The former Pakistan skipper was dismissed for 16 runs.
Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who was looking solid at the crease in the first innings of the second Test had to walk back because of the brilliance of Tony de Zorzi. Though the dismissal will go down having the name of Keshav Maharaj on it, it as much belonged to the left-handed opener, who was positioned at silly point.
The dismissal took place on the last delivery of the 56th over. Pakistan were well placed at 167/2 on the first day of the second Test. Keshav Maharaj bowled an orthodox delivery, which pitched on off-stump and turned just a little bit. Just to be clear, Babar Azam did not do a lot wrong. He stretched out to defend the delivery, but ended up giving it a bit of air. And from there, it was the class of Tony de Zorzi which gave the Proteas their third wicket of the day.
Abdullah Shafique got a lot of chances on his way to a gritty 57, and Shan Masood starred with the bat for his team with an excellent 87, before which he was dismissed by Maharaj. While publishing this piece, Pakistan were 235/4 in 79 overs, with Mohammad Rizwan (13) and Saud Shakeel (35) batting in the middle on Day 2.
De Zorzi does it again and AGAIN
— Werner (@Werries_) October 20, 2025
What a fielder to have under the helmet close to the bat 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tCoiLFlmh7
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Fielding at positions like the silly point, silly mid-off and short-leg is never easy. So to say, teams have specific players assigned for the role as it demands extreme amounts of skill and technique. Any fielder cannot take the helmet and stand in the firing line, right in front of the batter. Along with fielding close to the batter, Tony de Zorzi has been in good form with the bat.
Though the Proteas ended up on the losing side in the first Test, de Zorzi scored a brilliant 104 in the first innings. If it was not for that innings, South Africa would have conceded a much more hefty lead in the first innings. In the second innings, he could only gather 16, but his performance in the first innings would have given him a lot of confidence.
Having said that, fielding in close proximity to the batter is an extremely underrated skill. This is because the fielder has to be extremely good with reflexes. The catches that flow around the bat need the fielders to react quickly. To add to that, batters are often chosen to field in positions like these because they have the tendency to focus on the ball, which they execute in their primary skill.
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