For a side that once floundered in Asian conditions - losing 10 of 11 Tests across tours to India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan between 2015 and 2021 - the result marked another significant step forward. The win in Rawalpindi was South Africa’s third in four Tests in Asia, following their 2-0 sweep of Bangladesh last year, a series players have since described as the turning point of their World Test Championship campaign.
Rabada, who played almost as the lone fast bowler across the two Tests, contributed decisively with the bat rather than the ball this time. His career-best 71 off just 61 deliveries - part of a 98-run last-wicket stand with Senuran Muthusamy - tilted the match South Africa’s way.
The innings was played with a fearless abandon that broke Pakistan’s stranglehold on the game. “We wanted to be aggressive in the way that we played, because if you just sit around waiting for a bad ball, you're probably going to get a good ball that gets you out,” Rabada explained. “It was important that the batting unit could establish the shots that they wanted to play to put the opposition under pressure and that they start putting fielders back and then you can start rotating the strike.”
The knock also earned him a new bat, thanks to a lighthearted pact with teammate David Bedingham. “We have a thing where if I score 30 runs, he'll give me a bat because we are sponsored by the same batting company,” Rabada laughed. “He said he thought his money was safe after the way I batted in the first Test. So that was just one way to get one up on him.” Even though his bowling yielded few wickets in Rawalpindi, Rabada found satisfaction in the discipline and teamwork required on such surfaces.
“If you're a fast bowler and nothing's happening for you, it's about keeping the game quiet or finding a wicket here and there and applying pressure by slowing the rate down,” he said. “You can still create pressure for the spinners, so they do their job much better. Not many rewards came my way, but I was more than happy to do the job that I did.”
Rabada reserved special praise for South Africa’s spin trio of Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy, who claimed the bulk of the wickets. “We came here with brilliant spinners and you saw the way that they performed. That was a really massive tick,” he said.
“And the batters as well. Rickelton stepped up. He came into this Test series under pressure. Stubbs came into this Test series under pressure, played a crucial knock. Tony (de Zorzi) came into this series under pressure.”
Rickelton, under scrutiny after a lean run since the WTC final, made important contributions. Stubbs, previously short on runs, struck a vital 76, and de Zorzi, regaining his Test spot, stood out as the only centurion of the series. Their efforts helped ensure South Africa extended their dominance since the makeshift side’s 2-0 loss in New Zealand last year. They have now won 10 of their last 12 Tests. “You have to be doing a lot of things right to get results like that,” Rabada said.
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