Rickelton holds firm as Proteas suffer another batting collapse

Pakistan were on top at lunch on the first day of the New Year’s Test, picking up three wickets in the second hour and leaving South Africa, who’d won the toss, on 72/3.

The steady progress of the first hour, with Ryan Rickelton leading the way, was undone by some poor shot-making from South Africa’s batters, with another mini collapse seeing them lose three wickets for 11 runs in 7.3 overs.

Rickelton was not out on 50 at the interval, an innings in which he showed fluency in the first hour, with several sweetly struck drives, but in which he had to be watchful later as Pakistan’s bowlers improved both their lines and lengths.

Rickelton has developed a love affair with Newlands, a venue he calls home in the SA20, and has made hundreds in his last two matches here, for the Lions in the domestic four-day competition. On Friday he produced a classy knock, after Temba Bavuma chose to bat, on a surface that was nowhere near as dangerous for batting as was the case 12 months ago, when India were the tourists.

Strangely, the strip for the this Test is the same as the one used last summer, but the reparation has been very different, and it has played much more evenly than was the case in 2024. None of South Africa’s wickets can be blamed on the surface.

Pakistan made one change to the team that played in Centurion last week, replacing Naseem Sha, who has a back injury, with Mir Hamza

Aiden Markram was fortunate to survive the first ball of the match from Mohammad Abbas, a delivery which nipped away and hit his back pad and on first viewing looked to be plumb lbw, but wasn’t given by umpire Nitin Menon. Pakistan justifiably reviewed, but replays indicated that the ball was only brushing the top of the off bail and based on Menon’s not out decision, Markram stayed.

There was misfortune for Pakistan’s talented opener Saim Ayub, who was diagnosed with having a twisted ankle after chasing a ball to the boundary, and slipping on the outfield. He had to be escorted around the boundary on the back of a medical cart after his ankle was strapped and was later taken to hospital for further assessment.

Pakistan improved in the second half of the session, their bowlers, finding better lengths, not as full as they’d been earlier.

The result of that change, saw Rickelton scoring less freely, and more importantly for the tourists, created a pressure, which led to their three moments of success.

After Markram was dropped on 17 by substitute fielder Abdullah Shafique at the end of the 14th over — very simple chance, off a dreadful ball — he was dismissed off the second ball of Khurram Shahzad’s next over. It was another loose drive from Markram, with the ball deflecting off the inside edge giving Mohammad Rizwan a comfortable catch. Markram had battled for the 15 minutes leading up to his dismissal and didn’t look as assured as his opening partner, throughout their 61-run stand.

The Wiaan Mulder experiment at No 3, didn’t work, despite the foundation created by the openers.

His dismissal, for just five, came via a horrible shot, his feet not moving, and just a lazy wave of the bat at Abbas 10 minutes before lunch.

Tristan Stubbs, who had been given the No 3 spot at the start of the season, was then caught off spinner Salma Agha — another poor shot, driving loosely off the back foot, to leave the tourists cocker hoop as they tucked into their lunch.

(Times live)