Proteas finally tie up series against Pakistan

That took far longer than anyone expected. Pakistan’s resistance was admirable. SA’s bowling looked tired. 

Eventually, though, Pakistan were dismissed for a second innings 478 and David Bedingham (44 off 30 balls) and Aiden Markram (14 off 13) knocked off 58/0 for a 10-wicket victory in the New Year’s Test at Newlands and 2-0 series win. 

Kagiso Rabada bowled another seven no-balls — bringing his total for the season to 51. Keshav Maharaj toiled away, mostly from the Kelvin Grove End for 45 overs, got a couple to spin, threw his hands in the air a lot, but eventually finished with three wickets in Pakistan’s second innings. 

Pakistan’s second innings total was their highest against the Proteas. It was also the second-highest deficit to be erased in the history of Test cricket. 

It wasn’t appealing — in fact appealing for large parts proved futile for the South Africans. 

Umpires Nitin Menon and Kumar Dharmasena kept their hands firmly by their sides, probably adding at least an hour to the day’s proceedings, with three separate appeals, one which was hitting the stumps and would have been out had SA reviewed. The others were “umpire’s call”.

But a 10-wicket win with a day to spare should not be sniffed at. It was SA’s seventh win in a row at the end of a Test season where they have shown tremendous growth. 

There are so many areas they can improve — the batting, despite the success in the second Test, is still a work in progress, and of course there are the no-balls.

Rabada will argue his 28 wickets this season at an average of 21.19 were more impactful and he has led an attack that has had a number of new faces because of a spate of injuries.

He picked up three wickets on Monday, making the initial breakthrough by bowling a peach at Kamran Ghulam in the first session.

Kwena Maphaka, on debut, was arguably the best bowler on Monday. His spell of seven overs, which took place around the lunch break and included three overs with the second new ball, was thrilling. 

He found movement, bowled with great speed and should have had Saud Shakeel’s wicket had umpire Menon raised his finger or his captain chosen to review. 

He did get reward in the form of Shan Masood’s wicket, ending the Pakistani captain’s 6hr 11min innings with a delightful delivery that slanted into the left-hander late, hitting him low on the pad. 

Again, Menon didn’t raise his finger, and despite Kyle Verreynne being unsure, Bavuma didn’t make the same mistake as he did with Saud. 

If Maphaka is able to bowl like this at 18, having learnt so quickly from the errors he made in the first innings, imagine what he will be like at 25. South African cricket has a rough diamond in its midst and his development needs to be carefully managed. 

For Pakistan, this was a frustrating series. They gave themselves an opportunity to win at Centurion and then failed to make use of a flat surface in the first innings here, getting bowled out for 194. They toiled manfully, led by Shan’s 145, but will look back at a second innings where only Babar Azam was able to make a half-century as an opportunity missed. 

There was misfortune because of the absence of Saim Ayub. 

But this was SA’s day, in a season in which they have raised their Test match play to levels no-one — outside the players and coaching staff — could have foreseen. 

Verreynne’s three centuries, Bavuma’s two and Ryan Rickelton’s monumental double hundred, illustrated a growing maturity in what is still a young batting unit. 

A World Test Championship final, at Lord’s against the mighty Australia, awaits. It will demand even more of them than the pressure they have faced in the past few months, chasing that spot in the final. 

However, they have shown they can cope; that when more is asked, they will find the answers.