Pakistan slips to 155-6, still trails South Africa by 460 runs in 2nd test

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s youngest test cricketer Kwena Maphaka got the key wicket of Babar Azam as Pakistan slipped to 155-6 on the third day of the second and final test on Sunday.

The 18-year-old Maphaka celebrated his maiden test wicket in his debut test when the left-arm fast bowler had Babar caught down the leg side and left the visitors still trailing by 460 runs at lunch.

Pakistan is effectively seven down because Saim Ayub has been ruled out of competitive cricket due to a fractured right ankle for at least six weeks after the opening batter sustained the injury on the first day.

Aamer Jamal was unbeaten on five with tailender Khurram Shahzad yet to score at the interval as Pakistan still needed 261 runs to avoid the follow-on.

Babar and Mohammad Rizwan (46) had thwarted the pace of Kagiso Rabada (2-28) and Marco Jansen (1-36) in the first hour after Pakistan resumed on a precarious 64-3.

Pakistan's premier batters extended their fourth-wicket stand to 98 despite Rabada and Jansen beating Rizwan's outside edge.

Babar completed his second successive half century of the series with back-to-back boundaries against Rabada with the first one flying above the slips cordon before he fell for 58 off 127 balls with seven boundaries.

Once Maphaka got the crucial breakthrough, the tourists lost two more wickets in quick succession.

Rizwan attempted a poor shot against Wiaan Mulder and under-edged the left-arm fast bowler back onto his stumps. Keshav Maharaj further punished Pakistan at the stroke of the lunch interval when he deceived Salman Ali Agha (19) off a flighted delivery and had the batter stumped.

South Africa had posted a mammoth 615 in its first innings with Ryan Rickelton scoring a career-best 259 while captain Temba Bavuma (106) and Kyle Verreynne (100) also scored centuries.

South Africa sealed its place in June’s World Test Championship final against Australia after narrowly beating Pakistan by two wickets in the first test at Centurion.

Australia booked its place in the WTC final at Lord’s against South Africa after it clinched a six-wicket victory against India earlier on Sunday in the fifth and final test at Sydney. Australia also regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with the 3-1 series win against India for the first time in 10 years.

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South Africa celebrate the wicket of Pakistan's Babar Azam during the third day of the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan plays a shot during the third day of the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan runs after hitting the ball during the third day of the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan is struck by the ball off the bowling of South Africa's Marco Jansen during the third day of the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan smashes the ball for six runs during the third day of the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)

South Africa's Kyle Verreynne, left, stumps Pakistan's Salman Agha during the third day of the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)

South Africa's Kwena Maphaka, left, bowls the ball while Pakistan's Babar Azam looks on during the third day of the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)

South Africa's David Bedingham, left, and Kyle Verreynne, center, congratulate Kwena Maphaka, right, on his debut test wicket during the third day of the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)

South Africa's Kwena Maphaka celebrates his debut test wicket that of Pakistan's Babar Azam during the third day of the second Test match between South Africa and Pakistan in Cape Town, South Africa, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)