Markram’s half-century steadies South Africa after early woes in first Test against Pakistan
Opener Aiden Markram’s half-century on Thursday provided South Africa much-needed support after early woes on the second day of the first Test against Pakistan, being played at the SuperSport Park, Centurion
The Proteas concluded the opening day of the first Test, scoring 82 runs at the loss of three wickets.
The Proteas faced an early setback at the start of their innings when Pakistan’s Khurram Shahzad dismissed opener Tony de Zorzi in the third over.
Aiden Markram was then joined by Ryan Rickelton, but Shahzad struck again, removing the newcomer after he contributed just eight runs to the scoreboard.
Tristan Stubbs came in to replace Rickelton and faced 28 balls, while Markram steadily accumulated runs. However, Stubbs’ cameo was short-lived as he was dismissed by Mohammad Abbas for nine runs.
Markram continued to anchor the innings, later joined by skipper Temba Bavuma. The pair batted confidently towards the end of the day.
At the start of the second day, Markram had reached 53 off 72 balls, while Bavuma had added four runs off 31 deliveries.
Earlier, South Africa’s pacers had dismantled Pakistan’s batting lineup, bundling them out for 211 runs in their first innings. Dane Paterson claimed a five-wicket haul, Corbin Bosch took four wickets, and Marco Jansen secured the final scalp.
Pakistan’s struggles began early, with opener Saim Ayub falling for 14 and captain Babar Azam dismissed for just 4. Shan Masood managed 17, while Saud Shakeel added 14 runs before being sent back to the pavilion.
The only significant resistance came from Kamran Ghulam, who top-scored with 54. However, the slide continued with the dismissals of Mohammad Rizwan (27 off 62), Salman Ali Agha (18 off 34), and Aamer Jamal (28 off 27).
Naseem Shah departed for a duck, leaving Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Abbas to salvage the innings. The duo’s gritty partnership helped Pakistan cross the 200-run mark, but it was soon broken by Marco Jansen, who dismissed Khurram to bring Pakistan’s innings to a close.
South Africa had earlier won the toss and opted to field first against Pakistan.
