South Africa crush Pakistan by eight wickets in second Test
/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/7362729233402086427.jpgSouth Africa´s Ryan Rickelton （L） watches the ball after playing a shot during the fourth day of the second Test cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on October 23, 2025. — AFPSouth Africa secured an eight-wicket victory against Pakistan in the second Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday, leveling the two-match series at 1-1.
In pursuit of a meager target of 68 runs, the South African team accomplished the goal with eight wickets to spare. The visitors took only 12.3 overs to reach the target as captain Aiden Markram made 42 before being trapped leg before wicket by Noman Ali. Advertisement
Tristan Stubbs was caught in the slips in the same over without scoring.
Resuming Day 4 on 94-4, Pakistan\“s batters folded, adding just 44 runs. Off-spinner Simon Harmer took six wickets to help dismiss Pakistan for 138. The 36-year-old finished with 6-50 for a maiden five-wicket haul — also completing 1,000 first-class wickets — on a deteriorating Rawalpindi stadium pitch.
Harmer jolted Pakistan\“s hopes of saving the Test when he trapped Babar Azam leg-before with the fifth ball of the day after the batsman had reached his 30th Test half-century.
Pakistan\“s hopes had rested on Azam ending his century drought, having not scored a ton since December 2022.
Nine runs later, Harmer had Mohammad Rizwan caught by close-in fielder Tony de Zorzi for 18.
In his next over, the spinner dismissed Noman Ali for nought, caught behind for Harmer´s 1,000th wicket in his 235th first-class match.
Shaheen Shah Afridi was run out without scoring, while Keshav Maharaj dismissed Salman Agha for 28 and Sajid Khan for 13 to swiftly wrap up the innings.
In their first innings, Pakistan were bundled out for 333, with skipper Shan Masood top-scoring with 87 Saud Shakeel contributed 66. For South Africa, Keshav Maharaj finished with brilliant figures of 7/102 in 42.4 overs, while Simon Harmer claimed two wickets and Kagiso Rabada picked up one.
In response to Pakistan\“s first-innings total, South Africa posted 404 runs, thanks to outstanding contributions from Senuran Muthusamy and Kagiso Rabada.
Muthusamy made a career-best 89* while Rabada scored 71 off 61 balls. For Pakistan, Asif Afridi finished with figures of 6/79 in 34.3 overs, followed by Noman Ali with two wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sajid Khan picked up one wicket each.
Maharaj was declared man of the match while Muthusamy was adjudged player of the series.
Pakistan had previously claimed victory in the first match of the series, part of the ICC Championship 2025-27, at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
— With additional input from AFP
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