Cape Town, Jan 4 Opener Ryan Rickelton compiled a gritty unbeaten 176 and skipper Temba Bavuma contributed a patient 106 as South Africa reached a strong 316/4 on the opening day of the second and final Test of the series at the Newlands here on Friday. Rickelton is batting on 176 off 232 balls, studded with 21 fours and one six while Bavuma faced 179 balls for his 106, hitting nine fours and two sixes in the process as the hosts dominated the day after winning the toss and electing to bat first.
Pakistan suffered an injury scare early in the South African innings after opener Saim Ayub was stretchered off after he injured his ankle.
The injury occurred in the seventh over when Ryan Rickelton edged a ball through the slips, prompting Ayub to chase it to deep third alongside Aamer Jamal. As Jamal pulled the ball back, Ayub, positioned as the relay fielder, lost his balance and twisted his ankle. He immediately went down, clutching his lower leg in pain as the physio rushed to assist.
After receiving prolonged treatment near the boundary, Ayub was stretchered off, casting a shadow over Pakistan’s efforts. The situation worsened shortly after when Ayub’s replacement, Abdullah Shafique, dropped a straightforward chance at cover to dismiss Aiden Markram. Fortunately, Markram was removed by Khurram Shahzad two overs later, but celebrations remained subdued, reflecting the impact of Ayub's absence.
Rickelton and Markram (17) raised 61 runs for the opening wicket but South Africa lost two more wickets after his departure as Wiaan Mulder (5) and Tristan Stubbs (0) departed in quick succession.
But Rickelton found a willing partner in skipper Bavuma and they knitted a mammoth 235-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which simply took the wind out of Pakistan's sails. Rickelton was patient, and gritty and showed a lot of resilience to compile a brilliant knock that put South Africa on course for a big total. He completed his fifty off 73 balls and reached his century off 135 balls, hitting 14 boundaries.
Bavuma was also quite circumspect in his approach as he reached his half-century in 82 balls and a hundred off 167 balls. The diminutive batter was out soon after as he lost his concentration and was edged behind to wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan off Agha Salman. Rizwan had a hand in the fall of all four wickets on the first day, claiming four catches. However, Pakistan had its usual quota of dropped catches and misfields as Rickelton and Bavuma made full use of the batting-friendly conditions.
At stumps, Rickelton was batting on 176 with David Bedingham keeping him company on four.
For Pakistan, Salman Agha claimed two wickets for 55 runs while Khurram Shahzad (1-69) and Mohammad Abbas (1-51) were the other successful bowlers.
Brief scores:
South Africa 316/4 in 80 overs (Ryan Rickelton 176 not out, Temba Bavuma 106; Salman Agha 2-55) vs Pakistan.
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