South Africa | Pakistan

Simon Harmer grabbed three early wickets to push South Africa closer to a series-levelling victory over a faltering Pakistan in the second Test in Rawalpindi on Wednesday. Harmer took 3-26 as Pakistan ended the third day on a precarious 94-4 — just 23 runs ahead with six wickets and two days remaining on a spin-spiced Rawalpindi stadium pitch. Pakistan’s last hopes rest on Babar Azam, unbeaten on 49, and Mohammad Rizwan, 16 not out, as they strive to win the two-match series, having won the first Test by 93 runs in Lahore. South Africa piled up 404 runs after Senuran Muthusamy scored a career-best 89 not out and Kagiso Rabada posted his highest Test score of 71, giving the visitors a crucial 71-run lead. The home team scored 333 in their first innings. With their backs to the wall, Pakistan’s second innings started disastrously as opener Imam-ul-Haq (nine) and skipper Shan Masood (nought) fell to Harmer with the score at 16. It became 16-3 when Rabada had Abdullah Shafique caught in the slips for six. Harmer ...

Pakistan were already staring at defeat before the relentless rains, stop-start in manner, in Colombo sealed their fate. Fatima Sana’s side crashed out of the ICC Women’s World Cup on Tuesday after a crushing 150-run defeat (DLS method) to South Africa in their penultimate match of the league stage at the R. Premadasa Stadium. Pakistan needed a victory to have any chance of staying alive in the last-four race and already-qualified South Africa, but chasing a target that was revised with every downpour, they stood little chance after the Proteas amassed 312-9 in 40 overs. Speaking after the match, skipper Fatima said: “I think today is the day bowlers didn’t perform well. We have to accept it. They played very well, but we needed to be calmer in those situations. “I think after the second over, and after the rain, it was a different situation because the conditions and the ball were wet.” The pacer added that the bowlers tried to find rhythm, but it was very difficult to bowl in those conditions. The first sho...

Fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been named the Pakistan men’s One-day International (ODI) team captain, the country’s cricket board announced on Monday. The national side’s pace spearhead will lead Pakistan in the upcoming three-match series against South Africa. Shaheen replaces Mohammad Rizwan as the Pakistan ODI skipper after the wicket-keeper led the team during a disastrous ICC Champions Trophy campaign before series losses in New Zealand and the West Indies. Rizwan, handed captaincy in 2024, had led the team to series wins in South Africa, Australia and Zimbabwe in his early days as captain, however. But the recent failures apparently were a decisive enough factor for the Pakistan Cricket Board to sack Rizwan. For Shaheen, it’s going to be a second stint as the Pakistan captain, the left-armer having been snubbed after a short spell — five T20Is against New Zealand — at the helm after replacing Babar Azam in late 2023 following Pakistan’s dismal World Cup campaign. The 25-year-old, who has been capt...

Pakistan bowler Rameen Shamim said on Monday that although the weather was out of their control, the team was trying their best to make the semi-finals ahead of their pivotal South Africa ICC Women’s World Cup encounter on Tuesday. Monsoon rains in Colombo have seen Pakistan’s last two matches end in washouts against England and New Zealand, respectively, costing the team a chance to pick up more points in their last-four push. The washed-out New Zealand fixture on Saturday saw South Africa become the second team to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament, with the Green Shirts still searching for their first win. Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Colombo, Rameen said: “Yeah, obviously, rain is not in our control. We cannot control the weather. Yeah, unfortunately, we are upset because we were up to the mark against England. “… But we are confident because we played some good cricket in the last two matches. And now we have to play against South Africa and Sri Lanka.” The off-spinner added t...

Pakistan punished poor catching from South Africa to accumulate 259-5 on the opening day of the second and final Test in Rawalpindi on Monday. Had the tourists not dropped five catches on a turning pitch they would have been in a better position after Pakistan won the toss and batted. Skipper Shan Masood, dropped on 71 off a luckless Keshav Maharaj, top-scored with 87 while Abdullah Shafique — dropped four times — made 57. Saud Shakeel and Salman Agha will resume on Tuesday unbeaten on 42 and 10 respectively, with the home team seeking a 2-0 series win against the world Test champions. South African pacer Kagiso Rabada trapped Mohammad Rizwan with the fifth delivery with the second new ball for 19 to give some respite to his team. Maharaj, who missed the first Test in Lahore through injury, took 2-63 and fellow spinner Simon Harmer 2-75. With the bulk of the bowling done by Maharaj and Harmer, spinner Senuran Muthusamy — who took 11 wickets in the first Test — was surprisingly used for just four overs. The fi...

Pakistan is relying on its spin strength to seal the Test series against South Africa after defeating the Proteas men in the first Test match in Lahore on Wednesday, interim red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood said at a press conference ahead of the second match on Monday. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali was South Africa’s chief tormentor as Pakistan won the first Test by 93 runs. Set a daunting 277-run target for victory, the visitors and World Test champions were bowled out for 183 on day four. “The pre-series camp was aimed at adapting spin on these types of pitches; different shots, scoring options,” Azhar said at the presser. “We’re trying that if we play this method at home, then we’ll know how to play spin.” Azhar noted that the playing XI will be decided the morning of the match after seeing pitch conditions, saying there is a possibility of some changes, “but not too many”. “With regards to the toss, we don’t want that the whole match is decided by the toss. “I said this before the series as well, that thes...

Pakistan men’s Test captain Shan Masood said the challenge was to perform consistently after the Green Shirts’win against South Africa on Wednesday in the first Test. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali was South Africa’s chief tormentor as Pakistan won a gripping first Test by 93 runs at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Set a daunting 277-run target for victory, the visitors and World Test champions were bowled out for 183 on day four. Speaking at the post-match press conference, skipper Shan said: “The message is this — we are playing good cricket against quality oppostions. “But at the same time, the challenge is that we need to consistently perform and win matches against top teams.” He added that talk regarding the first and second divisions of teams in Test cricket would become moot as a result. Shan also said that mistakes were made, and although there was room to work around them in home conditions, there might not be similar chances in away conditions. South African left-armer Senuran Muthusamy took 11-174 in the ma...

Left-arm spinner Noman Ali was South Africa’s chief tormentor as Pakistan won a gripping first Test by 93 runs in Lahore on Wednesday. Set a daunting 277-run target for victory, the visitors and World Test champions were bowled out for 183 on day four. Man of the match Noman finished with 4-79 and 10-191 in the match for his third haul of ten wickets or more in Tests. With the weary Gaddafi Stadium pitch taking sharp turn and low bounce, the 39-year-old Noman exploited the conditions well despite a stubborn 73-run stand between Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton in the morning. In all, spinners from both sides took 34 wickets, with just six going to fast bowlers. South African left-armer Senuran Muthusamy took 11-174 in the match. Pakistan made 378 in their first innings, with South Africa scoring 269 in reply. On a deteriorating surface, the hosts collapsed in their second-innings 167 but it proved enough. On Wednesday, with the tourists 137-6 at lunch the writing was very much on the wall, then Sajid Khan dis...

South Africa’s lower order once again came to the rescue after a top order collapse, edging out Bangladesh by three wickets in a nail-biting finish in the Women’s World Cup in Visakhapatnam on Monday. Chasing 233, the Proteas were on the ropes at 78-5, but their tail refused to throw in the towel, showing the same grit that saw them turn the tables on India in their previous outing. A gutsy 85-run stand for the sixth wicket between Marizanne Kapp, who made 56, and Chloe Tryon, 62, steadied the ship and gave the chase a fresh lease of life. Both batters brought up their half-centuries, but their dismissals reopened the door for Bangladesh, who sniffed an upset. Then, Nadine de Klerk, South Africa’s player for a crisis, walked in and saw her side over the line. Her unbeaten 37 off 29 deliveries guided her side home with three balls to spare. “I am lost for words, actually. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but I’m happy we pulled this off,” said Tryon, who was named player-of-the-match. “We just wanted to stay calm ...

Spinner Noman Ali grabbed four wickets to restrict South Africa to 216-6 at the close of play on day two of the first Test in Lahore on Monday, despite a fighting half century from Tony de Zorzi. Spinners dominated on a turning Gaddafi Stadium pitch as all the day’s 11 wickets went to slow bowlers, with South African left-armer Senuran Muthusamy taking a career-best 6-117 to dismiss Pakistan for 378. Zorzi was holding the fort at the close with 81 not out and Muthusamy on six as South Africa trail by 162 runs in the first innings. Zorzi batted with guts, knocking nine boundaries and a six, combating Noman, who claimed 4-85. South Africa started off well with 45-0 on the board when Noman removed touring skipper Aiden Markram for 20 and Wiaan Mulder for 17 — both caught behind by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. Ryan Rickelton, who scored a punishing 71 with two sixes and nine boundaries, and Zorzi added 94 for the third wicket, taking on the spinners with some aggressive shots. It was part-timer Salman Agha who b...

Pakistan rode on a brilliant 93 from Imam-ul-Haq to reach 313-5 after a brief fightback from South Africa on the opening day of the first Test in Lahore on Sunday. Shan Masood hit 76, but Haq missed out on his hundred as Pakistan slumped to 199-5 as four wickets fell quickly. Mohammad Rizwan, 62 not out, and Salman Agha, unbeaten 52 at the close, rebuilt the innings during an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 114 in the final session on a spin-friendly Gaddafi Stadium pitch. Rizwan hit two fours and two sixes in his 12th Test half-century while Agha had two fours and a six in reaching his 10th fifty. Pakistan dominated most of the first two sessions, but then had a mini- collapse from 163-1 to 199-5 as they lost four wickets for 36 runs, the last three without adding a run either side of the tea interval. Spinner Prenelan Subrayen trapped Masood lbw for 76, including nine fours and a six, to end a 161-run stand with Haq. Left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy then had Haq caught at short-leg by Tony de Zorzi, after ...

South Africa captain Aiden Markram says his side can expect to have a target on their back when they begin a new cycle of the World Test Championship as defending champions. South Africa play a two-test series in Pakistan, starting on Sunday, and two games in India in November as they bid to retain the trophy they won in June by beating Australia by five wickets at Lord’s. The World Test Championship is decided at the end of a two-year cycle, with the top two teams competing in a one-off five-day match. “I suppose you create a bit of a target on your back if youve won (the WTC), and if thats the case, its fair. We want to chase a place in the final again and lift that trophy once again but realise each team will be coming for us,” said Markram, who stands in as skipper for Temba Bavuma who has been ruled out of the tour with a calf strain. “We, as a team, have to keep getting better and improving and playing well in all different types of conditions. It starts for us in Pakistan, and its a challenge the boys ...

Pakistan women lost by four wickets against South Africa in their second World Cup warm-up, after the Proteas overcame an early scare on Sunday. South Africa were reeling early in their chase of 229 when pacer Diana Baig took two early wickets, leaving them 27-3 inside six overs. Sune Luus and Anneke Bosch rebuilt the innings and added a 100-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Chloe Tryon ensured there were no further hiccups for the Proteas Women after losing five wickets with 151 on board, guiding South Africa home with an unbeaten 45. sealing a comfortable win with almost ten overs to spare. Pakistan, batting first, were bowled out for 229 in 46 overs. Captain Fatima Sana top-scored with a terrific 64 laden with 8 boundaries and a six, Batters Sidra Amin and Sidra Nawaz also made useful contributions at the top, being involved in crucial partnerships. However, Pakistan struggled for momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals. Ayabonga Khaka and Masabata Klass secured two wickets each for South Africa...

Nashra Sandhu-inspired Pakistan made easy work of South Africa with a 6-wicket win in their final one-day international (ODI) in the lead-up to the Women’s World Cup on Monday. The left-arm spinner ended up with career-best figures of 6-26 as the Proteas were skittled out for 115 within 26 overs at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore — before the Women in Green chased it down with 19 overs to spare. South Africa rested five key players, including the player-of-the-match from their last encounter — Tazmin Brits — who had scored a mammoth unbeaten 171 in the match on Friday. Nashra’s journey Nashra had spoken to Dawn.com ahead of the Green Shirts series against Ireland, where she shared her cricketing journey. View this post on Instagram She discussed her struggles as a woman cricketer, the facilities available to girls in cricket today, and the potential for a women’s Pakistan Super League. Nashra also talked about how she ended up as a left-arm spinner in a country obsessed with fast bowlers. “I was a fast bowler, ...

Pakistan were all set to chase South Africa’s daunting 313-run total, but fell 25 runs short in their second one-day international (ODI) pre- Women’s World Cup ODI encounter in Lahore. A spectacular knock by Sidra Amin, who brought up her second consecutive century of the series, brought them close, but in the end, the Duckworth-Lewis method adjusted 313-run target was a step too far. Set a mammoth score to chase after the Proteas batters ruled the roost in the first innings, Sidra stepped up again under the Gaddafi Stadium lights to score a sublime hundred — but failed to close the chase. What could have been a night to remember for the fans in the rain-affected ODI clash saw the Women in Green falter in the final stages of the chase — which, if they had come through, would have been their second-highest chase ever. The match saw the Proteas reach 292-3 in 46 overs before the total was adjusted to 313 according to the D/L method after a disruption in play as the Pakistani bowlers had a forgettable day with t...

South Africa sailed their way to an easy victory over Pakistan after chasing down a target of 256 to win by eight wickets in the first one-day international (ODI) of their series in Lahore on Tuesday, in the lead-up to the Women’s World Cup. The World Cup, to be hosted later this month under a hybrid model across India and Sri Lanka, will see all of Pakistan’s fixtures staged in Colombo, with political tensions ruling out travel between the two neighbours. Earlier in the day, veteran batter Sidra Amin smashed a century as The Women in Green set the Proteas a target of 256 to win in the first ODI of the three-match series. South Africa’s reply was led by batters Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp after Sadia Iqbal struck early for the Green Shirts. They remained unbeaten on 101 and 121 respectively as the Proteas chased down a decent total with 10 balls to spare. Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana had won the toss and elected to bat first at the Gaddafi Stadium. Sidra was ably supported by Muneeba Ali as the duo put Pa...

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana said on Monday that her team’s focus was on the Women’s World Cup ahead of the one-day international (ODI) series against South Africa in Lahore. The World Cup, to be hosted later this month under a hybrid model across India and Sri Lanka, will see all of Pakistan’s fixtures staged in Colombo, with political tensions ruling out travel between the two neighbours. Pakistan open their immediate run-in with a three-match ODI series against South Africa in Lahore from Tuesday, following the conclusion of a training camp at the National Cricket Academy and the Gaddafi Stadium. Speaking at the pre-match press conference in Lahore, Fatima said: “The specific aim is to prepare for the World Cup and execute our plans in this series.” “A series like this is very beneficial for the team ahead of the World Cup. It gives the players a good opportunity to put into practice all the preparation they have done in recent times,“ she was quoted as having said by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). She ...

The third and final Twenty20 International between England and South Africa was abandoned without a ball being bowled at Trent Bridge on Sunday as rain had the final say in the series that finishes 1-1. South Africa claimed a rain-reduced five-over contest by 14 runs in the opening game in Cardiff on Wednesday, before England registered a record 146-run win in the second fixture in Manchester on Friday as Phil Salt scored an unbeaten 141. That result set up a grand finale on Sunday, but persistent rain in Nottingham delayed the toss and ultimately meant no play was possible. South Africa won the One Day International series between the sides 2-1. England now move on to a three-match T20 series against Ireland that starts in Dublin on Wednesday.

Pakistan will host South Africa for a series of test, one-day international (ODI) and Twenty-20 international (T20I) matches from October to November, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Saturday. In a press release, the PCB said that Pakistan’s new cycle of the ICC World Test Championship will begin with this visit by the Proteas, with the first test starting on October 12 in Lahore. “The first Test will be played at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from October 12-16, which will also be the first five-day match at the stadium since its complete renovation earlier this year to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” the PCB stated. “The second Test match is scheduled to take place at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from October 20-24.” According to the press release, this will be the visitors’ first tour to Pakistan since 2021, where they lost a test series 2-0. “At the conclusion of the red-ball matches, both sides will feature in three T20Is from October 28 to November 1, with the first T20I taking place at ...

Cameron Green slapped a 47-ball century with Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh also blasting tons as Australia crushed South Africa by 276 runs in a record-breaking third and final one-day international on Sunday in Mackay. The hosts were playing for pride, down 2-0 in the series, and responded magnificently, posting an ominous 431-2 after opting to bat — their highest ODI total on home soil. They then dismissed the Proteas for 155 in the 25th over, with spinner Cooper Connolly taking 5-22. Head was supreme in blazing 142 off 103 balls, ably supported by skipper Marsh (100 from 106). Their 250-run platform at Great Barrier Reef Arena was Australia’s highest ever opening partnership against the Proteas, bettering the 170 by Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist in Durban in 2002. Green then took over with a whirlwind 118 not out to mark the first time Australia’s top three have all scored centuries. Alex Carey was unbeaten on 50, with the 18 sixes slogged between them also a record at home. “A pretty crazy day, a ful...