PAK vs SA, 2021: 1st Test, Day 3 – Rabada @ 200 Test wickets, Pakistan lower-order's rescue act and more stats

Pakistan holds the edge in Karachi as the visitors have a lead of 29 runs in the second innings with only six wickets in hand. Contributions from the lower-order got Pakistan to finish with 378 and earn a 158-run lead in the first innings. South Africa lost the wicket of Dean Elgar with a deficit of more than 100 runs to be wiped off. But Aiden Markram (74) and Rassie van der Dussen (64) put on a 127-run stand for the 2nd wicket before the Proteas lost three wickets for ten runs.

Here are all the statistical highlights from the 3rd day’s play of the first PAK vs SA Test in Karachi:

Rabada’s milestone:

25y 248d – Kagiso Rabada, at the age of 25 years and 248 days, became the youngest player to 200 wickets in Test cricket for South Africa. Rabada is also the 4th youngest player ever to achieve the milestone of 200 Test wickets.

Kagiso Rabada completes 200 wickets in Test cricket

A big lead for Pakistan:

158 – The lead of 158 runs is the 4th biggest they ever conceded in the first innings of a Test match in Asia while batting first. This is also the first time where South Africa conceded a first-innings lead of 100+ runs in a Test match in Pakistan.

Lower-order rescues Pakistan:

1 – Pakistan had partnerships of 50+ runs for the 5th, 6th, 7th and 10th wickets in the first innings. This is the first-ever instance in Test history where Pakistan had four 50+ stands in an innings after losing four wickets.

3 – Pakistan’s first innings is only the 3rd in the history of Test cricket where each of the bottom six batsmen scored 20+ runs in an innings. England’s first innings against Australia in the 1928 Sydney Test and Pakistan’s first innings against India in the 1978 Karachi Test are the other such instances.

55 – The partnership of 55 runs between Nauman Ali and Yasir Shah is now the highest 10th wicket stand for Pakistan since Sarfaraz Ahmed and Rahat Ali put on 81 against New Zealand in the 2014 Dubai Test.

No.11 batsman with a Test ton:

3 – Yasir Shah became only the 3rd player to bat at No.11 in Test cricket for Pakistan after scoring a century in this format. The previous two players who batted at No.11 for Pakistan with a Test century in hand were Wasim Raja due to ankle injury against West Indies in the 1975 Karachi Test and Salim Malik due to broken arm against West Indies in the 1986 Faisalabad Test.

38* – Yasir Shah’s unbeaten 38 is now the 5th highest score for Pakistan while batting at No.11 position in Test cricket. This is also the highest Test cricket for Pakistan by a No.11 since Mushtaq Ahmed’s 59 against South Africa during the 1997 Rawalpindi Test.