Lahore, October 13, 2025: South Africa’s stand-in captain Aiden Markram added another milestone to his career by surpassing 3,000 Test runs during the opening Test against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.
Needing just seven runs to reach the landmark, Markram achieved the feat in his 47th Test match, becoming the 18th South African to cross the 3,000-run threshold in the format. The right-hander’s career so far features 13 half-centuries and eight centuries, underlining his consistency across formats.
The all-time record for South Africa remains with Jacques Kallis, who scored 13,206 runs in 165 Tests, including 58 fifties and 45 centuries. Hashim Amla follows with 9,282 runs in 124 Tests, while former captain Graeme Smith is third on the list with 9,253 runs from 116 matches.
When this report was filed, South Africa were 19 for no loss in six overs, still trailing by 359 runs, with Markram and Ryan Rickelton at the crease.
Earlier, Markram’s team bowled out Pakistan for 378 in 110.4 overs, thanks to a stunning spell by left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy, who claimed career-best figures of 6 for 117.
Pakistan, batting first, lost opener Abdullah Shafique (2) early to Kagiso Rabada, but captain Shan Masood (76 off 147) and Imam-ul-Haq (93 off 153) rebuilt strongly with a 161-run partnership for the second wicket.
Imam, returning to Test cricket after 2023, registered his 10th Test fifty, while Shan brought up his 12th half-century before falling to Prenelan Subrayen.
Babar Azam looked fluent and reached a personal milestone — becoming the first Pakistani and eighth overall to cross 3,000 runs in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) — before being dismissed for 23 by Simon Harmer.
Just before tea, Muthusamy sparked a collapse by removing Imam and Saud Shakeel (0) in successive balls as Pakistan slipped to 199 for four.
Afterward, Mohammad Rizwan (75 off 140) and Salman Ali Agha (93 off 145) added a fighting 153-run partnership for the sixth wicket — the highest for Pakistan against South Africa at home.
Muthusamy, however, returned to polish off the lower order, dismissing Noman Ali and Sajid Khan for ducks before bowling Shaheen Afridi (7) to complete his six-wicket haul. Subrayen took two wickets, while Rabada and Harmer picked one each.
With the Proteas openers surviving a tricky final session, all eyes will be on Markram as South Africa aim to build a solid reply and narrow Pakistan’s lead on day two.
