Skip to primary navigation Skip to content Shan Masood produced a defiant century to ensure that Pakistan didn’t go down without a fight. © AFP A look at all the key numbers from Pakistan’s valiant second-innings effort in the second Test against South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town. 421 – Deficit overcome by Pakistan following on in this Test, after they were skittled out for 194 in their first innings in response to South Africa’s 615. Only once has a higher first innings deficit been overcome while following on in the format – by Pakistan against the West Indies in Bridgetown in 1958 – an innings led by Hanif Mohammad’s 337 in 970 minutes – the longest individual knock in Tests and the only triple scored while following on. Highest deficit overcome while following on in Tests 478 by Pakistan is their third-highest team total while following in a Test match, after 657/8d in Bridgetown 1958 and 537 against Australia in Rawalpindi in 1994. It also happened to be the second-highest total while following on in a Test in South Africa, only behind the hosts’ 572/7 vs ENG in Durban, 1999 and the second-highest while following on against the Proteas, after England’s 551 at Trent Bridge in 1947. Furthermore, it is also the second-highest follow-on total in defeats, after India’s 510 against England at Headingley in 1967. Highest scores while following on in a Test for Pakistan Highest follow-on totals in defeats South Africa’s imperious run continues 7 consecutive Test wins for South Africa, including the Cape Town Test, a run that started with a 40-run win against the West Indies in Guyana in August. It is currently their second-longest winning streak in the format, behind nine between March 2002 and August 2003.

8 matches won by Temba Bavuma as captain out of nine, making for a stunning win percentage of 88.88%. That’s the joint second-most wins for anyone from his first nine Tests as captain, after England’s Percy Chapman, who had won each of his first nine before losing the 10th. Australia’s Warwick Armstrong and Lindsay Hassett too, had won eight of their first nine Tests as captain. Shan Masood leads Pakistan’s gritty fightback 205 – Runs added by Shan Masood and Babar Azam for the first wicket, making it the highest opening stand while following on in Tests, surpassing 204 between Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie at Lord’s in 2008. It was also the highest for any wicket for Pakistan while following on; Hanif Mohammad had added 154 and 152 with Saeed Ahmed and Imtiaz Ahmed respectively in the Bridgetown 1958 Test. The Masood-Babar stand was just the second worth 200 or more for Pakistan against South Africa in Tests (for any wicket), after 219 between Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan at the same venue in 2013. Highest opening stands while following on in Tests 4.42 – The partnership run-rate for the 205 runs added in 46.2 overs between Babar and Masood. Of the 41 stands of 150-plus recorded in Tests while following on, only one was scored at a quicker rate: 185 between Tamim Iqbal & Imrul Kayes in 38.2 overs (RR:4.82) at Lord’s in 2010. It was also the quickest 200-plus opening stand for Pakistan in Tests in terms of the scoring rate; of the previous eight, only one had been scored at 4-plus runs per over: 278 between Abid Ali and Shan Masood in Karachi in 2019. Of Pakistan’s nine 200-plus opening stands in Test cricket, six have come since October 2016. 145 by Shan Masood was only the second 50-plus score by a Pakistan captain while following on in Tests, after Saleem Malik’s 237 against Australia in Rawalpindi in 1994. Overall, it was the fifth hundred for a Pakistan batter while following on. It was also the second-highest individual Test score for Pakistan against South Africa, one short of Khurram Manzoor’s 146 in Abu Dhabi in 2013. Before Masood, only two other Pakistan captains had registered Test hundreds while opening the batting: Saeed Anwar (149) against New Zealand in Rawalpindi in 1996 and Aamer Sohail (133) against Australia in Karachi in 1998. Test hundreds for Pakistan while following on Rabada shines at Newlands yet again 52 Test wickets for Kagiso Rabada at Newlands, the fifth bowler to bag 50-plus wickets at the venue after Dale Steyn (74), Makhaya Ntini (53), Vernon Philander (53) and Shaun Pollock (51). In the history of Test cricket, there have only been two venues where five different bowlers have taken 50 or more wickets, the other being the Galle International Stadium: Muttiah Muralitharan (111), Rangana Herath (102), Prabath Jayasuriya (71), Ramesh Mendis (62) and Dilruwan Perera (57). 34.2 – Rabada’s bowling strike-rate at Newlands, the third-best for anyone with a minimum of 50 Test wickets at the venue. It’s a list dominated by Proteas bowlers, led by Rabada himself, whose 59 scalps at the SuperSport Park in Centurion have come at 31.5. Best bowling SR at a venue in Tests (min. 50 wickets) You may also like Leave a comment Cancel reply