The Pakistan team is facing a tough challenge in the second Test at Cape Town, with South African batters dominating the proceedings.
On Day 2, Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma, and Kyle Verreynne have already posted significant scores, adding to Pakistan’s woes. The setbacks for Pakistan extend beyond the scoreboard, as they have lost one of their key players to injury. During Day 1, Saim Ayub sustained an ankle injury while chasing a ball edged by Rickelton. Ayub was positioned to relay the ball after Aamer Jamal pulled it back in, but he lost his balance and twisted his ankle in the process, forcing him to leave the field. Ayub was immediately sent for scans, which confirmed a fracture, ruling him out for six weeks. This injury not only sidelines the 22-year-old from the ongoing Test match but also ends his series prematurely. It is a disappointing conclusion for Ayub, who struggled to convert his starts in the Boxing Day Test at Centurion and will miss the opportunity to make an impact at Newlands. Despite a stellar 2024 in white-ball cricket—scoring 515 runs in ODIs at an average of 64.37 and 375 runs in T20Is with an impressive strike rate of 143.67—Ayub has yet to find similar success in Tests. In 14 Test innings, he has accumulated 364 runs at an average of 26, with just three half-centuries, the highest being 77 against England in Multan.