Pakistan made a solid start on Day One of the second Test against South Africa in Rawalpindi. After winning the toss, captain Shan Masood chose to bat first. Openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq began the innings with caution. Imam fell early for 17, bowled by Simon Harmer. Abdullah scored a steady 57 before losing his wicket.
Babar Azam could not stay long and was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj for just 16. Shan Masood played a captain’s knock, scoring 87 runs before getting out. Mohammad Rizwan added 19 to the total before his dismissal. By the end of the day, Pakistan reached 259 runs for five wickets. Saud Shakeel remained not out on 42, while Agha Salman stayed unbeaten on 10.
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South Africa’s bowlers kept the pressure on throughout the day. Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer each took two wickets. Kagiso Rabada picked up one wicket. South Africa made two changes for this Test, bringing in Maharaj and Marco Jansen. Captain Aiden Markram said he would have also chosen to bat if he had won the toss.
Pakistan also made one change to their team for this match. Asif Afridi replaced Hasan Ali and made his Test debut. Shaheen Afridi presented Asif with his Test cap. At 39 years and 299 days, Asif became one of Pakistan’s oldest debutants. He did not bowl on Day One but could play a key role in the next innings.
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Pakistan already lead the two-match Test series 1-0. They won the first Test in Lahore by 93 runs. Now, they aim to secure a series sweep. With a strong start on Day One, Pakistan will look to build a big total on Day Two. South Africa will try to fight back with early wickets in the morning.