The Test match against Pakistan saw dramatic DRS calls and standout performances, leaving fans divided over the technology’s reliability.
Missed review
Kwena Maphaka squared up Shakeel Saud with a lovely delivery that straightened as it hit the pad.
Maphaka led a vociferous appeal but the umpire turned it down.
The Proteas opted not to review which proved to be the wrong decision when Hawk-Eye showed on the big screen that the ball was hitting leg stump.
Successful review
Maphaka was in the midst of his best spell in Test cricket thus far when he went to shape away from Shan Masood before thudding into the Pakistani captain’s pad.
Masood tried to push his pad outside the line of off stump which certainly fooled the umpire who turned down the appeal.
But this time Proteas captain Temba Bavuma asked for the review which brought up three reds and Masood was forced to depart.
Controversy
Masood was livid with the DRS decision as the Pakistani captain remonstrating all the way off the field. He did not stop there as he continued to question the technology’s validity when he got back to the dressing room.
It left a sour taste after what was the finest innings played by a Pakistani captain on South African soil.
⚪️🟢 Pakistan are 478 all out after 122 overs and have set us a target of 58 runs for victory.
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 6, 2025
Here's a look at our bowling.
Kagiso Rabada 3️⃣-1️⃣1️⃣5️⃣
Keshav Maharaj 3️⃣-1️⃣3️⃣7️⃣
Marco Jansen 2️⃣-1️⃣0️⃣1️⃣#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #SAvPAK pic.twitter.com/Me7UnGMZGB
Relentless Rabada
On a pancake of a pitch Kagiso Rabada bowled his heart out. No balls aside, Rabada was the pick of the South African bowlers as he remained a threat throughout.
He finally got his reward when he had nightwatchman Khurram Shahzad caught by Aiden Markram at slip. It was Rabada’s 50th Test wicket at Newlands and he celebrated accordingly.
Sloppy
With the Proteas forced to bowl 122.1 overs in the follow-on innings with the Cape Town summer baking down, it was inevitable that standards would start dropping.
But the great teams keep up their concentration at the vital moments.
The Proteas failed to do that as David Bedingham and Aiden Markram dropped catches at slip that kept the home team in the field even longer.