South Africa cruised to an easy victory over Pakistan, chasing down a small target of 58 runs without losing a wicket at Newlands. The win sealed the series 2-0, with South Africa wrapping things up within four days in the second and final Test.

Pakistan put up a strong fight in their second innings, scoring 478 after being forced to follow on. Their performance was led by captain Shan Masood, who played a brilliant knock of 145 on what turned into a batter-friendly pitch. However, South African bowlers Kagiso Rabada (3-115) and Keshav Maharaj (3-137) kept chipping away at the wickets. Some poor shot choices from Pakistan also helped the home team’s cause.

With Ryan Rickelton, the star of South Africa’s first innings, sidelined due to a hamstring strain, David Bedingham was promoted to open the second innings. Bedingham wasted no time, smashing 44 runs off just 30 balls to lead South Africa to victory in just 7.1 overs.

South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma expressed satisfaction with the result, calling it “good old Test cricket.” He noted that the game provided valuable lessons for the team, which will help them improve in the future. This win marks South Africa’s seventh consecutive Test victory, their second-best streak ever. It also sets them up perfectly for the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s in June.

Pakistan started the fourth day on 213 for one but were effectively two down as Saim Ayub had been ruled out with a fractured ankle from an earlier injury. Although the pitch didn’t offer much help to bowlers, South Africa managed to take key wickets at regular intervals.

Marco Jansen dismissed Khurram Shahzad for 18 with a sharp delivery that found its way to point. Rabada bowled Kamran Ghulam for 28 with a ball that cut back sharply to crash into the stumps. After lunch, South Africa’s bowlers made further inroads with the new ball. The highlight was young pacer Kwena Maphaka, just 18 years old and making history as South Africa’s youngest Test player, trapping Masood leg-before-wicket.

Despite some resistance from Mohammad Rizwan (41) and Salman Agha (48), Maharaj cleaned up the tail. He dismissed both Rizwan and Aamer Jamal (34), adding to his tally of three wickets. Pakistan’s total of 478 was a remarkable recovery after their first-innings collapse for just 194, making it the highest follow-on score by any visiting team in South Africa.

Reflecting on the match, Masood praised his team’s fightback but acknowledged that they fell short in key moments. He emphasized the need for Pakistan to capitalize on crucial opportunities in future games.

Brief Scores:
South Africa 615 (Rickelton 157, Bavuma 106, Verreynne 100; Abbas 3-94) and 61/0 (Bedingham 47*) defeated Pakistan 194 (Babar Azam 58; Rabada 3-55) and 478 (Masood 145, Babar Azam 81; Rabada 3-115) by ten wickets.