Ryan Rickelton`s 259 Gave South Africa A Huge Score
Pakistan endured a disastrous day in Cape Town as South Africa quickly demolished their top order, leaving them hopeless after Day 2. After amassing 615 runs, bolstered by a double century from Ryan Rickelton and a hundred from Kyle Verreynne and Temba Bavuma, the South African fast bowlers, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen, efficiently decimated a Pakistan lineup that was already without the injured Saim Ayub. As a result, South Africa is just six wickets away from forcing Pakistan to bat again, with the visitors trailing by a staggering 551 runs at the end of day two.
After taking charge before lunch, South Africa thoroughly dominated Pakistan in the afternoon. Rickelton ended with a score of 259, narrowly missing Stephen Fleming’s record of 262 for the highest total at Newlands. Verreynne celebrated his fourth Test century. Jansen, who had struggled with batting throughout 2024, kicked off the new year with a rapid half-century, reaching the milestone in just 42 balls with six fours and three sixes. In the second session alone, a remarkable 137 runs were added, pushing South Africa to 566 for 7 by tea, marking their highest home score in four years.
Pakistan put up a commendable fight, but their efforts seemed unlikely to succeed on a pitch that had become well-behaved and batters that had established themselves. Much of the second session turned into a celebration of personal achievements. Verreynne maintained the aggression that characterized the first session, scoring a boundary off Mohammad Abbas and a single off the following delivery to reach three figures, earning a standing ovation from the crowd at Newlands, who might have tired legs from doing so repeatedly.
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Salman Ali Agha was the next bowler to dismiss him as Kyle Verreynne attempted a slog sweep, but it did little to halt South Africa’s progress. With no pressure from the scoreboard, Jansen allowed his innate talent to shine, playing freely and timing his shots beautifully. He took 11 deliveries to score his first run, but once he did, he was unstoppable. Two fours and a six off Khurram Shahzad in consecutive overs helped to reach a 50-run partnership in 46 balls, with both Ryan Rickelton and Marco Jansen hitting sixes off Salman.
Pakistan finally concluded their innings after enduring more than 140 overs under the sweltering Newlands sun, finishing it in a satisfying manner, much like their initial start. Abbas struck the top of off to send debutant Kwena Maphaka’s stumps flying, resembling what ball-tracking had predicted might happen on the very first ball of the innings, had Aiden Markram’s pad not intercepted it.
However, as soon as they began their batting, one could almost sense that Pakistan wished South Africa’s innings could have continued. Masood didn’t survive the first over, heaving at a Rabada delivery that swung away, resulting in his outside edge being taken. Saud Shakeel followed suit in a nearly identical manner, uncharacteristically driving at Rabada, with the ball again edging to the same slip fielder, where David Bedingham took a straightforward catch.
In the midst of this, extra pace and bounce from Jansen left Kamran Ghulam in a precarious position, ultimately leading to his stumps being knocked over.
So potent was South Africa’s initial attack and so lackluster were Pakistan’s batsmen that it seemed the hosts could easily penetrate deep into the tail later that evening. However, Babar Azam, stepping in for Ayub, steadied things alongside Mohammad Rizwan, and the replacement bowlers for South Africa were not quite up to the lethal standard of Rabada and Jansen.
It was beneficial for Pakistan to ensure that they ended a day devoid of redeeming qualities with the hope that the following one might postpone the inevitable for a bit longer.
