South Africa thrashed Pakistan by eight wickets on Thursday (October 23, 2025) to level the two-Test cricket series, with off-spinner Simon Harmer playing a crucial role with a six-wicket haul.

Pakistan opened the series with a 93-run victory inside four days at Lahore last week, but Harmer flipped the script on another spinning wicket at Rawalpindi. He snared 6-50 to dismiss Pakistan for 138 on Day 4.

That set South Africa a victory target of 68 runs, and the World Test Championship winners eased to 73-2 in 12.3 overs.

Harmer and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who missed the first test due to injury, scripted South Africa’s victory with 17 wickets between them in the second test.

South Africa skipper Aiden Markram made a brisk 42 off 45 balls with eight fours to power the chase before he was trapped lbw by Noman Ali when his team needed only four runs for victory.

Tristan Stubbs, one of the four half-century makers in South Africa’s first innings of 404, was out for a duck when he edged Noman to slip, before Ryan Rickelton (25 not out) smashed Sajid Khan for six to secure the win just before the scheduled lunch interval.

Harmer became only the third South African bowler to reach the 1,000-wicket milestone in first-class cricket when he had Noman caught behind, and Pakistan’s second innings collapsed in just over an hour.

The home team’s hopes hinged on overnight batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to lift them from 94-4, but both fell to Harmer inside off-spinner’s first three overs of the morning.

Babar, 49 overnight, completed his first half-century of the series with a single and it was loudly applauded by his fans at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. However, Harmer pinned Pakistan’s premier batter lbw with a delivery that spun back and hit Babar low on the pads.

Babar, who hasn’t scored a test century since December 2022, went for a review but the television replays indicated the ball didn’t make any contact with the bat before hitting the pads flush in front of the wickets.

Harmer then got an inside edge off Rizwan’s bat and the ball popped to Tony de Zorzi close to the wicket as Pakistan lost two key wickets inside the first 20 minutes and led by just 34 runs.

Salman Ali Agha made rearguard 28 off 42 balls but chopped Maharaj back onto his stumps before the left-armer had Khan stumped to finish off Pakistan’s resistance.

Two late wickets by a 38-year-old debutant spinner Asif Afridi checked world champion South Africa’s progress in the second and final test against Pakistan on Tuesday (October 21, 2025).

Left-armer Afridi picked up the wickets of half century-maker Tony de Zorzi (55) and Dewald Brevis got dismissed for his second duck of the series as South Africa slipped to 185-4 at stumps on Day 2.

The Proteas still trails Pakistan by 148 runs on an abrasive wicket where left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj earlier took 7-102 to dismiss the home team for 333 in the first session.

Tristan Stubbs and de Zorzi had thwarted Pakistan spin challenge of Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Afridi for well over two hours with patient half centuries before Afridi got his first test wicket when he trapped de Zorzi leg before wicket on the backfoot.

Bangladesh on-field umpire Sharfuddoula Saikat ruled in favor of de Zorzi, but Pakistan which had already used two of its three television referrals, successfully went for the review.

Afridi then found the shoulder of Brevis’ bat and Salman Ali Agha took a smart catch as South Africa slipped to 171-4 and lost two wickets in space of four runs.

Stubbs, playing in only his 12th test match, showed plenty of patience against the spinners and was unbeaten on 68 off 184 balls as he raised South Africa hopes with a 113-run stand with de Zorzi before Afridi’s twin strike jolted the Proteas. Wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne will resume on 10.

Pakistan twice got chances to dismiss de Zorzi and Stubbs, who used their feet well against the spinners. However, Pakistan didn’t go for lbw review before tea when de Zorzi was on 5 and then Khan couldn’t hold onto a hard return catch when Stubbs came down the wicket and drove back to the off-spinner.

De Zorzi was the more aggressive of the two and followed his century in the first test with a fighting half century off 86 balls and Stubbs reached his fifty in style by lofting Khan for a straight six.

Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled an electrifying opening spell with the new ball and had Ryan Rickelton caught behind for 14. Captain Aiden Markram (32) survived two close lbws appeals against the left-arm fast bowler but he holed out to long-on when Khan was introduced in the 21st over before de Zorzi and Stubbs thwarted Pakistan with a century-stand.

Maharaj, who missed South Africa’s series-opening loss at Lahore last week due to a groin injury, snared the last five Pakistan wickets for 15 runs in a dramatic Pakistan batting collapse before lunch. Off-spinner Simon Harmer had figures of 2-75 and pace bowler Kagiso Rabada returned 1-60.

Resuming Tuesday at 259-5, Saud Shakeel (66) and Agha (45) extended their sixth-wicket stand to 70 runs before Pakistan’s lower-order crumbled against Maharaj on a dry wicket.

South Africa made amends for lackluster fielding on Day 1, when they dropped several catches, and held onto all their chances on Day 2.

Pakistan’s sixth-wicket pair combined well in the first hour with left-hander Shakeel completing his half century off 118 balls when he pushed Maharaj to square leg for two runs.

Marco Jansen and Rabada bowled to tight lengths and also missed the outside edges of both batters but couldn’t get the breakthrough before Maharaj struck just before the drinks break.

Maharaj’s sliding delivery hit Agha on the shin as he went to play for the turn but missed the straight ball. In his next over, Maharaj found the outside edge of Shakeel’s bat and Markram, who had dropped Abdullah Shafique in the slip on Day 1, didn’t miss out.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, who was unveiled as Pakistan’s new ODI captain on Monday (October 20, 2025), was out without scoring when he played Maharaj across the line and was clean bowled.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood scored 87 as the hosts reached 259 for five at the close of play on day one of the second test against a wasteful South Africa, who were poor in the field but kept in the contest by fine bowling in Rawalpindi on Monday (October 20, 2025).

Saud Shakeel is on 42 not out and Salman Agha has 10, with the Pakistan duo to resume on the second morning after weathering late pressure with the new ball from the visitors.

South Africa will rue not making further inroads into their host’s batting lineup after missing several chances in the field on a wicket that is so far playing true.

Pakistan won the toss for the second time in the series and elected to bat on a pitch that is expected to take spin later on, suggesting this will again be a major factor in deciding the result with the tourists to bat last.

Off-spinner Simon Harmer (2-75) grabbed the wicket of opener Imam-ul-Haq (17) with a beautiful delivery that pitched on leg stump and hit the top of off, showcasing the turn on offer.

But the visitors were their own worst enemies after that, as chance after chance went down and Masood and Abdullah Shafique (57) put on 111 for the second wicket.

The latter was caught down the leg-side off the bowling of Harmer and Baber Azam (16) was caught off a sharp chance diving forward from short-leg by Tony de Zorzi as South Africa finally took an opportunity in the field.

Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj (2-63) was the bowler and he also grabbed the wicket of Masood after he had four lives before being dismissed when he attempted a sweep and top-edged the ball to Marco Jansen at square-leg.

South Africa delayed taking the new ball but when they did, Kagiso Rabada trapped Mohammad Rizwan (19) leg before wicket.

Pakistan won the first test in Lahore last week by 93 runs. Defeat for South Africa marked a losing start to the defence of their World Test Championship crown at the beginning of a new two-year cycle.