‘Unpredictable Pakistan’ and Babar-Masood’s records.

Suddenly losing their edge after playing a very good game or coming back strong after being knocked out; this is the long-standing character of Pakistan cricket. That is why the ‘unpredictable’ tag has stuck with the team. That is, a team about which you cannot make any assumptions. Such an example was seen yesterday, Sunday, in the Cape Town Test against South Africa.

South Africa scored a mountain of 615 runs in the first innings of this ongoing match. Crushed by this huge mountain of runs, Shan Masood’s Pakistan was all out for 194 runs. The hosts followed on after trailing by 421 runs in the first innings. Pakistan showed a different form when they came out to bat in the second innings. Yesterday, they scored 205 runs without losing any wickets.

Babar Azam opened with Masood in the second innings as well, as in the first innings. These two set a record for this pair. However, Babar was dismissed for 81 runs at the end of the day. Pakistan ended the third day on 213 runs for the loss of 1 wicket. Captain Masood is unbeaten on 102 runs from 166 balls. On the other side, nightwatch match Khurram Shehzad is unbeaten on 8 runs. Pakistan still needs 208 runs to avoid an innings loss.

Several records have also been set on such a contrasting batting day for Pakistan.

*2- South Africa is the only team to have forced the opponent to follow-on twice in the ongoing cycle of the World Test Championship. Before Pakistan, the team had forced Bangladesh to follow-on in Chittagong. The other team to have forced a follow-on once in this cycle is Sri Lanka. After declaring their innings at 602 for 5 in Galle, Sri Lanka followed up by wrapping up the Kiwis for 88 runs. This is the first time Pakistan has followed-on since the Southampton Test in 2020.

*205- Masood and Babar’s 205-run opening partnership after being followed-on is the highest in Test history. The duo has surpassed South Africa’s Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie. The duo had put on 204-run opening partnership after being followed-on at Lord’s in 2008. This is the highest opening partnership on South African soil. It is also only the second partnership to score more than 100 runs for the first wicket.

*1- Masood became the first Pakistani captain to score a century in South Africa. Previously, Salim Malik’s 99 in Johannesburg in 1995 was the highest. Inzamam-ul-Haq’s 92 in Gebraha in 2007 is the third highest as captain.

*421- This is South Africa’s sixth-highest lead in Tests and their highest against Pakistan. 615 runs scored by South Africa batting first in Tests. On the other hand, Pakistan has digested a lead of more than four hundred for the sixth time.

*18 years 272 days – Kiena Mafaka is now the youngest South African cricketer. He also became the youngest South African cricketer to take a wicket in Test cricket with Babar’s wicket on the third day of the match.

*3- After scoring a fifty in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion, Babar Azam has scored fifties in both innings of the ongoing Test. Despite getting three consecutive fifties for the first time in his career, Babar could not convert any of his centuries into centuries.

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