The Proteas and Pakistan served up a thrilling first Test at Centurion.

Pakistan fought bravely, but ultimately the Proteas hung on to edge home by two wickets which also booked the home team a place in the next year’s World Test Championship final. Independent Media Sport’s Zaahier Adams picks six Plays of the Match.

Aiden Markram’s return to form

The Proteas’ vice-captain top-scored with 89 in the first innings and followed it up with another solid 37. On a surface that saw the Proteas’ top-order suffering collapses in both innings, Markram showed he not only had the quality but also the temperament to stand firm when everything was falling around him.

Corbin Bosch’s dream debut

The Titans allrounder had two opening days of Test cricket he will remember for the rest of his life. While the next two days may not have gone so swimmingly, his allround contributions of 4/64 with the ball and especially his 81 not out was game changing. His runs at No 9 was the difference in the Proteas possibly conceding a first-innings deficit to an eventual 90-run lead.

Dane Paterson’s second “Michelle”

There was possibly nobody more nervous than last-man Dane Paterson during the Kagiso Rabada-Marco Jansen match-winning partnership, but the evergreen seamer had already done his job with the ball by picking up his second consecutive Test match five-wicket haul.

The Jekyll and Hyde Marco Jansen

After an indifferent first innings that saw Jansen spray the ball all over the place, he responded in magnificent fashion in the second innings to rip through the Pakistanis with figures of 6/52. Of course, little did he know his job was far from done …

Mohammad Abbas the marathon man

Abbas bowled 13 overs in a row on the final morning, and 16 in its entirety, as he looked to virtually dismiss the Proteas all on his own. He orchestrated a collapse that saw the Proteas lose four wickets for just three runs and put his team in the driving seat. He deserved to be on the winning team with figures of 6/54 defending just 148.

KG: You beauty, you Superstar!

These were the words broadcaster once described JP Duminy’s epic 166 on Boxing Day against Australia at the MCG. They would have been an apt description for Kagiso Rabada’s heroic 31 not out yesterday at Centurion, too.

In tandem with Marco Jansen, the pair shared an unbroken 51-run partnership that sent the Proteas dressingroom into a state of delirium. But it was Rabada that took on the rampant Pakistani attack head-on with a string of boundaries to get the Proteas back on track.