CAPE TOWN: Ryan Rickelton struck a career-best unbeaten 176 and his captain Temba Bavuma scored 106 as South Africa pummelled Pakistan seamers at Newlands to finish the first day of the second and final Test on 316 for four on Friday.

The pair put on 235 in 53.5 overs for the fourth wicket after Pakistan had picked up three scalps late in the first session, but then toiled after lunch under the baking hot sun in Cape Town.

Rickelton will resume on the second morning with David Bedingham, who is unbeaten on four.

The left-handed opener was elevated from the number three position due to an injury to Tony de Zorzi, and took his chance to score a second Test century after his first against Sri Lanka last month.

His marathon effort has lasted 232 balls with 21 fours and a six after South Africa had won the toss and elected to bat.

Rickelton’s hundred was a perfect blend of class and calmness. The milestone came in the 46th over when he glanced a full delivery from part-time Salman Agha down the leg side to the fine leg boundary.

The crowd erupted with joy as Rickelton reached the three-figure mark at his home ground.

He removed his helmet, raised the bat to acknowledge the standing ovation from the crowd. Bavuma greeted him with a warm hug, making the moment even more special.

Rickelton’s innings wasn’t just about scoring runs; it was about how he batted. He showed exceptional discipline, leaving deliveries outside the off-stump, playing straight when required, and stepping out confidently when needed.

“I’m stoked, to get 170-odd is special for me,” Rickelton said. “My plan was to just keep it simple, stand still and play straight.

“It’s been a good day for us, Temba was superb. With how brittle the surface [of the wicket] is underneath, we need to get as many runs as we can in this first innings.”

Rickelton and Aiden Markram put on 61 for the first wicket before the latter was caught by wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan off the bowling of Khurram Shahzad for 17.

Wiaan Mulder made five before he gave a simple chance to Rizwan off the bowling of Mohammad Abbas, and the keeper claimed his third victim the ball before lunch as Tristan Stubbs edged spinner Salman Agha having failed to score.

Bavuma scored his fourth Test century to continue his excellent form that has seen him score two centuries and three fifties in his last seven innings. He was out 15 minutes before the close when he edged Salman (2-55) to Rizwan.

Pakistan’s day was made worse when in-form opening batter Saim Ayub had to be carried off the field on a stretcher after he sustained an ankle injury.

The pitch is the same strip on which India beat South Africa by seven wickets after only 107 overs of the last five-day match played in Cape Town 12 months ago, the shortest Test to have a winner in history.

South Africa have already claimed their place in June’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s against as yet unconfirmed opponents, but are looking to win this series 2-0 after claiming a tense first Test by two wickets in Centurion.

SCOREBOARD

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings):

A. Markram c Rizwan b Khurram 17

R. Rickelton not out 176

W. Mulder c Rizwan b Abbas 5

T. Stubbs c Rizwan b Salman 0

T. Bavuma c Rizwan b Salman 106

D. Bedingham not out 4

EXTRAS (LB-4, NB-3, W-1) 8

TOTAL (for four wickets, 80 overs) 316

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-61 (Markram), 2-70 (Mulder), 3-72 (Stubbs), 4-307 (Bavuma)

STILL TO BAT: K. Verreynne, M. Jansen, K. Maharaj, K. Rabada, Maphaka BOWLING: Abbas 16-0-51-1 (1nb), Hamza 15-1-49-0, Khurram 15-2-69-1, Aamir 15-0-85-0 (1w, 1nb), Salman 18-0-55-2, Kamran 1-0-3-0 (1nb)

PAKISTAN: Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Abbas, Mir Hamza

UMPIRES: Handunnettige Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and Nitin Menon (India)

TV UMPIRE: Alexander Wharf (England)

MATCH REFEREE: Richard Richardson (West Indies)

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2025