South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: 7 Jaw-Dropping Moments From the 1st Test in Lahore

Last Updated: June 23, 2026

Okay, let me paint you a picture. Imagine a pitch in Lahore that spins like a washing machine on maximum setting. Imagine spinners running riot. Imagine a 39-year-old left-arm spinner racking up his third career ten-wicket haul in Tests. And imagine South Africa — the World Test Champions on a 10-match unbeaten run — being stopped dead in their tracks by 93 runs.

That’s exactly what happened when the South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard was written in October 2025.

If you missed this game, you’ve come to the right place. And if you didn’t miss it — well, you probably still want to re-read every breathtaking detail. So let’s dive in, shall we?

Disclaimer: All facts and scorecard figures in this article are sourced from ESPNcricinfo and verified match reports for the Pakistan vs South Africa 1st Test, played at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, October 12–15, 2025. This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only. We are not affiliated with the Pakistan Cricket Board, Cricket South Africa, or the ICC.

The Big Picture — Match Summary

Before we go ball by ball (don’t worry, we won’t), here’s the quick summary of the South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard:

• Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan
• Dates: October 12–15, 2025
• Result: Pakistan won by 93 runs
• Player of the Match: Noman Ali (6/112 & 4/79)

Scoreline:

• Pakistan 1st Innings: 378 all out (110.4 overs)
• South Africa 1st Innings: 269 all out (84 overs)
• Pakistan 2nd Innings: 167 all out (46.1 overs)
• South Africa 2nd Innings: 183 all out (60.5 overs) — chasing 277

Sa vs Pak result: Pakistan wins the 1st Test and takes a 1-0 series lead. South Africa’s 10-Test winning streak? Gone. Just like that.

Pakistan’s 1st Innings — A Tale of Two 93s

Let’s start from the top. Pakistan won the toss and, of course, batted first on what already looked like a turning surface. Classic home team logic. Smart? Yes. Easy? Absolutely not.

The Pak vs Sa opening didn’t go as planned. Abdullah Shafique walked out and walked back almost immediately — gone for just 2 off the 3rd delivery of the match. That’s the kind of start that makes entire stadiums go very quiet very quickly.

But Pakistan steadied themselves. Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood built a fantastic 161-run partnership before Masood fell for 163 balls of gritty effort. Imam got to 93 — agonisingly short of his century — before departing in the 57th over. And then, in what can only be described as one of cricket’s cruellest back-to-back tragedies, Pakistan lost Saud Shakeel AND Babar Azam in consecutive balls (56.5 and 59.2) to slip to 199/5.

If that had been a movie, you’d have thrown your popcorn at the screen.

The rescue came from an unlikely but brilliant pair: Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman, who stitched together a 163-run 6th-wicket partnership. When Rizwan was eventually dismissed for 72, Agha Salman was well into his stride — and finished with a magnificent 93 off 145 balls (5 fours, 3 sixes). Yes, ANOTHER 93. Two key batters, same score, same cruel fate of missing out on a hundred.

Pakistan were eventually bowled out for 378 in 110.4 overs.

South Africa’s left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy was the pick of the visitors’ bowlers, taking 6/117 off 32 overs — a career-best performance that would have won most matches. But not this one.

Pakistan 1st Innings — Key Batting Performances

Expert Insight: “Two batters scoring 93 in the same innings is extraordinarily rare in Test cricket. It shows individual brilliance but also reflects the pressure that Pakistan was under throughout the first innings. Still, 378 on a Lahore turner is a very competitive total.” — Cricket Analyst, October 2025

South Africa’s 1st Innings — Tony de Zorzi’s Magnificent Ton

Now here’s where the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard gets really interesting for South Africa fans.

In chase of 378, South Africa started terribly. Aiden Markram — their captain and in-form batter — was dismissed for 45 in the 11th over by Noman Ali. Wiaan Mulder followed shortly after for 21. At 80/2, it was looking difficult.

And then Tony de Zorzi walked in and decided this was his moment.

The South African opener played one of the innings of the series — a brilliant 104 off 171 balls (10 fours, 2 sixes). This was his second Test century, and on a Lahore pitch that was already misbehaving, it was a masterclass in technique and temperament. Ryan Rickelton supported him with a fighting 71 off 137 balls.

But there’s a “but” here. There’s always a “but” when Noman Ali is bowling.

Noman Ali tore through the South African lineup with 6/112 off 35 overs — a stunning spell that dismantled a batting card that, with a different spinner on, could have posted 350+. Sajid Khan chipped in with 3/98 off 33 overs.

South Africa were eventually bowled out for 269 — leaving Pakistan with a lead of 109 runs after the first innings. In Pak vs Sa Tests on turning tracks in Lahore, that kind of lead is like a fortress wall.

South Africa 1st Innings — Fall of Wickets Summary

Pakistan’s 2nd Innings — A Batting Collapse Nobody Ordered

Right, so Pakistan had a 109-run lead. Comfortable, right? Time to bat out the match and pile on more runs?

Not quite.

The Sa vs Pak second innings was where Pakistan batting fans nervously reached for their blood pressure medication. Senuran Muthusamy — already having taken 6 wickets — came back for more. He finished with 5/57 in the second innings and match figures of 11/174. Simon Harmer added 4/51.

Pakistan collapsed from 150/4 to 167 all out — losing their last 6 wickets for just 17 runs. Babar Azam top-scored with 42 before falling to Rabada. The entire innings lasted just 46.1 overs.

Honestly? If you had been watching this, you’d have been half-admiring Muthusamy, half-screaming at the television.

Pakistan set South Africa a target of 277 to win. A record-challenging total at the Gaddafi Stadium, where 276 had never been successfully chased. History was not on South Africa’s side.

South Africa’s 2nd Innings — Brevis Dazzles, Then Pakistan Close It Out

This is the chapter of the South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard that South Africa fans will file under “what could have been.”

Chasing 277, South Africa started terribly. Again. Markram went early, Mulder followed. At 18/2, it was starting to look like a formality for Pakistan.

But then came Dewald Brevis — the 22-year-old who plays cricket like he skipped the memo about being scared. Brevis walked in when South Africa were wobbling at 55/4 and launched into one of the most entertaining passages of play in the entire Test.

He slog-swept Noman for six. He hit a no-look six over long-on off the same bowler. He brought up his half-century off just 54 balls — a run-a-ball 54 that had the entire Pakistan dugout looking mildly concerned. With Rickelton for company (45 in the second innings), the two added 73 runs together and suddenly South Africa, improbably, were within sight of something historic.

But “within sight” and “getting there” are two very different things when Noman Ali is involved.

A delivery that gripped off the surface perfectly castled Brevis for 54. The game, which had briefly flickered back into contention, swung decisively back to Pakistan. From 128/5 after Brevis’ dismissal, South Africa lost their remaining 5 wickets for just 55 runs.

Shaheen Shah Afridi sealed the deal with the lower order, getting the ball to reverse-swing on the ageing surface — picking up 4/33 in this innings. Noman Ali finished with 4/79 to go with his first innings 6/112, giving him 10 wickets in the match — his third career ten-for in Tests.

South Africa were bowled out for 183, losing by 93 runs.

The Numbers That Told the Full Story of Pak vs Sa

Here’s something remarkable about the Pakistan National Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Match Scorecard when you look at it from a bowling perspective: spinners took 34 of the 40 wickets that fell in the match. Only 6 went to fast bowlers.

That tells you everything about the Lahore pitch, the conditions, and why Pakistan played this game so cleverly — preparing a surface that they knew would suit their spinners and neutralise South Africa’s pace battery of Kagiso Rabada and company.

In Pakistan vs South Africa Tests on the subcontinent, this is the blueprint Pakistan keep returning to. And it works.

What This Result Means — The Bigger Picture of Pakistan vs South Africa

This wasn’t just any Test match. This was South Africa’s first Test series defeat — or at least the start of one — after a 10-match unbeaten streak that included wins in England, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. They came to Pakistan as the World Test Champions, brimming with confidence.

Pakistan snapped that streak with clinical precision.

The Sa vs Pak contest also re-established Noman Ali as arguably the best spin bowler in the world right now — certainly in Asian conditions. His 10/191 in the match extended his remarkable run of taking five wickets in every Test innings he’s played recently.

For South Africa, Senuran Muthusamy’s 11 wickets in the match was the fourth-best match return by a South African spinner in Test history — a stunning performance that should earn him far more recognition.

Review: How Did Both Teams Do?

Pakistan — 8.5/10: Near-perfect home conditions, but credit where it’s due. They read the game brilliantly, set totals that were just enough, and had Noman Ali bowling like a man possessed. The middle-order collapses in both innings were the only blot.

South Africa — 7/10: Despite losing, they showed enormous character. De Zorzi’s century, Brevis’ cameo, Muthusamy’s 11 wickets, Rickelton’s consistency — this was a team that competed hard. They’ll be better for it heading into the second Test.

Expert Opinion

“Noman Ali’s third career ten-wicket haul — at age 39 — in the format that demands the most from a spinner is simply extraordinary. The Lahore pitch helped, of course, but to have the control and variation to dismiss quality international batters repeatedly takes far more than a helpful surface. He’s been Pakistan’s most important Test cricketer for the past 12 months.” — Cricket Expert Opinion based on post-match analysis, October 2025

Conclusion

The South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard from the 1st Test in Lahore is one of those scorecards that you can read five times and find something new each time.

Pakistan won by 93 runs. Noman Ali took 10 wickets. Muthusamy took 11. Two Pakistan batters scored 93 each in the first innings. De Zorzi hit a beauty of a century. Brevis blazed for 54 before the pitch ate him. And Shaheen sealed it with reverse-swing that nobody saw coming.

The Pak vs Sa 1st Test was everything Test cricket should be — drama, skill, spinning pitches, lower-order grit, and a result that nobody could have fully predicted before the first ball was bowled.

Keep following Pakistan vs South Africa cricket because this series promised to deliver more of the same. And based on the Sa vs Pak 1st Test alone, we are absolutely here for it.

Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard. If you’d like to explore more thrilling cricket encounters and expert analysis, we recommend checking out our previous blog on

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Who won the Pakistan vs South Africa 1st Test in Lahore 2025?

Pakistan won by 93 runs. The South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard showed Pakistan scoring 378 & 167, while South Africa replied with 269 & 183 while chasing 277 to win.

Q2. Who was the Player of the Match in the Pak vs Sa 1st Test?

Noman Ali was named Player of the Match for his stunning 10-wicket haul (6/112 in the 1st innings and 4/79 in the 2nd innings), the third time he’s taken 10 wickets in a Test match.

Q3. Who scored the most runs in the South Africa National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard?

Tony de Zorzi’s 104 off 171 balls was the highest individual score in the match. From Pakistan’s side, both Imam-ul-Haq and Agha Salman scored 93 each in the first innings.

Q4. How many wickets did Senuran Muthusamy take in the Sa vs Pak 1st Test?

Muthusamy took a remarkable 11 wickets in the match — 6/117 in Pakistan’s first innings and 5/57 in the second. It was the fourth-best match return by a South African spinner in Test history.

Q5. Was this South Africa’s first Test loss in their recent run of form?

Yes! The Pakistan vs South Africa 1st Test ended South Africa’s 10-match unbeaten run in Test cricket — a streak that had included wins in England, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Q6. How many wickets did spinners take in the Pak vs Sa 1st Test?

Spinners dominated massively — taking 34 of the 40 total wickets in the match. Only 6 wickets fell to the fast bowlers across all four innings.

Q7. What was the winning target in the Pakistan vs South Africa 1st Test?

South Africa were set a target of 277 runs to win. The highest successful chase at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore before this was 276 — making this target historically daunting. South Africa fell short by 93 runs.