SA vs PAK: 18 Year Old Pacer Troubles PAK’s Batting Line-up

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SA vs PAK: In the ongoing second Test between Pakistan and South Africa, the Pakistan cricket team is facing a struggle both on the batting side as well as the bowling end. The star batsman, Babar Azam, was going great guns with his bat but saw an unexpected collapse through an excellent delivery from Kwena Mphaka, who is just 18 years of age from South Africa. This dismissal, in addition to Pakistan’s rather pathetic overall performance, has made recovery a fight for them in this match.

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Babar Azam vs Mphaka’s Deceptive Delivery in SA vs PAK Test

The pressure had been mounting on Babar Azam for some time, and his inconsistent form was starting to reflect in his play. Yet, despite his lean patch, Azam’s batting had shown some improvement during the South Africa tour and his efforts were promising as he faced 127 balls and scored 58 runs. It seemed that just when he was going to change the course of the game for Pakistan, he fell into a trap set by the young South African pacer Kwena Mphaka.

When Babar was given the marching orders, he appeared well-established and even scoring fluently at the time. The Mphaka delivery came as a total shock to this was a short ball that reared sharply off the pitch. In a flash of absolute brilliance, Mphaka made Azam lose balance and, the ball found its way to the edge of his bat, sending him back to the pavilion. This dismissal, coming after Babar had contributed a vital 58, was a significant blow to Pakistan’s hopes in the match.

Despite a solid start, Babar Azam once again failed to convert his start into a big innings, which has been a recurring theme for him in recent matches. His inability to capitalize on good starts has compounded Pakistan’s struggles in the series.

Pakistan’s Batting Woes: Collapse Continues

By the time lunch came around on Day 3, Pakistan was staring into an abyss after losing 6 wickets for 155 runs. His was the significant moment in this overall collapse. His dismissal exposed Pakistan’s middle order, and it has not regained its composure since. Apart from Babar, Mohammad Rizwan, the Pakistan captain, did show some resilience with the bat, trying to hold the innings together, but the mounting pressure from South Africa’s bowlers continued to mount.

Pakistan’s batting, in this Test, has been a talking point as their top order failed to present any partnerships. The lack of challenge against the South African bowling was a significant concern, and the game now being at its most crucial stages, Pakistan would have to look up to their lower order for some serious contribution in making a competitive total.

South Africa’s Dominance with the Bat: A Triple Century and Two Centuries

South Africa, meanwhile, is totally in command, with a massive score of 615 runs already on the board in their first innings. This imposing total was powered by a historic knock from Ryan Rickelton, who played sensational innings of 259 runs from 343 balls. Rickelton’s knock was studded with 29 fours and 3 sixes, dominating Pakistan’s bowlers and anchoring the South African innings.

In addition to Rickelton’s magnificent double century, South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma also batted very well and scored 106 runs for the total. The wicketkeeper of the team, Kyle Verrin, also batted well with an innings of 100 runs, scoring his own century while the South African middle order dominated. Big all-rounder Marco Jansen also contributed useful 60 runs for South Africa.

Aggressive batting and long partnerships by South Africa helped it to set a really big target, thus putting Pakistan on the back foot right from the beginning of the game. Continuous scoring of runs and building large totals have forced Pakistan under immense pressure.

Pakistan’s Bowling Struggles: Lackluster Performance

Their bowlers could not make any real breakthroughs or restrict the flow of runs. Mohammad Abbas and Salman Agha were the only bowlers to pick up three wickets each, but both could not restrict the run-scoring during South Africa’s innings. Pakistan’s other bowlers, including Mir Hamza and Khurram Shahzad, were able to take two wickets each, but their efforts could not do much to stop South Africa from piling up a huge total.

What was really worrying for Pakistan was that four bowlers—Abbas, Agha, Hamza, and Shahzad—every single one of them conceded over 100 runs, an alarming incident in Test cricket. Moreover, it reflected that Pakistan’s bowling attack did not have sufficient control and discipline. Pakistan’s bowling cannot exercise constant pressure against South Africa’s batting lineup, so, the South Africans went on batting in advance.

A Mounting Challenge for Pakistan

The match is only moving forward for Pakistan. Pakistan has to face a mountainous challenge. Trailing by a huge total, with just a few wickets remaining, they will need a Herculean effort to even try and attempt a recovery. The loss of Babar Azam, who was just starting to look like his old self, is a huge morale-sinker for the team.

South Africa, with such a commanding total and with youngster pacer Mphaka doing wonders, is well in the driver’s seat, and if Pakistan has to make it a competitive game, they need to get back soon into the match. With their batting failing and the bowlers not able to hold back the South African attack, Pakistan face a tremendous task in the second Test of the series.

Though there have been numerous moments of sheer brilliance, with double hundreds by Rickelton and significant knocks from Mphaka among others, South Africa remains clearly in control here, looking for ways to secure victory within the remaining days of this test match. Both on the bat as well as on the ball, there has been something alarmingly deficient for Pakistan which needs an instant change to face competition within the same series.

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