Tour of Pakistan South Africa will conclude with the second Test between the two sides scheduled to begin this week. The final match of the SA vs PAK two-Test series will be played from Friday (January 3, 2025) at Newlands, Cape Town.
South Africa have taken an unassailable lead in the SA vs PAK series after their thrilling 2-wicket win in the first Test last month. The win also made South Africa the first team to qualify for the World Test Championship final.
Batting first, Pakistan were all out for 211 runs in the first innings. Kamran Ghulam was the top scorer for the tourists, scoring 54 runs. For South Africa, Dane Paterson picked up 5 wickets while debutant Corbin Bosch claimed 4 wickets.
In reply, South Africa scored 301 runs. Aiden Markram was the top scorer for the visitors, scoring 89 runs, while Bosch also impressed with the bat and scored 81 runs.
In the second innings, Pakistan scored 237 runs to set South Africa a target of 148 runs. In reply, South Africa were 96/4 before an inexplicable reduced them to 99/8. However, they managed to cross the finish line thanks to an unbeaten 51-run partnership at the new wicket between Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada.
With both teams now set for the second Test, we take a look at the record between the two teams in the longest format of the game.
SA vs PAK Head to Head Records – Second Test, Pakistan Tour to South Africa 2024-25
| statistically | Matches | SA won | PAK won | Draw | Tie | No. |
| In general | 29 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| At Newlands, Cape Town | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| In the last 5 matches | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| In ongoing series | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| In South Africa | 16 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| In 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Head-to-head records SA vs PAK: Key Stats
As per SA vs PAK records in tests, both teams have played 29 tests against each other so far. The Proteas have pretty much dominated the rivalry so far, making it almost one-sided.
South Africa have so far won 16 out of 29 Tests against Pakistan, while the latter have managed to win just 6 games. 7 of the 29 tests between the two teams ended in a draw.
In Cape Town, South Africa have a stunning record against Pakistan. Both teams played 4 Tests in Cape Town and Proteas won all of them. At home, South Africa have won 13 of the 16 Tests they have played against Pakistan while losing only 2.
SA vs PAK head-to-head records: Last 5 matches
South Africa maintained their lead in the last Tests. Out of the last 5 Tests between the two teams, the African outfit have won 3 while Pakistan have won 2.
SA vs PAK Head-to-Head Records: Top Performers
One of the most decorated batsmen of all time, Jacques Kallis holds the record for scoring the most runs in this match. The former South African all-rounder played 19 Tests against Pakistan and scored 1564 runs with the help of six centuries and eight half-centuries.
For Pakistan, their former captain Younis Khan holds the record for most runs scored against South Africa in the longest format of the game. Khan played 14 Tests against South Africa and scored 990 runs, including four centuries and two half-centuries.
Among the bowlers, Dale Steyn took the most wickets in this match. One of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, Steyn claimed 59 wickets in 13 Tests against Pakistan. For Pakistan, Danish Kaneria has the most Test wickets against South Africa – 36.
Conclusion
South Africa have completely dominated this rivalry and the head to head record shows it very clearly. With past records as well as momentum on their side, South Africa will be eyeing another win over Pakistan. On the other hand, the visitors will be desperate to bounce back and register a famous win in the next Test.