Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

F du Plessis
F du Plessis
103(226) 13x4 - 0x6
Control %82%
  • Productive Shot
  • cover drive
  • 32 runs
  • 7x4 - 0x6
3 9 6 4 34 19 16 12
Asad Shafiq
Asad Shafiq
88(118) 12x4 - 1x6
Control %76%
  • Productive Shot
  • cover drive
  • 21 runs
  • 2x4 - 0x6
4 8 11 13 28 0 10 14

Best performances - Bowlers

D Olivier
D Olivier
O15
M3
R48
W4
Eco3.20
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
3W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
K Rabada
K Rabada
O16.4
M2
R61
W4
Eco3.66
RHB
OFFLEG
2W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W
1W

Scorecard Summary

PAKISTAN 177(51.1 OVERS)
1ST INNINGS

SOUTH AFRICA 431(124.1 OVERS)
1ST INNINGS

PAKISTAN 294(70.4 OVERS)
2ND INNINGS

SOUTH AFRICA 43/1(9.5 OVERS)
2ND INNINGS

Scorer: @Thilak_Rama | Commentator: Alan Gardner

11.40am: Lickle bit o' Test cricket to start your day? Don't mind if I do... Thanks for joining us for that tiddler of a chase, the full report is here. South Africa were too good, once again, but Pakistan can take something from this defeat (even if it's that they need to change the batting order for Jo'burg). Another series win at home for SA, they've not lost since England rumbled them in 2015-16. Anyway, we'll be back for more next week, gluttons for punishment on spicy surfaces. Thanks from myself, Miller and Thilak. Cheerio!

11.30am: Right, time for the presentations at Newlands, starting with Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed: "Yes, not enough runs in the first inns, if we had got 250-300, the pitch was still helping fast bowlers [in the fourth innings]. It's hard to recover if you're losing five wickets in the first session, but the way our batsmen are batting, that's how you learn in Test cricket. For me, playing two or three practice matches [would be ideal]. But we only played one match here. Our batsmen showed their courage, hopefully we'll have confidence [in Johannesburg]."

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is also Man of the Match for his first-innings hundred: "Yeah, finally got a hundred at my favourite ground. It's an amazing place to play cricket, I've wanted it for a long time. It was one of those grafty hundreds, we prefer those knocks for the team, you take a few blows on the body and tough it out. We come in, the crowd is great, closest to a Barmy Army atmosphere, it's a lot of fun coming here and our bowlers like it, there's usually something for the bowlers. [Seven series wins in a row at home] We're proud of that record, we've had some big teams coming here and we've beaten them. We know if we get runs on the board, our bowlers will do the rest. [Pitch criticisms] I think day one was moving day in terms of the pitch, but it got easier to bat on, yesterday Pakistan were in a good position to bat on and get a 150 lead and then who knows what happens. I still feel there was enough in it for batters and bowlers. At times it was difficult but that's Test cricket for me. We wanted to finish last night but that no-ball spoiled it for us. [Four quicks, no spinner?] It was good discussion, thought we got it spot on. We looked at the last three years here, the opposition hasn't batted past 70 overs, so the spinner isn't going to bowl that many overs. Playing a subcontinental team on a pitch with pace, for me it was pretty easy. [Satisfying hundred?] After a game where you don't score runs, you still feel the pressure, the expectation. Lot of time and energy spent on the headspace I wanted to be in for this match, reflect on when I've done well, block out the noise. It was a true test of my character, making sure that's what I go to first under pressure, and good to see I managed to get that right."

11.20am: No drama. Or not much of it, anyway. South Africa go 2-0 up in the three-match series, meaning next week's match in Johannesburg is a dead rubber. Theunis de Bruyn will be disappointed and Hashim Amla is probably going to need an ice pack on that right arm for a while, but South Africa finished the job inside the hour. The ball was still flying about, the pitch capable of mischief - as Amla discovered - but a target of 41 was never likely to stretch SA too much. It does leave you wondering what might have been had Pakistan mustered a more competitive first-innings effort, though.

"RSA 431 in first innings & 43/1 in second!" And the universe is in harmony, Muhammed Riyas

Here's Ajmal Khan: "As a Pakistani cricket fan, considering the team performance, is there any reason for me to be angry and upset or should I say 'it's part of the game'?" Channel those frustrations, Ajmal. Why not go out and paint a landscape, or take a walk and do the crossword? This too shall pass

9.5
4
Azhar Ali to Elgar, FOUR, half-tracker down the leg side, Elgar wheels around and spanks it past fine leg, lets out a roar - South Africa win by nine wickets
9.4
4
Azhar Ali to Elgar, FOUR, right, shackles off, Elgar isn't going to sit in and mither around... opens the shoulders and belts it back down the ground, flies to the straight boundary
9.3
0
Azhar Ali to Elgar, no run, pitched up and worked towards midwicket
9.2
0
Azhar Ali to Elgar, no run, gets across and defends this one

Azhar chuckles and runs quickly back to his mark

9.1
0
Azhar Ali to Elgar, no run, ooh, teasing line, back of a length outside off and Elgar has a little flirt

Okay, I think Pakistan realise the jig is up. Azhar Ali to bowl some medium pace

END OF OVER:
9 | 5 Runs | SA: 35/1

  • Faf du Plessis3 (6b)
  • Dean Elgar16 (34b)
  • Mohammad Amir5-2-17-0
  • Mohammad Abbas4-0-14-1

"Is Amla out? Do SA lose a batsman?" Not out, no, Alexander Sudhe. I'm sure he'd be back if required

8.6
0
Mohammad Amir to du Plessis, no run, another bumper from Amir, not in Faf's postcode

South Africa 4th innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st4D ElgarTB de Bruyn
2nd19HM AmlaD Elgar
2nd20F du PlessisD Elgar