CAPE TOWN: Pakistan 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 over three years, became 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 holds the 19th spot among Pakistan’s most successful Test bowlers.
Leading the chart is the legendary left-arm pacer Wasim Akram, with 414 wickets in 104 Tests.
Waqar Younis sits at second position with 373 wickets and former World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan occupies the third spot 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 was built on a brilliant 259-run knock by Ryan Rickelton, with valuable contributions from Kyle Verreynne, who also scored a century.
Day two of the second Test saw the Proteas capitalise on their strong foundation after resuming at 316/4.
Pakistan managed to make early breakthroughs 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 brink of becoming only the second South African batter to score a Test triple century after Hashim Amla.
However, his 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 yet impactful knock, scoring 40 runs off 32 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes.
His innings was cut short by Khurram Shahzad, while Maphaka, the final batter, was dismissed by Abbas, bringing an end to South Africa’s innings at 615 in 141.3 overs.
For Pakistan, Abbas and Salman Ali Agha were the standout bowlers, claiming three wickets each. Khurram Shahzad and Mir Hamza contributed with two wickets apiece.