South Africa hit back with convincing win in Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan

Spinner Simon Harmer picks up six wickets to help level two-match series

South Africa's Simon Harmer celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Pakistan's Noman Ali on the fourth day of the second Test in Rawalpindi. AFP

World champions South Africa eased to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan on Day 4 of the second Test on Thursday, claiming victory before lunch to level the two-match series.

The home side were dismissed cheaply in the opening hour, collapsing from 94-4 overnight to be all out for 138.

South Africa then took 12.3 overs to reach the 68-run target with captain Aiden Markram scoring 42 before being trapped leg before wicket by left-arm spinner Noman Ali four runs from victory.

Tristan Stubbs was caught in the slips in the same over without scoring, leaving Ryan Rickelton (25 not out) and Tony de Zorzi, who did not face a ball, to complete the job.

The win, however, was set up by off-spinner Simon Harmer who snared six wickets in the second innings to trigger a dramatic collapse.

Harmer, 36, finished with 6-50 for a maiden five-wicket haul - also completing 1,000 first-class wickets - on a deteriorating Rawalpindi Stadium pitch.

South Africa's Ryan Rickelton, left, and Tony de Zorzi after completing victory in the second Test. AFP

Pakistan's batters added just 44 runs to their overnight score, falling in their own trap of playing on low and slow pitches.

Harmer jolted Pakistan's hopes of saving the Test when he trapped Babar Azam leg-before with the fifth ball of the day after the batsman had reached his 30th Test half-century.

Pakistan's hopes rested on Azam ending his century drought, having not scored a ton since December 2022.

Nine runs later Harmer had Mohammad Rizwan caught by close-in fielder De Zorzi for 18.

In his next over, the spinner dismissed Noman for nought, caught behind for Harmer's 1,000 wicket in his 235th first-class match.

Shaheen Afridi was run out without scoring while Keshav Maharaj dismissed Salman Agha for 28 and Sajid Khan for 13 to swiftly wrap up the innings.

It was a deserved win for the reigning world champions who lost the first Test by 93 runs.

For Pakistan, it was a stark reminder of the amount of work they still need to do.

Pakistan had won four out of their last five home Tests on undercooked surfaces, relying heavily on spin from Day 1. But South Africa's spin attack of Harmer and Maharaj made better use of the conditions this time after the tourists piled up 404 in the first innings.

Senuran Muthusamy scored a career-best 89 not out and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada posted his highest Test score of 71, giving the visitors a crucial 71-run lead.

Pakistan captain Shan Masood said he was not too perturbed by the defeat on a heavily spinning track.

"It has been four wins out of six for us. The wickets have got a little better, they are battable now. Four out of six is not bad. There is a lot to work on - the lower batting, finishing innings off, third innings batting," he said.

It was an 11th win in 12 Tests for South Africa with the only blemish their loss to Pakistan in last week’s Lahore Test.

Pakistan will now shift their focus to the white-ball leg of the tour which has already seen wholesale changes.

Fast-bowler Shaheen was named captain for next month's three-match ODI series against the Proteas, marking a third change in the format's captaincy in the past 12 months.

The 25-year-old replaced Rizwan who took over as ODI skipper last October following Babar Azam's resignation.

Babar and fast-bowler Naseem Shah, however, returned to the T20 squad after nearly a year for the next week’s home series against the South Africans and a subsequent tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

Babar, the world’s second leading scorer in T20 internationals, is back in the squad for the first time since December.