Harmer Spins South Africa to Comfortable Win Against Pakistan in Rawalpindi Test

South Africa thumped Pakistan by 8 wickets in the second test at Rawalpindi. It was the bowling masterclass of Simon Harmer that destroyed the Pakistan batting innings. He ran through the middle order of Pakistan by taking six wickets. The prized scalp of Babar Azam in the second innings was the major highlight of his bowling that turned the match in favor of South Africa.

At the end of Day 3, South Africa were already looking well set to close out the match on a high note. They came out to the field with high confidence on Day 4, and needed only a few deliveries to dismiss Babar Azam early in the morning.

Once he got out, the inevitable happened, as Pakistan collapsed quickly without putting anything strong on the board. They managed to score just 138 runs in the second innings, giving South Africa an easy target of 68 runs to win the Rawalpindi test match.

Simon Harmer remained the star bowler for South Africa in the second innings, as he picked a stunning six-wicket haul while giving away just 50 runs. By doing so, he also became the fourth South African bowler to pick 1000 wickets in first-class cricket.

When South Africa came out to bat, they marched towards the small target of 68 runs aggressively. The captain, Aiden Markram, took on the Pakistan bowlers with a positive approach, knowing that the target wasn’t too big. Due to his splendid batting, South Africa chased the total easily without facing any hard resistance from the Pakistan bowling attack. This victory allowed them to level the series, marking their first Test triumph in Pakistan in 18 years.

The Proteas will now move towards the white ball leg of the tour, in which they will play three T20Is and three ODIs against Pakistan. It promises to be an exciting series featuring some new South African stars who have earned a call-up for the tour after showcasing promising performances in the domestic circuit.