CAPE TOWN: Pakistani pacer Mohammad Abbas reached a significant milestone in his career on day two of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands on Saturday.
Abbas, making his long-awaited return to international cricket after more than three years, has become the latest member of the elite 100 Test wickets club.
He achieved this remarkable feat after dismissing Kwena Maphaka for a duck in South Africa’s first innings.
With 100 wickets in 27 Test matches at an average of 22.99 and an economy rate of 2.48, Abbas now ranks 19th among Pakistan’s most successful Test bowlers.
Leading the table is legendary left-arm pacer Wasim Akram with 414 wickets in 104 Tests.
Waqar Younis is in second position with 373 wickets and former World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan is in third position with 362 wickets.
Among the active bowlers in the list is left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi, who has taken 116 wickets in 31 Tests.
South Africa’s impressive total of 615 points was built on a brilliant 259-run knock from Ryan Rickelton, with valuable contributions from Kyle Verreynne, who also scored a century.
The second day of the second Test saw the Proteas capitalize on their solid base after resuming at 316/4.
Pakistan managed to make early strides, with Abbas dismissing David Bedingham for just five runs.
However, Rickelton and Verreynne steadied the innings with a remarkable 148-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
The duo’s efforts were followed by an 86-run stand between Rickelton and Marco Jansen, allowing South Africa to surpass 550 runs.
Rickelton, who had been attacking the bowling with boundaries, was on the verge of becoming the second South African batsman to score a Test triple century after Hashim Amla.
However, their heroic innings of 259 runs off 343 balls, which included 29 fours and three sixes, came to an end, leaving the Proteas at 557/7.
Keshav Maharaj played a brief but impactful knock, scoring 40 runs off 32 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes.
His innings was broken up by Khurram Shahzad while Maphaka, the final batsman, was dismissed by Abbas, ending South Africa’s innings at 615 in 141.3 overs.
For Pakistan, Abbas and Salman Ali Agha were the standout bowlers, taking three wickets each. Khurram Shahzad and Mir Hamza contributed two wickets each.
