South Africa is hosting a two-match Test series against Pakistan, with Pakistan touring as visitors. South Africa already won the first Test match and leads the series 1-0. They have also qualified for the WTC final, but they are still showing their dominance in the second Test. This match is being played at Cape Town, where the pitch suits the batters more.

In their first innings of the second Test, South Africa’s batting lineup dominated Pakistan’s bowlers on their home soil. Even though the top-order batters Markram, Mulder, and Stubbs failed to make big contributions, captain Temba Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton put on a brilliant 235-run partnership. Rickelton reached his century during the second session on Day 1, and soon after, Bavuma followed him, bringing up his century in the third session. Bavuma got out for 106 runs at the end of Day 1, but Rickelton remained unbeaten, ready to continue on Day 2.

On the second day, Rickelton started with David Bedingham, but Bedingham couldn’t last long in the morning session. After his dismissal, wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne joined Rickelton at the crease. Verreynne played an aggressive knock, scoring 100 runs, which included five huge sixes. He shared a 148-run partnership with Rickelton, and what stood out was how Verreynne dominated during this stand, showcasing his power-hitting ability.

The highlight of the innings, however, was Ryan Rickelton’s magnificent 259 runs. His innings included 29 fours and 3 sixes, completely dismantling Pakistan’s bowling attack. Pakistan’s prime bowlers had a tough time, with four of their five main bowlers conceding over 100 runs. Even Mohammad Abbas, who gave away 94 runs, couldn’t escape the punishment. It was a nightmare for Pakistan’s bowlers as South Africa piled on the runs.

Toward the end of the innings, Marco Jansen (62 runs) and Keshav Maharaj (40 runs) added valuable runs with their cameos. Their contributions helped South Africa reach a massive total of 615 runs in their first innings.

Pakistan started their innings under pressure, facing a huge deficit. The pitch looked good for batting, but South Africa’s quality bowling attack made things tough for Pakistan. By the end of Day 2, Pakistan was struggling at 64 for 3, still trailing by 551 runs. Captain Babar Azam was unbeaten on 31, while Mohammad Rizwan was batting on 9. Pakistan faces an uphill battle to get back into the match.