South Africa edged Pakistan by two wickets in the opening Test match at Centurion on Sunday, booking their place in the World Test Championship Final in June 20.
Starting the day with 121 runs to win, Markram and Bavuma adopted a measured approach on the day four pitch, which still offered plenty for the seamers.
Pakistan thought they’d struck early when Bavuma was initially given out LBW following an enormous appeal from Khurram Shahzad. But the Proteas captain was quick to review and the replay revealed a healthy inside edge.
The scare seemed to slow the scoring rate as the pair respected the relentless accuracy of Shahzad and the tireless Mohammed Abbas.
Looking to break the shackles, Bavuma hooked Abbas and Naseem Shah steadied himself on the ropes at fine leg for the catch. A valiant effort saw him catch the ball but land over the boundary. Bavuma moved to 20.
That man Abbas finally got just reward with the Proteas still needing 86 to win. Pitching on a good length, the ball barely bounced and crept under Markram’s bat to clatter into off-stump.
Pakistan got their fifth wicket in the 29th over from the ever-present Abbas. Bavuma advanced down the track and missed his flourishing drive, edging through to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan. Incredibly, on the replay, the ball missed his inside edge and actually clipped his pocket. Bavuma hadn’t reviewed and was back in the hut for an attritional 40, his charges still 52 runs shy of victory.
Shah and Abbas then turned the game on its head with three wickets in the space of four balls. First, Kyle Verreynne departed after an inside edge crashed into his stumps off a Shah, then Abbas grabbed two scalps in two balls the next over, nicking off both David Bedingham and first innings hero Corbin Bosch to Rizwan.
A flurry of boundaries from Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen took the Proteas to lunch, still 32 runs shy but only two wickets remaining.
Rabada then turned chief aggressor after lunch. The left-arm would bludgeon five boundaries – including a calypso-style uppercut – to put the Proteas to the brink. A calm Jansen would hit the winning runs down to a vacant third man, cuing emotional celebrations in the Proteas’ box.
The duo combined for a swashbuckling 51-run partnership to secure the memorable win, while Pakistan-quick Abbas finished with 6/54 in his mammoth 19-over effort.
The Proteas await the result of India’s tour to Australia to find out their opponents for the WTC Final on 11 June at Lord’s.
