Plays of the game
Final Day: Pakistan 272 (Shaheem 78*, Babar 77. Nortje 5/53) and 298 (Rizwan 115*. Linde 5/54)
South Africa 201 (Bavuma 44*. Hassan 5/54) and 274 (Markram 108, Bavuma 61. Hassan 5/60) Pakistan won by 95 runs. Pakistan won the series 2-0.
BOWLER - Hassan Ali, has a great celebration, and in this Test displayed a terrific attitude alongside some high-class skill. He completely flummoxed Rassie van der Dussen twice, had the ball reversing and made excellent use of the slower ball. His 10/114 is his first Test “ten-for” and was just reward for a fine bowling performance. BATSMAN - From a South African perspective, Aiden Markram’s 108, was a vital innings. It unfortunately didn’t lead to a victory in the second Test, but in the bigger picture of his career, it could be a defining innings. This tour has been very good for Markram. He was the leading run-scorer in the series and has found the right balance between defence and attack at the crease, not to mention a method against spin. COLLAPSES - Look batting collapses do happen - it’s part of the mystique of the sport - but there isn’t anything mysterious about the Proteas’ batting any more. If one gets out, seven get out. It’s got nothing to do with conditions in the sub-continent because it happens wherever they play. Yesterday’s 7/33 in 11.4 overs is another horror chapter, in what is developing into a scary novel of Proteas batting. FIELDING - SA fans of yesteryear, would laugh at you, if you mentioned that Pakistan out-fielded the Proteas in any cricket match but over the course of this short series, that’s exactly what happened. SA’S ground fielding was poor and so was the catching, and it was very costly. There is plenty of work to do. PAKISTAN - Babar Azam’s men deserve every bit of congratulations for how they played. It was also a significant series for Pakistan given all the issues about security with the Covid-19 pandemic adding to the challenges. Hopefully SA - the third team to tour there for Tests after Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - have set an example for the rest of the cricket world to follow.