South Africa 429 for 5 (Rickelton 213*, Verreynne 74*, Abbas 2-70) vs. Pakistan
Verreynne, meanwhile, was less discerning in his shot selection, a hook over a deep back square in front of Abbas revealing his intentions. It was a shot that defined the session for him; He hit two more sixes off Aamer Jamal in the final before lunch in the same manner. When Shan Masood placed three defenders close to cover, Verreynne still found a way to break through that region against Mir Hamza, whose attempts to induce cover drives were successful, although not in the way he expected.
At the other end, Rickelton reached his double century with a punch to the offside, running to midfield in celebration. But the highlight belonged to Verreynne, who greeted Salman Ali Agha’s arrival at the crease with a reverse sweep for four off the second ball, and another to finish off the over.
A lead through an empty curb revealed Verreynne’s half-century as the wheels began to spin off towards Pakistan. Verreynne even bowled Jamal for 17 in the penultimate over. It wasn’t a bowling statement but Pakistan are getting to that point.
