Debutant Bosch impresses as Proteas edge ahead in 1st Test against Pakistan

Centurion (South Africa), Dec 27: Fast bowler Corbin Bosch continued his strong debut with a record-breaking half century to help give South Africa the advantage in the first Test against Pakistan on Friday.
Bosch’s unbeaten 81 off 93 balls – the highest by a No. 9 batter on his Test debut – earned South Africa a meaningful 90-run first innings lead as the home team got bowled out for 301.
Pakistan reached 88-3 and still trailed by two runs when early stumps were drawn on Day 2 because of bad light. Babar Azam was batting on 16 and Saud Shakeel was not out on 8.
South Africa needs to win one of the two Test matches against Pakistan to seal a place in the final of the World Test Championship at Lord’s next year with Sri Lanka, India and Australia also in the running.
The opening pair of Saim Ayub and captain Shan Masood both scored 28 runs each and counterattacked South Africa’s pace bowlers before Pakistan lost three wickets for 25 runs late in the final session under gloomy skies.
Kagiso Rabada, who bowled splendidly in the first innings without getting a wicket, knocked back Ayub’s off stump and Marco Jansen found the outside edges of Masood and Kamran Ghulam (4) in successive overs.
The 30-year-old Bosch had grabbed a wicket with his first ball on Day 1 and finished with figures of 4-63 after the visitors got bowled out for 211 with Dane Paterson (5-61) grabbing his second successive five-wicket haul.
Bosch bossed the all-out Pakistan pace attack by hitting 15 boundaries, including some meticulous cover drives and pull shots as he shared a 41-run stand with Rabada and then contributed a further 47 runs with No. 11 Paterson.
South Africa seemed to have lost its grip when it collapsed from 178-4 to 213-8 when Aiden Markram (89) missed out on his eighth Test century and the middle order couldn’t hang in with Markram. But Bosch batted like a seasoned batter to the frustration of Pakistan’s bowlers. (AP)