RAWALPINDI: South Africa wrested control of the second Test with a stunning lower-order revival and a late burst from Simon Harmer that left Pakistan tottering at 94-4 at stumps on the third day of the match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Off-spinner Harmer ripped through Pakistan’s top order with three wickets for 26, while fast bowler Kagiso Rabada struck early to send the hosts crashing to 16-3 before former captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan steadied the innings with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand.

Pakistan, who lead the two-Test series 1-0 after their 93-run win in Lahore, will resume on Thursday with only a slender 23-run advantage and six wickets in hand.

Babar, unbeaten on a fluent 49, and Rizwan, on 16 not out, remain Pakistan’s last hope of setting a challenging target on a surface offering sharp turn and uneven bounce.

The rest of Pakistan’s top order, however, folded meekly against the guile of Harmer, who removed Imam-ul-Haq (nine) and Shan Masood (zero) in successive overs before returning to dismiss Saud Shakeel (11) after a brief resistance. Rabada had earlier accounted for Abdullah Shafique (six) with a sharp lifter taken at second slip.

The day had begun brightly for Pakistan when debutant left-arm spinner Asif Afridi completed a memorable six-wicket haul to put the home side in the ascendancy. But a spirited rearguard from South Africa’s tail turned the tide dramatically as Senuran Muthusamy and Rabada combined in a record-breaking stand that defied Pakistan’s spinners and carried the visitors to 404 — a 71-run first-innings lead.

Resuming at 185-4 and still 148 runs behind, South Africa appeared in deep trouble when Asif struck with the fourth ball of the morning, having Kyle Verreynne caught behind for 10. Tristan Stubbs, who resumed on 68, was next to go for 76 after more than four hours at the crease, trapped leg-before by a quicker arm ball from Asif.

At 210-7, Pakistan sensed a decisive lead. But Muthusamy, 29, showed remarkable composure and skill on a deteriorating pitch, shepherding the tail with precise footwork and clever use of the sweep.

First, he put on 71 for the ninth wicket with Keshav Maharaj (30), who survived a couple of close chances before being stumped off Noman Ali. Then came the defining partnership of the innings — a 98-run last-wicket stand with Rabada, who produced the innings of his life.

“It was a fantastic partnership, one that we will remember and hopefully put us into a really strong position tomorrow to win the game,” said Muthusamy.

Rabada, better known for his ferocious pace than for batting heroics, bludgeoned four sixes and as many fours in his career-best 71 off 61 balls. It was only the third time in South Africa’s Test history that a number 11 batsman reached a half-century. His counterattack, combined with Muthusamy’s unbeaten 89, not only erased Pakistan’s lead but left the hosts demoralised.

Muthusamy was left stranded 11 runs short of what would have been a maiden Test hundred, finishing with eight fours in a 155-ball knock that spanned more than three hours. The pair’s partnerships for the ninth and 10th wickets — both exceeding 70 — marked only the second instance in Test cricket where both final wickets added 50 or more in the same innings.

Pakistan’s morning joy had come courtesy of Asif, who at 38 years and 301 days became the oldest bowler to take five wickets on Test debut, surpassing England’s Charles Marriott’s record set in 1933.

Asif’s final figures of 6-79 capped an extraordinary introduction to international cricket. He exploited the increasing turn on offer to perfection, using subtle variations in pace and flight to confound the South African batters.

After Asif’s dismissal of Harmer for two — his sixth scalp — Pakistan captain Shan took the second new ball in a bid to finish off the innings swiftly. But the move backfired, as both Rabada and Muthusamy relished the harder ball to score freely, hammering 119 runs in the middle session at a brisk rate of 4.6 per over.

“Captain Shan Masood consulted us before taking the second new ball and we thought that it will help but it didn’t,” said Asif, although he added that “any target around 200-210 will give us victory.”

Pakistan’s second innings began under immense pressure, and the batting frailties that have haunted them in recent months resurfaced almost immediately. Imam was bowled by Harmer attempting to sweep, Shan edged to slip without scoring, and Abdullah fell to a rising Rabada delivery. Saud fought hard before Harmer’s drift and dip drew a fatal edge to the cordon.

By stumps, Babar and Rizwan had added 61 runs to stall the slide, but South Africa’s spinners will return on the fourth morning scenting victory and a share of the series.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN (1st Innings) 333 (Shan Masood 87, Saud Shakeel 66; K. Maharaj 7-102)

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings, overnight 185-4):

A. Markram c Saud b Sajid 32

R. Rickelton c Rizwan b Shaheen 14

T. Stubbs lbw Asif 76

T. de Zorzi lbw Asif 55

D. Brevis c Salman b Asif 0

K. Verreynne c Rizwan b Asif 10

S. Muthusamy not out 89

S. Harmer lbw Asif 2

M. Jansen lbw Noman 12

K. Maharaj st Rizwan b Noman 30

K. Rabada c Abdullah b Asif 71

EXTRAS (B-5, LB-4, NB-4) 13

TOTAL (all out, 119.3 overs) 404

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-22 (Rickelton), 2-54 (Markram), 3-167 (de Zorzi), 4-171 (Brevis), 5-185 (Verreynne), 6-204 (Stubbs), 7-210 (Harmer), 8-235 (Jansen), 9-306 (Maharaj)

BOWLING: Shaheen 26-2-95-1, Noman 28-3-92-2 (4nb), Asif 34.3-6-79-6, Sajid 29-3-119-1, Salman 2-0-10-0

PAKISTAN (2nd Innings):

Imam ul-Haq lbw Harmer 9Abdullah Shafique c Jansen b Rabada 6

Shan Masood lbw Harmer 0

Babar Azam not out 49

Saud Shakeel c Markram b Harmer 11

Mohammad Rizwan not out 16

EXTRAS (NB-3) 3

TOTAL (for four wickets, 35 overs) 94

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-12 (Imam), 2-16 (Shan), 3-16 (Abdullah), 4-60 (Saud)

STILL TO BAT: Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Noman Ali, Asif Afridi, Sajid Khan

BOWLING: Rabada 5-1-22-1 (3nb), Harmer 13-3-26-3, Maharaj 10-1-30-0, Muthusamy 4-0-11-0, Jansen 3-1-5-0

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2025