Centurion, Dec 28 (IANS): Former captain Babar Azam scored his first half-century since December 2022 while Saud Shakeel struck a superb 84 as Pakistan set South Africa a stiff target and then claimed three early wickets to set the first Test of the series for a thrilling finish at the SuperSport Park here on Saturday.

South Africa had looked the favourites after reducing Pakistan to 88/3 at stumps on the previous day. But the visitors closed the rain-curtailed third day of the match on a dramatic note by reducing the hosts to 27/3 when bad light stopped play.

With 148 runs required to seal their spot in next year's ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, South Africa got off to a nightmarish start in Centurion as Pakistan pacers dealt early blows. Mohammad Abbas and Khurram Shahzad struck with the ball as the Proteas closed the day at the loss of three wickets, with 27 runs on the board. South Africa now need 121 runs while Pakistan will have to claim seven more wickets to win the match.

Earlier, a rain-marred third day saw the entire first session being washed out. Pakistan began the second session determined to build on their lead. Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel navigated a challenging spell of bowling early on, steadily shifting the pressure back onto South Africa.

Both players reached their half-centuries, building a solid partnership of 79 runs. However, the momentum shifted dramatically in favour of the hosts, thanks to a fiery spell from Marco Jansen, who claimed three quick wickets, leaving Pakistan reeling at 176/6. Dane Paterson and Kagiso Rabada kept the pressure on, claiming one wicket each, as Pakistan teetered at 212/8 by Tea break. South Africa swiftly claimed the final two wickets shortly after lunch, with Jansen securing an impressive six-wicket haul and Corbin Bosch adding another wicket to his name in his debut test.

Despite the low total Pakistan refused to back down and picked up three wickets quickly inside the first ten overs, setting the stage for a thrilling finish.

Having won the toss and opted to bowl first, South Africa had bowled out Pakistan for 211, thanks to a five-wicket haul from Dane Paterson and an impressive debut performance by Corbin Bosch, who claimed four wickets. In response, South Africa posted 301 on the board, with Aiden Markram and Corbin Bosch leading the scoring charts with 89 and 81 respectively.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 211 & 237 all out in 59.4 overs (Saud Shakeel 84, Babar Azam 50; Marco Jansen 6-52, Kagiso Rabada 2-68) lead South Africa 301 & 27/3 in 9 overs (Aiden Markram 22 not out; Mohammad Abbas 2-3, Khurram Shahzad 1-22) by 120 runs