Left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy triggers Pakistan’s collapse with three wickets in an over
LAHORE: South Africa’s left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy turned the game on its head during the morning session of Day 2 in the first Test at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. His sensational over sparked a sudden collapse that saw Pakistan tumble from 362-5 to 378 all out.
At lunch on Day 2, South Africa stood at 10 without loss.
Resuming their first innings at 313-5, overnight batters Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha—both reaching half-centuries—extended their partnership to 163 runs, adding 49 more before Muthusamy’s spell changed the course of the match.
Rizwan (75) edged behind off the third ball of Muthusamy’s over, while Nauman Ali (0) and Sajid Khan (0) followed quickly, the latter dismissed for a golden duck. Muthusamy’s three wickets in a single over dismantled Pakistan’s lower order.
He later dismissed Shaheen Afridi (7), while Agha (93) fell to spinner Prenelan Subrayen as Pakistan were bowled out for 378. Muthusamy finished with six wickets, Subrayen took two, and pacers Kagiso Rabada and Simon Harmer claimed one each.
On the opening day, Pakistan had dominated most sessions but suffered key losses in the afternoon. The innings began shakily when Abdullah Shafique (2) was trapped lbw by Rabada in the first over.
Captain Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq steadied the innings with a 161-run stand for the second wicket, easing early pressure. Imam, returning to Test cricket after 2023, reached his 10th Test fifty, while Shan marked his 12th.
Their partnership ended when Subrayen bowled Shan for 76 off 147 balls, which included nine fours and a six, leaving Pakistan at 163-2 in 47.3 overs.
Babar Azam then joined Imam and played fluently, reaching an ICC World Test Championship milestone by becoming the first Pakistani and the eighth overall batter to cross 3,000 runs in the tournament.
Before tea, Muthusamy struck twice in consecutive deliveries, removing Imam (93 off 153 balls) and Saud Shakeel for a first-ball duck, leaving Pakistan struggling at 199-4 in 57 overs.
After the interval, Babar Azam was dismissed for 23 off 48 balls by Simon Harmer. In the final session, Agha and Rizwan rebuilt the innings with a composed 50-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Rizwan completed his 12th Test half-century, while Salman Ali Agha reached his 10th, helping Pakistan post 378 before Muthusamy’s brilliance ended their innings early on Day 2.
