Day 2 of the second midterm Exam South Africa and Pakistan at Newlands, Cape Town, things took an unexpected turn when a South African commentator made an insulting remark about the English speaking skills of Pakistani cricketers. The incident not only sparked controversy but also shifted focus from on-field events to questions of respect and professionalism in cricket commentary.
The clash took place in Pakistan's second six overs, viz Kamran Ghulam protected to send from Marco Jansen and cried out, “Wait” to his friend, Abara Azam. The commentator took this opportunity to share an anecdote about playing alongside a Pakistani batsman Khurram Mansoor in Abu Dhabi. He added that Manzoor, like many other Pakistani players, sang loudly in English on the field but struggled to communicate in English during post-match interviews. The comment was met with laughter, creating a mocking image of the Pakistani players' language skills.
Here is the video:
A South African commentator makes fun of Pakistani players for their English speaking skills.
This is live TV bullying to say the least & should not be tolerated at all.
Listen carefully👇👇👇@ICC @TheRealPCB #PakistanCricket #PAKvsSA #SAvsPAK #INDvsAUS pic.twitter.com/ptJc3zNlzP
– Cric Doctor (@CricDoctor_) January 4, 2025
The Magic of Marco Jansen: The Fall of Kamran Ghulam
On the next ball, Jansen took the big wicket of Ghulam, bowling from around the steer, Jansen hammered the ball hard and full length, towards the stumps. Khurram, unsure of his footing, got caught and tried to shoot. However, the ball passed through the small gap between his bat and pad, and landed on his stumps in a spectacular manner. The combination of late movement and Jansen's accuracy proved too difficult for Khurram. This run shows Jansen's ability to create difficult angles and exploit weaknesses in Pakistan's batting. Pakistan slipped to 18/3, Jansen's two strikes left the visitors in dire straits.
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South Africa's dominance over Pakistan in the Cape Town Test
The second Test between South Africa and Pakistan has so far been the best performance from South Africa, who declared their first innings on 615, thanks to Ryan Rickelton's marathon 259 and a hundred years to come Kyle Verreynne. South Africa's innings was characterized by a partnership that overwhelmed Pakistan's bowling attack, which was hampered by the lack of pace bowlers. Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Shahzad. Although successful from Mohammad Abbas and Agha SalmanPakistan failed to capitalize on the early wickets, allowing the hosts to write a statement.
In reply, Pakistan's innings got off to a rough start, losing Shan Masood for 2 and Saud Shakeel to the duck, all chased by fire Kagiso Rabada. Jansen added to Pakistan's woes, removing Ghulam early in the innings. At stumps on Day 2, Pakistan found themselves in no trouble posted at 64/3, still trailing by 551 runsand Babar (31 not out) and Mohammad Rizwan (9 not out) was tasked with rebuilding the innings.