South Africa earns 7th successive Test win

CAPE TOWN: South Africa earned a seventh successive win after beating Pakistan by 10 wickets on day four of the second Test at Newlands on Monday and swept the series 2-0.

Pakistan, which was forced to follow on after 194 in the first innings, fought hard to avert an innings defeat with only 10 batters after Saim Ayub was injured on the first day. It was bowled out for 478 in the last session, leaving South Africa only 58 runs to win.

David Bedingham and Aiden Markram knocked off the runs in just 7.1 overs to wrap up the series after its narrow two-wicket win at Centurion, also inside four days.

Since beating the West Indies by 40 runs at Providence last August, South Africa has achieved 2-0 series wins against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan and qualified for its first World Test Championship final in June in London.

Ryan Rickelton’s 259 in South Africa’s decisive first innings total of 615 earned him the player of the match, but he didn’t take the field on Monday because of a groin injury.

Pakistan’s long resistance on the flat, dry pitch was largely based on a determined century from captain Shan Masood, who batted for just over six hours before falling for 145 to 18-year-old debutant Kwena Maphaka after lunch.

Pakistan started the day on 213-1 and nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad frustrated South Africa in the morning before Marco Jansen had him caught at point on 18. Jansen came close to also dismissing Kamran Ghulam without scoring in the same over but Bedingham missed an easy catch at first slip.

Brief scores: South Africa 615 & 61 for no loss in 7.1 overs (D Bedingham 47*) bt Pakistan 194 & 478 in 122.1 overs (S Masood 145, B Azam 81, S Agha 48, Md. Rizwan 41, K Rabada 3/115, K Maharaj 3/137)