Pakistan Stops the Proteas' 10-Test Unbeaten Run.
The left-arm pacer secured a quartet of wickets in the final innings following going wicketless in the initial session.
First Test, Lahore (the fourth day)
Pakistan 378 (Imam-ul-Haq 93, Salman Agha 93; Senuran Muthusamy 6-117) & 167 (Babar Azam 42; the spinner 5-57)
South Africa 269 (Tony de Zorzi 104; Noman 6-112) & 183 (Brevis 54; Shaheen 4-33, Noman Ali 4-79)
Pakistan won by 93 runs
The national team terminated the reigning champions the Proteas' unbeaten run by achieving a 93-run win in an exciting and hard-fought first Test in Lahore.
The Proteas, whose 10-match unbeaten run in Test cricket ended with a win against the Aussies in the WTC final in June, were dismissed for 183 chasing 277.
Having resumed on 51-2, they saw the dismissal of first-innings centurion Tony de Zorzi lbw to pace bowler Afridi to the third ball of the day to push the tightly balanced chase in Pakistan's favor.
Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who secured 10 wickets for 191 runs in the match, dismissed Stubbs for 2 and bowled Dewald Brevis, who offered some resistance with a rapid 54.
Off-spinner Sajid Khan also capitalized on sharp turn to terminate opener Rickelton's stay - he faced 145 deliveries for 45 - and Shaheen returned in the post-lunch session to dismiss the tail with a impressive exhibition of reverse-swing bowling.
He trapped Kyle Verreynne lbw for nineteen and dismissed Subrayen and Kagiso Rabada to seal the victory.
It was each team's first match of the 2025-2027 World Test Championship cycle and moves Pakistan straight into second place behind leaders the Australian team.
The win was founded on key performances of 93 by opener Imam-ul-Haq and, importantly, all-rounder Salman Agha which lifted them to three hundred and seventy-eight.
From there slow bowlers Noman and Sajid Khan took advantage of favourable home conditions, as they had in their series victory over England the previous year, to sustain their lead.
The second and final Test begins on October 20.
