South Africa’s Fiery Start as Pakistan All Out for 211 in First Test

South Africa’s pace attack dominated as they tore through Pakistan’s top-order, bowling out the visitors for just 211 runs on the opening day of the first Test in a two-match series at SuperSport Park, Centurion, on Thursday.

Pakistan’s early collapse was led by South Africa’s fast bowlers, with Dane Paterson claiming five wickets and Corbin Bosch taking four. Marco Jansen picked up the final wicket.

Kamran Ghulam fought back with a resilient 54 runs, the highest score of the innings, but Pakistan’s batting woes continued.

The middle order also struggled, with Mohammad Rizwan (27 off 62), Salman Ali Agha (18 off 34), and Aamer Jamal (28 off 27) falling to the South African pacers.

South Africa responded with an early setback in their chase. Pakistan’s Khurram Shahzad removed Tony de Zorzi for a duck in the third over.

Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton then steadied the innings, but Shahzad struck again, removing Rickelton for just eight runs.

Tristan Stubbs managed nine runs before falling to Mohammad Abbas. Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma then looked to rebuild, with South Africa’s chase set to continue on day two.

After winning the toss, South Africa chose to field, aiming for a win to keep their World Test Championship final hopes alive. Captain Temba Bavuma said, “It was a tricky decision, but we wanted to take advantage of the new ball.”

The pitch at Centurion is known for its seam movement, a condition that favored the Proteas’ pacers.

South Africa named an all-seam attack, including debutant Corbin Bosch, while Pakistan also opted for a seam-heavy line-up, with Mohammad Abbas, Aamer Jamal, Naseem Shah, and Khurram Shahzad.

“It’s all about adapting to the conditions,” said Bavuma, while Pakistan’s captain Shan Masood emphasized the importance of playing the right shots for a competitive first innings score.