Muthusamy and Rabada's career bests give South Africa hefty lead

Tea South Africa 404 (Muthusamy 89*, Stubbs 76, Rabada 71 Asif 6-79) lead Pakistan 333 by 71 runs

After all the cricket in this series so far played predictably (win toss, bat big, win game), South Africa flipped the script as their lower order gave them a 71-run lead in Rawalpindi. Senuran Muthusamy and Kagiso Rabada both walked away with career-bests - and Rabada with the first fifty of his Test career, off just 38 balls, - as Pakistan ran out of answers against the tail. For the first time in the series, the hosts find themselves chasing the game.

Muthusamy will get fewer plaudits than Rabada, whose innings was studded with sexy hits straight down the ground but deserves all the praise. He held South Africa together after they lost 4 for 50 in the morning session and looked certain to take a deficit into the second innings.

Muthusamy shared a 71-run stand with fellow left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj and a 98-run partnership with Rabada and on a deteriorating pitch, has given South Africa a big advantage. It is only the second time both the ninth and tenth wicket put up stands of more than fifty and first since the Adelaide Test in 1998.

Pakistan were clearly stunned by the late assault as their spinners were blunted, Shaheen Shah Afridi was targeted and Shan Masood could not plug gaps in the field. All that came after they had 38 reasons to celebrate when Asif Afridi, on debut, became the oldest man to take a Test five-for in his first match. Asif's fifth wicket was that of Simom Harmer, when South Africa were 210 for 7. That South Africa added another 194 runs will be difficult for him to believe, especially after the way the day started.

Asif struck in the first over of the day when Kyle Verreynne pushed at his fourth ball and got a thin edge, which Mohammad Rizwan gleefully pouched. Stubbs, who was on 68 overnight, was back in his defensive shell and added just eight runs to his score before being trapped in the crease by a quicker Asif ball that hit him on the pad. He was given out on field and reviewed, perhaps hoping for a sliver of bat, but with no edge detected and the ball crashing into the stumps, his innings was over. Asif struck again in his next over, when Simon Harmer missed a reverse sweep and was pinned in front of middle stump. Harmer reviewed, needlessly, as Asif's five-for was confirmed. At 38 years and 299 days, Asif is the oldest man to take a five-for on Test debut.

Muthusamy, who had been at the crease from the first over of the morning, looked fairly comfortable and with all the main batters out, gave himself permission to play his shots. He swept particularly well and was perplexed when he was given out lbw to Sajid Khan and reviewed immediately. Ultra Edge confirmed an inside-edge.

Pakistan took the second new ball as soon as it became available and hoped Shaheen Shah Afridi would find some swing. He went searching and with some pace on offer, Marco Jansen didn't miss out on the chance to drive him through mid-off. Asif shared the new ball in a spell that ended up lasting 19 overs and after two Shaheen overs was joined by Noman Ali, who was wicketless in the Test so far.

Four balls in, Noman had his first. Even though Jansen thought he had got far enough outside the line, he hadn't and was confirmed out lbw on review. Muthusamy continued batting positively, and Keshav Maharaj joined him in that approach. He attacked Noman, in particular, and also offered some chances.

Maharaj was dropped by Imam-ul-Haq at silly mid-off in what was a tough chance akin to Tony de Zorzi which dismissed Babar Azam on day two, then could have been stumped off Asif as he charged down but Rizwan was unsighted and could not react in time and then offered Asif a return chance that he could not hold on to. Muthusamy decided to live dangerously too and swung across the line to hit Sajid high over the keeper. Salman Ali Agha ran back but could not get to the ball in time.

South Africa went to lunch 48 runs behind and most likely with a view to cutting the deficit to as little as possible. By the time they got to tea, not only had they wiped that out, but were 71 ahead as well.

Three overs into the second session, Muthusamy got to his second Test fifty, off 88 balls, and three overs after that lost Maharaj. Encouraged by his ability to charge down, Maharaj did it one too many times as Noman flighted the ball and was stumped. At that stage, South Africa were still 27 runs behind.

Muthusamy reverse-swept Sajid in a shot that suggested he was going to accelerate in anticipation of the end. But Rabada had no intention of going anywhere quickly. He swung hard and sent Noman over his head for his first four and the fun began. He slog-swept Sajid for six and then hit Shaheen over long-on and just short of long-off for back-to-back boundaries before taking six more off Sajid.

His fifty came with a touch of class as he guided Sajid through point and then he tonked Salman Ali Agha over his head for another six. While Rabada went crazy, Muthusamy quietly collected runs to move into the 80s and soon the race was on to see whether they could both get to three figures. Neither did, as Rabada played one big shot too many and was caught at long-on to give Asif a six-for and South Africa a precious foot in front.