PAK vs SA, 2021: 1st Test, Day 4 – South Africa’s losing streak in Asia, Nauman Ali’s record fifer and more stats

Pakistan completed a 7-wicket win against South Africa in Karachi halfway through the 2nd session on the 4th day’s play. South Africa, who began the day on 187/4, bundled out for only 245 and lost their last nine wickets for only 70 runs. Debutant Nauman Ali took the final four wickets of South African innings to complete a 5-wicket haul. Pakistan lost three wickets in pursuit of the 88-run target before Fawad Alam hit the winning runs to be part of a Test win for the first time.

Here are all the statistical highlights from Pakistan’s 7-wicket victory during the Karachi Test:

South Africa’s losing streak in Asia:

8 – South Africa have lost each of their last eight matches in Test cricket they played in Asia. However, of the eight games, the Karachi Test was the only game where the Proteas won the toss or batted first. South Africans lost the toss and bowled first in all the first seven Tests of this losing streak.

Tough phase for toss winning teams:

15/19 – A total of 19 Test matches took place since Test cricket resumed after the outbreak COVID-19 pandemic out of which the team winning the toss lost as many as 15 games (3 drawn Tests). The only team to win a Test after winning the toss in this period is New Zealand during the Christchurch Test against Pakistan earlier this year.

Record figures on debut for Nauman:

35 – Runs conceded by Nauman Ali for his 5-wicket haul; the fewest by any Pakistan player of his Test debut while bagging a fifer. Bilal Asif had figures of 6/36 during Australia’s first innings of the 2018 Dubai Test. However, in terms of average recorded during a 5-fer on Test debut for Pakistan, Bilal (6.00) pushes Nauman (7.00) to the 2nd spot.

7/73 – Nauman Ali’s bowling figures of 7/73 are now the 2nd best by a spinner on Test debut for Pakistan. Abdur Rahman had match figures of 8/210 in 2007 also against South Africa in Karachi. Nauman is also the 12th player from Pakistan with a 5-wicket haul on Test debut but the first to do so bowling left-arm spin.

Fifer on debut for the 34-year-old:

34y 114d – Nauman Ali, at the age of 34 years and 114 days, became the oldest player from Pakistan and the 7th oldest player to claim a 5-wicket haul on debut in Men’s Test cricket. The previous oldest Pakistan player to bag a 5-wicket haul on Test debut was Bilal Asif (33y 15d) during the 2018 Dubai Test against Australia.

1949 – Nauman Ali is now the oldest player to bag a 5-wicket haul on Men’s Test debut since New Zealand’s Fen Creswell (34y 146d) in 1949 The Oval Test against England. Nauman is also the oldest spinner on Men’s Test debut with a fifer since England’s Charles Marriott (37y 334d) against West Indies in 1933 at The Oval.

Maharaj gets Babar twice:

4 – Babar Azam became only the 4th Pakistan skipper to be dismissed LBW twice in a Test match by the same bowler (Keshav Maharaj). Waqar Younis in the bowling of Australia’s Shane Warne in the 2002 Sharjah Test, Inzamam-ul-Haq in the bowling of India’s Anil Kumble during the 2005 Mohali Test and Azhar Ali in the bowling of England’s Chris Woakes during last year’s Manchester Test are the other three instances.

Babar makes winning start to his Test captaincy career:

3 – A total of 12 players made their Test captaincy debut for Pakistan in the 21st century but only three of them ended up their maiden game as skipper. Before Babar Azam, the likes of Mohammad Yousuf (vs SA in 2003 Lahore Test) and Salman Butt (vs AUS in 2010 Leeds Test) did end up winning their maiden Test as captain.

1 – Babar Azam now has become the first captain to win at least one game in all the three International formats on Pakistan soil. Babar is also the 3rd Pakistan skipper to win an International game in all three formats in a country after Sarfaraz Ahmed (England & UAE) and Misbah-ul-Haq (Bangladesh, Zimbabwe & UAE).