Match overview

South Africa beat Pakistan by 10 wickets at Newlands, Cape Town, on 3 January 2025. Ryan Rickelton scored 259 off 343 balls to anchor South Africa's first innings of 615 all out. Pakistan were bowled out for 194 in reply, forced to follow on, and then made 478 for 9 second time around. South Africa knocked off the 58-run target without losing a wicket. The result was settled well before the final innings began.

Rickelton's innings is the standout individual performance of the match by some distance. His 259 is the highest score in this dataset for a Test at Newlands in the current era, and his player-of-the-match award required no deliberation. The scale of South Africa's total, nearly three times the ground's historical average first-innings score of 208, put Pakistan in an unwinnable position from the moment the first innings closed.

Pakistan's second innings was more competitive. Their 478 for 9 represented a genuine effort to bat South Africa out of the game, but 58 was never a target likely to cause concern for the home openers. South Africa reached it with all wickets intact.

Venue and conditions

Newlands has hosted 136 Tests and its numbers tell a consistent story. The average first-innings score is 208 and the average second-innings score is 184, figures that reflect a ground where pace bowlers have traditionally had the first say and batting totals beyond 400 are uncommon. The powerplay average of 31 runs and a death-overs average of 28 are less relevant in Test cricket but point broadly to a surface that offers movement for seamers.

The toss decision matters here. South Africa opted to bat after winning the toss and were not punished for it. The chase success rate at Newlands sits at 53 per cent across those 136 matches, meaning the ground does not have a particularly strong toss-and-bowl culture compared to some venues. South Africa's choice to bat first and post a large total is the historically logical approach when conditions allow.

The bowling records at Newlands support the ground's reputation as a seamer's ground. Kagiso Rabada's 10 for 92 in 29 overs and Vernon Philander's 9 for 75 in 30.2 overs are the standout match hauls in the dataset. Spinners have occasionally featured; Saeed Ajmal's 10 for 147 in 60.2 overs in 2013 is the rare exception that confirms the general rule.

How to watch

Test cricket between South Africa and Pakistan is broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket. Subscribers can stream via Sky Go or access matches through a NOW TV day pass without a long-term contract. For live commentary without a subscription, BBC Radio's Test Match Special provides ball-by-ball coverage of selected Test series and is available on BBC Sounds.

This match took place on 3 January 2025 and has concluded. Coverage archives and highlights are available through Sky Sports' on-demand service.

Recent form

The context heading into this Test was heavily in Pakistan's favour on paper. South Africa's five most recent results against Pakistan before this fixture read W, L, L, L, W, with three consecutive defeats in between. Pakistan, from their side, had won four of those same five meetings.

All five of those matches took place in Pakistan during 2024 and 2025, which matters considerably. South Africa's record in the subcontinent differs significantly from their record at home, and Newlands has historically been one of their strongest venues. The 10-wicket win fits the pattern of a side returning to familiar conditions after a difficult overseas series, and it restores some balance to a head-to-head that had tilted Pakistan's way through the first half of 2025.