17:59 IST:
Earlier today, Pakistan Men’s cricket team began their World Test Championship 2025–27 campaign in style with a commanding win over defending champions South Africa. Batting first, they put up 378 on the board, led by fluent knocks of 93 each from Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha, while skipper Shan Masood and Mohammad Rizwan chipped in with fifties. Senuran Muthusamy was the pick of the South African bowlers with six wickets. In reply, the Proteas managed 269, thanks to Tony de Zorzi’s fine hundred and Ryan Rickelton’s fifty, but the spin duo of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan shared nine wickets to give Pakistan the upper hand. Despite some hiccups in the second innings, Pakistan set a target of 277, with Muthusamy bagging another five-for. Noman Ali continued his dominance with four wickets in the final innings, while Shaheen Afridi’s fiery spell, also yielding four sealed a memorable win for the hosts.