Final result
South Africa Cricket won by 2 wickets
Player of the match: AK Markram
Result · Test Cricket
Pakistan Cricket vs South Africa Cricket
Result · Test Cricket
Venue par · 209Chase success · 56%POTM · AK Markram
Match preview & overview
South Africa scrape home by 2 wickets in Boxing Day Test thriller at Centurion
South Africa beat Pakistan by 2 wickets in the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park, Centurion on 26 December 2024. Chasing a target of 148 in the fourth innings, South Africa were reduced to 150/8 before getting over the line in one of the closer finishes the fixture has produced. Pakistan's 211 in the first innings was competitive by Centurion standards, where the average first-innings total across 155 matches is 209, but South Africa's reply of 301 gave them a 90-run lead that settled the contest. Pakistan's 237 in the third innings set South Africa a target that felt gettable on paper, yet proved anything but straightforward in practice. AK Markram took the Player of the Match award for his contributions across both South African innings.
Pakistan's first innings was tightly fought and their second-innings 237 showed genuine resilience. But South Africa's first-innings dominance, built around that 90-run lead, gave them the margin they needed when the pitch began to play more tricks in the final innings. Eight wickets falling in the chase underlined how hard this surface can be to bat on when the match is deep into its fourth day.
Pitch report & venue insights
SuperSport Park, Centurion — 155-match sample
Aggregate conditions from 2002–2025. Numbers that tend to decide matches at this ground — par score, chase success, powerplay averages and toss bias.
155
T20 matches hosted
209
Avg 1st-innings score
189
Avg 2nd-innings score
56%
Chase success rate
43
Avg powerplay runs
68%
Toss-field rate
Key talking points
Moments the match hinged on
Headline angle
South Africa win by 2 wickets in Boxing Day Test
Chasing a target of 148, South Africa crawled to 150/8 at SuperSport Park, Centurion. It was as close as fourth-innings chases get: eight wickets fell before the hosts got over the line, making it one of the tighter finishes in this fixture's recent history.
Angle 02
Pakistan's first innings 211 set a competitive but modest total
Angle 03
Markram named Player of the Match
Angle 04
Pakistan's third innings 237 kept them alive
Angle 05
South Africa win despite poor toss record at this venue
Key players
Players who decided it
Betting & analytical angles
Angles the data surfaced
- Fourth-innings chases at SuperSport Park carry meaningful risk: the venue's chase success rate sits at 55% across 155 matches, meaning markets on low-target chases here warrant more scrutiny than the target number alone might suggest.
- Player of the Match markets at this venue may be more productively assessed via bowling contributions given the surface's historical pace friendliness, rather than pure batting output.
- First-innings total lines at Centurion are anchored by an average of 209 runs across 155 matches, giving a reasonable baseline for assessing whether a given team has over- or under-performed relative to surface norms.
- Tight fourth-innings results like this one. South Africa 150/8 chasing 148. Suggest top-order batter lines and individual wicket markets may offer more variation than simple match-result lines at this ground.
For editorial context only. Not a forecast and not betting advice. 18+ only, please gamble responsibly.
Frequently asked
Questions about Pakistan Cricket vs South Africa Cricket
Who won the Pakistan vs South Africa Test at Centurion in December 2024?
South Africa won by 2 wickets. Chasing a target of 148, they reached 150/8, losing eight wickets before getting over the line. AK Markram was named Player of the Match.
What were the scores in the Centurion Test between Pakistan and South Africa?
Pakistan scored 211 in their first innings and 237 in their second. South Africa replied with 301 in their first innings and then chased the 148-run target, finishing on 150/8. South Africa led by 90 runs after the first innings, which proved to be the match-defining advantage.
Where to watch Pakistan vs South Africa Test cricket in the UK?
Test matches between South Africa and Pakistan are typically broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, available via Sky subscription, Sky Go, or a NOW TV day pass. BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra also carries live commentary for many international Test fixtures.
What is the head-to-head record between Pakistan and South Africa?
Across 104 meetings in all formats, South Africa lead with 54 wins to Pakistan's 45, with 5 matches producing no result. Pakistan had won four of the five most recent meetings between the sides before this Test.
What is SuperSport Park, Centurion like for Test cricket?
SuperSport Park has hosted 155 matches with an average first-innings score of 209. Teams win the toss and choose to field 67% of the time, and the chase success rate across all matches at the ground is 55%. The surface historically rewards pace bowling, as the records of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander at the venue demonstrate.
Who won the toss in the Pakistan vs South Africa Centurion Test?
South Africa won the toss and elected to field, sending Pakistan in to bat first. Pakistan posted 211 in their first innings, just above the venue's average first-innings total of 209.
Explore more
Dig deeper into the season
Photo credits (3)
- Aiden Markram — photo by Marcel Sigg, CC0 · source
- Kagiso Rabada — photo by Blue Square Thing, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
- Dale Steyn — photo by YellowMonkey/Blnguyen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source