Twitter Reactions: South Africa start series with a resounding victory in Centurion

After Pakistan were shot out for 190 at the close of play on the second day, South Africa were required to score 149 in order to win the opening Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion. In the end, Faf du Plessis and Co played some gritty cricket and won the match by six wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series. Pakistan would be disappointed for the reason that they let go of chances at crunch moments.

Elgar and Amla buckle down

The run-chase didn’t start in an auspicious manner for the home team by any stretch of the imagination as Aiden Markram fell prey to Hasan Ali for a two-ball duck. The right-arm speedster trapped Markram plumb in front to strike first blood. In the ninth over, left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi produced a beauty and found Dean Elgar’s outside edge. Azhar Ali took the catch in the slip cordon.

However, the on-field umpires decided to consult the third-umpire and sent the decision upstairs, soft-signalling it as out. Replays showed that the ball didn’t carry to Azhar and hence, Elgar was adjudged not out. Elgar and his partner Hashim Amla played out the remaining overs in the session and shouldered their team to 81/1 at the Lunch break. At that point in time, the Proteas needed 68 runs.

Amla guides South Africa home

Amla and Elgar went on to cobble together a partnership of 119 runs and put South Africa in a commanding position. Amla, who had been straining for form, showed determination and scored a magnificent half-century. Part-time medium pacer Shan Masood nipped out Elgar, who scored 50 patient runs from 123 balls with the help of 10 boundaries. Keeper Sarfraz Ahmed took a sharp catch behind the wickets.

The Proteas lost a couple of wickets thereafter in the form of Theunis de Bruyn and captain du Plessis, but the task had become way too comfortable for the hosts. Even as leg-spinner Yasir Shah accounted for de Bruyn’s dismissal, Afridi nipped out the Proteas skipper. Nevertheless, the experienced Amla notched 63 runs from 148 deliveries, played until the very end and took his team over the finishing line.

Here is how Twitter hailed the Proteas

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