Overview:
He went past Albert Volger, who scored an unbeaten 62 against England at The Oval in 1906.
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — The No. 11 batter Kagiso Rabada and Senuran Muthusamy hit career-best half-centuries as South Africa scripted one of its most memorable comebacks to dominate Pakistan on Day 3 of the second and final test.
Rabada has broken the 119-year-old South African record for the most runs by a number 11 batter in the history of Test cricket. He went past Albert Volger, who scored an unbeaten 62 against England at The Oval in 1906.
South Africa was all out Wednesday for 404 in its first innings — having resumed on 185-4 and being reduced to 235-8 and 306-9 — to take a 71-run lead.
Pakistan collapsed to 94-4 in its second innings at stumps. Off-spinner Simon Harmer took 3-26 and Rabada had Abdullah Shafique caught in the slips cordon in his incisive opening spell with the new ball.
Babar Azam, who hasn’t scored an international century in more than two years, is 49 not out, and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is undefeated on 16 as the pair led Pakistan’s resistance.
South Africa earlier fought back in a match where Pakistan had won the important toss on a spinning wicket.
Afridi (6-79) had put Pakistan in sight of a meaningful first-innings lead before the home team ran into Muthusamy and Rabada’s electrifying 98-run last-wicket stand.
Muthusamy made an unbeaten 89 off 155 balls, and Rabada smashed four sixes and four boundaries in his belligerent 71 off 61 as the Proteas bid to level the two-match series.
Afridi’s five-wicket haul saw World Test Championship winner South Africa slip to 221-7 in 80 overs before Pakistan’s ploy to finish off the innings with the second new ball misfired badly.
Muthusamy cut Pakistan’s lead to 27 when he shared a 71-run ninth-wicket stand with Keshav Maharaj, who gave at least three chances and went on to score 30. Rabada blunted the pace of Shaheen Shah Afridi and the spinners with his first test 50.
It was only the second time in test matches that both the ninth and 10th wickets shared partnerships of 50-plus in a test innings.
South Africa went to lunch 48 runs behind with two wickets in hand, but Muthusamy swept and reverse-swept against the spinners with ease, and Rabada didn’t spare the bowlers before he holed out to long-on at the stroke of tea that ended a superb counterattack from South Africa.