PAK vs SA 2nd Test: Babar, Rizwan Hold Fort For Pakistan After Rabada, Muthuswamy Put Visitors In Driver's Seat In Rawalpindi

PAK vs SA 2nd Test: A stunning half-century from pacer Kagiso Rabada and Senuran Muthuswamy gave South Africa a significant upper hand as they achieved a first innings lead of 71 runs and concluded day three of the second Test against Pakistan with four opposition wickets in hand at Rawalpindi on Wednesday. At the close of play, Pakistan's score stood at 94/4, with Babar Azam (49*) approaching a half-century and Mohammed Rizwan (16*) not out at the other end.

South Africa begin on day three at 185/4, with Tristan Stubbs (68*) and Kyle Verreyne (10*) walking out as overnight batters. In their first innings, Pakistan had scored 333 runs, led by half-centuries from captain Shan Masood (87), Saud Shakeel (66), and Abdullah Shafique (57).

The day began positively for Pakistan, as early breakthroughs by Asif Afridi (6/79) helped South Africa restrict to 235/8. Stubbs (76 off 205 balls, including six fours and a six) and Verreyne (10) contributed little, but Muthusamy (89* off 155 balls, with eight fours) rescued the Proteas with a partnership of 71 runs alongside Keshav Maharaj (30 off 53 balls, hitting three fours), pushing their total beyond 300 runs.

Rabada's return started some real fun for the Proteas as he audaciously took down the premium pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and the scary spin duo of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali with some entertaining fours and sixes, bringing up his first-ever professional cricket half-century in 38 balls.

This was the second-fastest fifty by a number 11 in Tests, below Shane Shillingford's 25-ball fifty against New Zealand in 2014. By the time Asif got rid of him for 71 in 61 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes each, he had smashed the fifth-highest score by a number 11 in Test cricket (the highest being by Australia's Ashton Agar, 98 against England in 2013) and the 400-run mark was breached. SA, all out at 404, had a 71-run lead.

Simon Harmer (3/26) and Rabada struck early, removing the top-order of Imam, Shafique and Masood for single digits, reducing Pakistan to 16/3. However, by stumps, Babar (49* in 83 balls, with four boundaries) helped Pakistan to a slender lead with Rizwan standing at the other end.

Inputs from ANI