Spinner Senuran Muthusamy made history on Monday by getting better first-innings bowling numbers than Australian great Shane Warne. This was the best first-innings bowling by a visiting spinner in Pakistan during the ongoing Lahore Test.
Muthusamy’s amazing spell of 6/117 broke up Pakistan’s middle and lower order, leaving them with only 380 runs, even though Imam-ul-Haq (93 off 153 balls), Shan Masood (76 off 147), Mohammed Rizwan (75 off 140), and Agha Salman (93 off 145) all played well.
Pakistan started Day 2 with a score of 313/5, with Rizwan and Agha still not out. But Muthusamy caused a huge collapse by taking five of the last wickets with precision, fly, and control. This effort turned the tide in South Africa’s favor.
Wisden says that Muthusamy’s achievement is better than Shane Warne’s 6/136 in Lahore during the 1994–95 series.
Abdul Qadir still holds the record for the greatest-ever numbers by a Pakistani spinner at home, with 9/56 against England in Lahore in 1986–87. Jomel Warrican of the West Indies still has the record for the best figures by a touring spinner in Pakistan overall, with 7/32 in Multan (2024–25).
Proteas Fight Back After Pakistan’s 380
In response, South Africa ended Day 2 with a score of 216/6, which was 162 runs behind.
Captain Aiden Markram scored 20 runs off of 37 balls, which was a big milestone in his career because it put him over 3,000 Test runs. Markram has 3,013 runs in 47 Tests, with an average of 36.30. He has eight centuries and 13 fifties, and his highest score is 152.
Noman Ali (4/85) got rid of both Markram and Wiaan Mulder early on, but Ryan Rickelton (71 off 137) and Tony de Zorzi (81 off 140) stabilized the Proteas with a 94-run stand.
But Pakistan took back control late in the session when Salman Agha got rid of Rickelton, which caused a mini collapse that left South Africa at 200/6.
Tony de Zorzi and Muthusamy were both still undefeated at the end of the day, which kept South Africa’s hopes alive as they tried to close the gap and take the lead in the first innings on Day 3.