South Africa performed impressively at fourth day for defeat Pakistan by 8 wickets Series tied 1-1 in the second Test in Rawalpindi. After Pakistan scored 333 runs in their first innings and 138 runs in their second innings, South Africa chased down the target of 68 runs in just 12.3 overs. simon harmer He was the standout bowler for South Africa, taking 6 wickets in Pakistan’s second innings as the hosts struggled to mount any significant resistance. aiden markram And Ryan Rickelton Ensured a clinical chase, won relatively easily and set the stage for a thrilling finale to the series.
Pakistan’s collapse on the fourth day: Simon Harmer’s six wickets shatters the hosts
Pakistan’s second innings was ruined by Harmer’s brilliant bowling performance on the fourth day. Harmer took 6 wickets, including important dismissals Babar AzamSaud Shakeel And Mohammad RizwanDespite a brilliant innings from Babar who scored 50 runs, Pakistan was all out for 138 runs. Keshav Maharaj While provided excellent support by taking 2 wickets Kagiso Rabada And marco janson Contributed to major successes. Pakistan’s batting faltered in the face of South Africa’s continuous spin attack and they were out within 50 overs. The fall of wickets was rapid, with the hosts unable to recover from the early collapse, leaving South Africa with a small but manageable target of 68 runs to win.
Also read: Pakistan announces white-ball squad for South Africa series, Babar Azam returns for T20Is
South Africa’s clinical chase: Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton seal victory
South Africa’s response to the small target was calm and measured. Starting with Markram and Rickelton, the Proteas moved towards the target quickly and took only 12.3 overs to complete the chase. Markram was aggressive, scoring 42 runs off 45 balls, which included some crisp fours. Rickelton, on the other hand, was more cautious but solid in his approach and finished with 25 not out. Despite tough bowling by Pakistan’s fast bowlers, the pair completed the job quickly. The win was testament to South Africa’s resilience, with their bowlers dominating the game and completing the series on a perfect note.
Here’s how fans reacted:
In a parallel universe, Simon Harmer and Kyle Abbott do not go the Kolpak route and form the deadliest bowling trio ever known in the history of mankind with Rabada.
– Prithvi (@Prithvi10_) 23 October 2025
South Africa, meanwhile, put up an incredible fight. Led by the spinners. So what kind of wicket do you have for the first Test in Kolkata?
– Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) 23 October 2025
Simon Harmer has bowled brilliantly with all his experience, which is what I was expecting before this series.
Changed your speed. Setting up the batsman for that slider/arm ball. Some overspin and hence extra bounce.
Game-changing magic.
– Marshall (@coverpoint_) 23 October 2025
“The spinners have dominated this series and who would have thought it would be the South African spinners?” Ramiz Raja says on commentary.
Crazy comment considering the quality and experience of Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj. Senuran Muthusamy also took 277 FC wickets at 27.96 in this Test.…
– Cricblog ✍ (@cric_blog) 23 October 2025
Simon Harmer has 1000 FC wickets to his name.
Essex legend.
– Behram Qazi 🇵🇰 🇨🇦 (@DeafMango) 23 October 2025
Pakistan is on illegal track in home Test this year
– Lost a Test to West Indies after being reduced to 38/7 in the first innings
– Lost a Test to South Africa after being reduced to 235/8 with a lead of 98 runs
They are leading 1-0 in both the series but could not win the series. #PAKvSA– JSK (@imjsk27) 23 October 2025
Thanks to Team South Africa for successfully chasing and ending the match in the first session of the fourth day to make the lives of the residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad easier.
A worthy victory 🙌🏼 🇿🇦#PAKvSA– Ali Sethi (@Alisethi_1) 23 October 2025
The last two South African wickets added 165 runs and our entire Pakistan team scored 138 runs.
If on spin wickets we can’t get the tail-enders out and bat in the second innings, the whole thing is a disaster.#PAKvSA
– Adnan Alavi (@adnanalavi) 23 October 2025
The World Test Champions came back to win the second Test in spectacular fashion!
Series level 1-1
Now, how many of us want there to be a third Test?#PAKvSA #WTC27 pic.twitter.com/WtZg1Q9orC
– ThePoppingCrease (@PoppingCreaseSA) 23 October 2025
Congratulations to the South African team for winning this test match. The SA batsmen showed how to play under pressure and snatch victory from the expected winning team. The Pak captain needs to learn from the expertise of the SA team. #PAKvSA
– Syed Khalid Mahmood (@SyedKhalidMah12) 23 October 2025
What a victory for South Africa! It is not easy to dominate the home team in such challenging conditions. However, it is a shame that this is a two-match series. Would love to see more such encounters. #PAKvSA
– Brashna Kasi (@brashna) 23 October 2025
South Africa registers first Test win in Pakistan since 2007#Cricket #PAKvSA #SouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/GDMMjnkCKx
– CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) 23 October 2025