducing South Africa from an overnight 51 for 2 to 55 for 4. Stubbs’ attempted reverse sweep off Noman found Salman Agha at slip — his **fifth catch of the match — while de Zorzi was beaten through the gate by Afridi’s third ball of the day.
In the end, the match had likely been won when Pakistan amassed a commanding total in the first two sessions of the opening day. South Africa spent the next four trying to claw their way back, but on a pitch designed to crumble, Pakistan’s spin-led formula proved unbreakable.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 378 & 167 all out in 46.1 overs (Babar Azam 42, Abdullah Shafique 41; Senuran Muthusamy 5-57, Simon Harmer 4-51) beat South Africa 269 & 183 all out in 50.3 overs (Dewald Brevis 54, Ryan Rickelton 45; Shaheen Afridi 4-33, Noman Ali 4-79) by 93 runs
–IANS
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