The party’s media unit said on X Friday that it had secured enough seats in Parliament to govern on its own, though rival group Jamaat-e-Islami raised concerns over delayed results.

The final tally has not yet been announced by the Election Commission, but several local media outlets reported the BNP crossing the 151-seat threshold needed for a majority in the 350-member Parliament.

The Election Commission said Friday the voter turnout in Thursday’s election stood at 59.44%. More than 127 million voters were eligible.

Akhter Ahmed, a senior secretary of the Election Commission, said Friday that a majority of voters backed a proposal for constitutional reforms that was held alongside the election. The proposal included prime ministerial term limits and stronger checks on executive power.

The BNP is headed by 60-year-old Tarique Rahman, its prime ministerial candidate who returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self-exile in London. He is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who died in December.

Saleh Shibly, press secretary to Rahman, said the BNP leader called on his supporters to hold special prayers alongside the weekly Friday service and not to hold any celebratory rallies or processions.

US, China, India and Pakistan congratulate the BNP’s Rahman

The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka congratulated Rahman and his party on the win, calling it a “historic victory.”

“The United States looks forward to working with you to achieve shared goals of prosperity and security for both our countries,” U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Brent T. Christensen wrote on X.

China congratulated the BNP for taking the lead in the election.

“We look forward to working together with the new government of Bangladesh and writing new chapters of China-Bangladesh relations,” the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka said in a statement.

Leaders from India and Pakistan also lauded the BNP leader.

Historically, Bangladesh has enjoyed mixed relationships with the two regional powers.

India helped Bangladesh gain independence from its rival Pakistan through a bloody war in 1971. It had a warm relation with Bangladesh under previous Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following the 2024 protests and sent to exile in India.

Pakistan remained sidelined under Hasina, but that has been reversed under the interim administration led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party makes inroads

The contest was largely a two-way race between the BNP and an 11-party alliance led by the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, a conservative religious party whose growing influence has fueled concern, particularly among women and minority communities.

Despite falling short of a majority, the alliance made a notable impact, securing at least 77 seats, according to local TV channels.

Shafiqur Rahman, who heads Jamaat-e-Islami, secured a seat in Dhaka and is poised to become the opposition leader in Parliament. But his party voiced objections to the handling of the election results.

The party’s assistant secretary-general, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, said the Election Commission had delayed announcing results in several constituencies, calling the holdups “unusual.” In a statement on Facebook, the party also claimed that candidates from the alliance it heads were “narrowly and suspiciously losing” in multiple areas.

The National Citizen Party, established by student leaders of the uprising as a break from traditional politics but later aligning with the Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition, also left its mark. Party chief Nahid Islam and at least three top leaders secured victories.

The vote was seen as test of Bangladesh’s democracy

Thursday’s vote took place amid tight security and concerns of democratic backsliding, rising political violence and the fraying of the rule of law.

The election was the first since a bloody student-led revolt in July 2024 led to Hasina’s ouster. Many viewed it as a crucial test of Bangladesh’s ability to restore trust in democracy and transform public protests into tangible political reform.

For much of the past 15 years, the BNP languished in opposition, boycotting several elections and accusing Hasina’s government of systematic vote rigging and political repression. Tarique Rahman himself spent 17 years in self-imposed exile after Hasina’s government pursued multiple corruption and other criminal cases against him. He has denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.

Those cases were dropped after Hasina’s government collapsed, paving the way for his return to Bangladesh. His campaign has cast him as a defender of democracy in a country whose politics have long been shaped by entrenched parties, military interventions, and allegations of electoral manipulation.

Tarique Rahman’s BNP has for decades formed one half of the country’s entrenched dynastic political system. His father, Ziaur Rahman, rose from the ranks of the army to become a dominant political figure, serving as the country’s sixth president until his assassination in 1981. His mother Khaleda Zia, who first came to power in 1991, served two full five-year terms.

The party was the principal rival to Hasina’s Awami League party, now banned, and their long-running feud came to define Bangladesh’s political life.

Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council, said while the outcome appears as “a blow to the spirit of the 2024 revolution,” as the BNP has long been associated with corruption and dynastic politics, it will still face significant pressure to act differently this time.

“The BNP will need to be on its toes,” he said.

AP

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Intense rains have left at least 34 people dead after lashing parts of Pakistan and India and triggering flash floods and landslides in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said Wednesday. Over 200,000 people in Pakistan have been displaced, and the shrine of the founder of the Sikh religion has been submerged.

Forecasters say rain will continue across the region this week. Heavy downpours and flash floods in the Himalayan region have killed nearly 100 people in August.

Part of a mountainside in Indian-controlled Kashmir’s Jammu region collapsed onto a popular Hindu pilgrimage route following heavy rains in the Katra area late Tuesday. Devotees had been trekking to reach the hilltop temple, which is one of the most visited shrines in northern India, officials said.

The bodies of most of the pilgrimage victims were recovered from under the debris, according to disaster management official Mohammed Irshad, who said at least 18 other people were injured and transported to hospitals.

Rescue teams scoured the area Wednesday for missing people, and the pilgrimage to the shrine has been suspended, Irshad said.

Authorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province on Wednesday called for army assistance in rescue and relief efforts after torrential rains caused major rivers to swell, inundating villages and displacing over 200,000 people, according to Lt. Gen. Inam Haider, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority.

Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif said two soldiers were killed while helping flood victims. He gave no further details.

Floods also submerged the shrine of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, which is located near the Indian border in Narowal district.

Rescuers evacuated more than 20,000 people overnight from the outskirts of Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city, which faced the risk of flooding. Those evacuated were living along the bed of the Ravi river, said Irfan Ali Kathia, director-general of the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.

Mass evacuations began earlier this week in six districts of Punjab after heavier-than-normal monsoon rains and the release of water from overflowing dams in neighboring India triggered flash floods in low-lying border regions, Kathia said.

Kathia warned floodwaters in the Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers were rising dangerously and many villages were inundated in Kasur, Okara, Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Vehari and Sialkot districts.

India alerted Pakistan about possible cross-border flooding through diplomatic channels rather than the Indus Waters Commission, the permanent mechanism under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. New Delhi suspended the commission’s work after the April killing of 26 tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, though Pakistan insists India cannot unilaterally scrap the treaty.

Rescuers with sniffer dogs continue to search for more than 150 people who have been reported missing this month after flooding killed over 300 residents in three villages in Pakistan’s northwestern Buner district.

Floods have killed more than 800 people in Pakistan since late June.

Scientists say climate change is fueling heavier monsoon rains in South Asia, raising fears of a repeat of a 2022 weather disaster that struck a third of Pakistan and killed 1,739 people.

AP

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Torrential rains triggered more flash floods in two villages in the Kathua district of Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing at least seven people and injuring five others overnight, officials said Sunday.

In Kishtwar district, teams are continuing their efforts in the remote village of Chositi, looking for dozens of missing people after the area was hit by flash floods last week during an annual Hindu pilgrimage. At least 60 people were killed, and some 150 injured. Over 300 others were rescued.

In Pakistan, authorities on Sunday defended their response to climate-induced flash floods that killed more than 270 people in a single northwestern district.

Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for the emergency service, said 54 bodies were found in Buner, a mountainous part in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where torrential rains and cloudbursts triggered massive flooding on Friday.

Suhail said villagers remain missing, and search efforts are focused on areas where homes were flattened by torrents of water that swept down from the mountains, carrying boulders that smashed into houses like explosions.

Authorities have warned of more deluges and possible landslides between now and Tuesday, urging local administrations to remain on alert. Higher-than-normal monsoon rains have lashed the country since June 26 and killed more than 600.

Warnings of more intense rain to come

Residents in Buner have accused officials of failing to warn them to evacuate after torrential rain and cloudbursts triggered deadly flooding and landslides. There was no warning broadcast from mosque loudspeakers, a traditional method in remote areas.

The government said that while an early warning system was in place, the sudden downpour in Buner was so intense that the deluge struck before residents could be alerted.

Lt. Gen. Inam Haider, chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, told a hastily convened news conference in Islamabad that Pakistan was experiencing shifting weather patterns because of climate change. Since the monsoon season began in June, Pakistan has already received 50% more rainfall than in the same period last year, he added.

He warned that more intense weather could follow, with heavy rains forecast to continue this month.

Asfandyar Khan Khattak, director-general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, said there was “no forecasting system anywhere in the world” that could predict the exact time and location of a cloudburst.

Mohammad Iqbal, a schoolteacher in Pir Baba village, said the lack of a timely warning system caused casualties and forced many to flee their homes at the last moment.

“Survivors escaped with nothing,” he said. “If people had been informed earlier, lives could have been saved and residents could have moved to safer places.”

People still missing

Idrees Mahsud, a disaster management official, said Pakistan’s early warning system used satellite imagery and meteorological data to send alerts to local authorities. These were shared through the media and community leaders. He said monsoon rains that once only swelled rivers now also triggered urban flooding.

An emergency services spokesman in Buner, Mohammad Sohail, said more than half the damaged roads in the district had reopened by Sunday, allowing vehicles and heavy machinery to reach cut-off villages.

Crews were clearing piles of rocks and mud dumped by the floods. They were still using heavy machinery to remove the rubble of collapsed homes after families reported that some of their relatives were missing.

In one of the deadliest incidents, 24 people from one family died in the village of Qadar Nagar when floodwaters swept through their home on the eve of a wedding. The head of the family, Umar Khan, said he survived the floods because he was out of the house at the time. Four of his relatives have yet to be found, he added.

Extreme weather

Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. In 2022, a record-breaking monsoon killed nearly 1,700 people and destroyed millions of homes.

The country also suffers regular flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, particularly in the rugged northwest, where villages are often perched on steep slopes and riverbanks.

Experts say climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of such extreme weather events in South Asia.

Khalid Khan, a weather expert, said Pakistan produces less than 1% of planet-warming emissions but faces heatwaves, heavy rains, glacial outburst floods and now cloudbursts, underscoring how climate change is devastating communities within hours.

AP

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Former Pakistan captains Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan could not make the cut for the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament in the United Arab Emirates next month.

The 17-member team, led by Salman Agha, will play a T20 tri-series in the UAE featuring the hosts as well as Afghanistan in their buildup to the Asia Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board said in a statement on Sunday.

Babar and Rizwan were not picked for the T20 leg of Pakistan’s West Indies tour this month, where they were beaten 2-1 by the hosts.

Pacer Shaheen Afridi has been retained while opener Fakhar Zaman, who suffered a hamstring injury in the West Indies, has been included for the Sept 9-28 tournament.

Pakistan will begin their Group A campaign against Oman in Dubai on September 12 before meeting arch-rivals India at the same venue two days later.

Pakistan squad: Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi and Sufyan Moqim.

AP

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India on Wednesday suspended a water-sharing treaty with rival Pakistan, indicating it was blaming its neighbor for the previous day’s attack by gunman that killed 26 people in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.

India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, announced the move at a news conference in New Delhi after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a special security cabinet meeting late Wednesday. Misri said India was suspending the Indus Water Treaty “until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.”

At least 26 people were killed and 17 others wounded when gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, the worst assault in years targeting civilians in the restive region, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan.

India describes militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies the allegation, and many Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.

Indian forces on Wednesday launched a manhunt for the assailants. Tens of thousands of police and soldiers fanned out across the region and erected additional checkpoints. They searched cars, used helicopters to search forested mountains and in some areas summoned former militants to police stations for questioning, reports said. Many shops and businesses in Kashmir closed to protest the killings.

Police called the assault a “terror attack” and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh vowed to “not only trace those who perpetrated the attack but also trace those who conspired to commit this nefarious act on our soil.”

Kashmir Resistance, a previously unknown militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack on social media. The group said Indian authorities had settled over 85,000 “outsiders” in the region and claimed that those targeted on Tuesday were not “ordinary tourists” but “were linked to and affiliated with Indian security agencies.”

The group’s messages could not be independently verified.

Earlier this month, the local government told its legislature that 83,742 Indians were granted rights to buy land and property in Kashmir in the last two years.

The dead were mostly tourists

Officials said 24 of the people killed were Indian tourists. One was from Nepal, and another was a local tourist guide. At least 17 others were wounded.

Separately, soldiers killed two suspected militants in a gunfight after they tried to cross into the Indian side from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir in the northwestern Baramulla district along the heavily militarized Line of Control dividing the region, the Indian army said Wednesday in a statement. There was no independent confirmation of the deaths.

Pakistan extended condolences to the victims’ families.

“We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement while wishing the wounded a speedy recovery.

Kashmir has seen tourism boom despite spate of attacks

Kashmir has seen a spate of deadly attacks on Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, since New Delhi ended the region’s semi-autonomy in 2019 and drastically curbed dissent, civil liberties and media freedoms.

New Delhi has vigorously pushed tourism, and the region has drawn millions of visitors to its Himalayan foothills. Indian officials have claimed that as a sign of normalcy returning, despite the presence of ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers. Until Tuesday, tourists were not targeted.

Following the attack, panicked tourists started to leave Kashmir.

Monojit Debnath, from the Indian city of Kolkata, said Kashmir was beautiful, but his family did not feel secure anymore.

“We are tourists, and we should think about what safety we have here for us,” Debnath told the Press Trust of India news agency as he was leaving Srinagar, the region’s main city, with his family.

“It’s heartbreaking to see the exodus of our guests from the valley after yesterday’s tragic terror attack,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media. “But at the same time, we totally understand why people would want to leave.”

Indian home minister visits

On Wednesday, India’s powerful home minister, Amit Shah, attended a ceremony at a police command center in Srinagar, where the slain tourists were paid floral tributes. He also met families of several victims.

Shah vowed to “come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences.”

Later, Shah visited the site of the killing at Baisaran meadow, some 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the resort town of Pahalgam.

The meadow in Pahalgam is a popular destination, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with pine forests. It is visited by hundreds of tourists every day.

Kashmir has been divided for decades

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India has used heavy-handed tactics to maintain its control over the region, including giving the armed forces widespread powers to arrest, torture and summarily execute suspects, human rights groups say.

In March 2000, at least 35 civilians were shot and killed in a southern village in Kashmir shortly before a visit to India by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton.

In 2019, months before New Delhi revoked the region’s autonomy, a car bomb attack by militants in southern Pulwama district killed at least 40 paramilitary soldiers and wounded dozens more, bringing India and Pakistan close to war.

Violence has ebbed in the Kashmir Valley, the heart of anti-India rebellion. Fighting between government forces and rebels has largely shifted to remote areas of the Jammu region, including Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua, where Indian troops have faced deadly attacks.

AP

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The Pakistan Football Federation took a step towards returning to international soccer by unanimously approving constitutional amendments proposed by FIFA on Thursday.

FIFA hit Pakistan on Feb. 6 with a third international suspension in less than eight years after the federation rejected electoral reforms.

The PFF decided to approve those amendments by a 23-0 vote at an extraordinary congress in Lahore, where the attendees included officials from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation.

“The congress members endorsed the FIFA proposed amendments in the best interest of Pakistan football, paving the way for the national team’s participation in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers following the expected lifting of FIFA’s suspension,” the PFF said in a statement.

Pakistan remained hopeful the suspension will be lifted in time to play Syria on March 25 in its first qualifier for the 2027 Asian Cup. For that to happen, the AFC told the PFF the ban must be lifted by Tuesday.

AP

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South Africa picked an experienced 15-man squad for next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan with 10 players having competed at the last World Cup in India in late 2023.

Temba Bavuma captains the side that plays pool games against Afghanistan in Karachi on Feb. 21, Australia in Rawalpindi on Feb. 25 before returning to Karachi for their final Group B match against England on March 1.

Anrich Nortje, who missed out on the World Cup due to injury, makes his return to the squad after recovering from a left toe injury.

Fellow seamer Lungi Ngidi missed the recent home series against Pakistan because of a groin injury but has been named in the squad.

“This squad boasts a wealth of experience, with many players having consistently performed in high pressure situations. That kind of experience is invaluable in a tournament like this,” said coach Rob Walter.

“We’ve managed to maintain the core group of our 2023 World Cup squad, whilst adding fresh talent.

“Our recent performances show that we’re capable of reaching the latter stages of global tournaments. We’re eager to take the next step and go even further in pursuit of the coveted silverware,” he told a virtual press conference.

Squad:

Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen.

Reuters

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South Africa made light work of a modest target of 58 to claim victory against Pakistan by 10 wickets at a sun-bathed Newlands on Monday, wrapping up the series 2-0 inside four days of the second and final test.

Pakistan had held up the home side’s victory charge with a second innings score of 478 having been asked to follow on, their effort led by captain Shan Masood’s fine 145 on a docile wicket.

But seamer Kagiso Rabada (3-115) and spinner Keshav Maharaj (3-137) kept chipping away at the Pakistan wickets, aided by some poor shot selection.

David Bedingham was promoted to open in the South African second innings after double-centurion from their first, Ryan Rickelton, sustained a hamstring strain.

Bedingham raced to 44 from 30 balls to see his side to victory in 7.1 overs.

“The result is very satisfying, it was good old test cricket. There was something in it for the bowlers with the new ball and then the wicket really flattened out,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said.

“It was a good experience that will hold us in good stead as a team. Certain parts of the game we let go, but all those learnings will make us better.”

South Africa have won their last seven tests in a row, their second best run of victories behind a nine-game winning streak between 2002-2003.

It is perfect preparation for their appearance in the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s from June 11-15.

Pakistan resumed the fourth day on 213 for one, though they were effectively two down after in-form batter Saim Ayub fractured his ankle while fielding on the first day.

Despite the wicket offering little to the bowlers in terms of seam or turn, South Africa picked up two wickets in the morning session, as Khurram Shahzad was caught by Maharaj at point off seamer Marco Jansen for 18.

Rabada bowled Kamran Ghulam for 28, a delivery that nipped back off the wicket and crashed into the off-stump.

The home side took the new ball shortly after lunch and that brought two more wickets, including the key scalp of Masood, who was trapped leg before wicket by 18-year-old fast bowler Kwena Maphaka, South Africa’s youngest ever test player.

Saud Shakeel scored 23 before he was caught at second slip by Aiden Markram off Rabada.

Mohammad Rizwan (41) and Salman Agha (48) continued to show resistance but both fell to Maharaj, who also claimed the wicket of Aamer Jamal following a breezy 34.

Pakistan’s total of 478 is the highest ever follow-on score by a visiting team in South Africa, a vastly improved display after they had been bowled out for 194 in their first innings.

“We didn’t start off well with ball and bat, conceding too many runs (in South Africa’s first innings of 615) and folded quite early in our first innings on a really nice surface,” Masood said.

“The fightback after that was the thing you look for as a team and individuals really stepped up. (But) we need to learn how to win the crucial moments.”

Reuters

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South Africa will give a debut to firebrand 18-year-old fast bowler Kwena Maphaka as one of three changes to their side for the second and final test against Pakistan starting at Newlands on Friday.

Opening batter Tony de Zorzi has been ruled out with a left thigh strain and will be replaced by all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, who will bat at number three with Ryan Rickelton moving to the opener position.

Spinner Keshav Maharaj has recovered from injury and replaces seamer Corbin Bosch after the latter starred on debut in the tense two-wicket win during last week’s first test in Pretoria.

Maphaka has only bowled 60.5 overs in first class cricket and was writing his school exams a few months ago. He takes the place of Dane Paterson, who took 5-61 in the first innings at Centurion Park.

“We want to go with an extra bit of pace, even though Paterson has been superb for us,” South Africa captain Temba Bavuma told reporters on Thursday.

“Whatever happens from a performance point of view, it will put him (Maphaka) in good stead. He will be looking forward to running in with Kagiso Rabada over the next few days.

“You want to allow him to be as free as you can… and allow the exuberance of youth to come out. It is a case of bowl as quick as you can.

“He does not have a foundation (of playing) first class cricket, and this is certainly not a trial for him, we know what his talent is all about.”

The previous test at Newlands against India 12 months ago was completed in 107 overs as the visitors won by seven wickets, the shortest game to have a winner in test history.

The pitch then drew heavy criticism and Bavuma seemed reluctant to discuss it on the eve of the fixture with Pakistan.

“The wicket looks quite interesting. Hopefully it does go the full five days, or at least offers the opportunity to,” was all he said.

South Africa have already claimed their place in June’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s against as yet unconfirmed opponents, but Bavuma said they are fired up to close out the series against Pakistan and are not treating this as a dead rubber.

“The series is still on the line, it is not just a case of we ticked the box of being in the final,” Bavuma said. “We still want to be clinical, we are eying 2-0. The focus is still there.

“As much as we won last week, we were not at our best with bat and ball and that is something to work on.”

South Africa XI to play Pakistan at Newlands: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wicketkeeper), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka.

Reuters

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South Africa tailenders Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen hung in against relentless fast bowler Mohammad Abbas for a tense two-wicket win in the first test on Sunday to seal the Proteas’ place in next year’s World Test Championship final.

Jansen (16 not out) overshadowed Abbas’ brilliant figures of 6-54 with a square driven boundary against the fast bowler as South Africa reached 150-8 just after lunch on Day 4 and escaped with a close win in the opener of the two-match series.

“Quite an emotional moment for me, good advert for test cricket,” said South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, who made 40. “We haven’t been ruthless but have found a way to ensure the result was on our side. Lot of joy and happiness on our side, a bit of a rollercoaster, glad that we were able to get the result.”

Abbas, making a comeback after more than three years in the test wilderness, had knocked back South Africa’s tricky chase of 148 runs in a marathon 13-over spell before lunch on Day 4 as the home team limped to 99-8, losing four wickets for three runs.

However, Rabada changed gears in an unbroken 51-run stand with Jansen and made an unbeaten 31 off 26 balls with five fours to seal a memorable victory and denied Pakistan its first test win in South Africa in almost 18 years.

South Africa had started this WTC cycle with a 1-1 drawn series against India before getting swept 2-0 in New Zealand. But since then the Proteas have beaten West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to stay on top of the table.

“It (WTC final) is a big one, not just for myself but also the team and the coach,” Bavuma said. “The way we started our campaign, against India and then New Zealand with a not-so-strong team, and the way we have gone through with our performances, not many gave us a chance.”

India, Australia and Sri Lanka are the other teams still in contention for next June’s WTC final against South Africa at Lord’s.

Captain Temba Bavuma (40) and Aiden Markram (37) had thwarted Abbas for an hour after South Africa resumed at a wobbly 27-3, still needing 121 for victory.

Bavuma’s controversial dismissal punctuated a South Africa collapse in the latter half of first session with Abbas grabbing three off his six balls in a sensational home team collapse.

Bavuma, who made 40, surprisingly didn’t request a television review when replays suggested that Abbas’ ball had brushed the batter’s pocket and didn’t make contact with the inside edge of the bat but the South African skipper walked back to the dressing room.

Abbas bowled an unchanged marathon spell of 13 overs, but had to wait as Markram and Bavuma saw off eight overs from the fast bowlers.

Resuming at 27-3, Bavuma and Markram showed plenty of patience against Abbas’ probing line and length before the fast bowler finally got the breakthrough after the first drinks break.

Abbas was rewarded for his brilliant seam bowling when he beat the outside edge of Markram’s bat and knocked back the off stump.

Bavuma survived a couple of close chances when he successfully overturned an on-field lbw decision against him early in the day and Naseem Shah couldn’t hold onto a sharp catch at fine leg as he overstepped the boundary cushion while grabbing the ball over his head.

South Africa had controlled the game at 96-4 before Bavuma’s dismissal saw Abbas finding the outside edges of David Bedingham (14) and Corbin Bosch’s (0) bat off successive deliveries and in between Kyle Verreynne dragged Naseem Shah’s delivery back onto his stumps.

Abbas found the outside edge of Rabada’s bat in his first over after lunch that fell just short of wicketkeeper Rizwan before both tailenders took the team home.

“Extremely proud of the efforts, but going forward we need to be ruthless,” Pakistan captain Shan Masood said. “We keep making the same mistakes but we have to get over the line, seize moments.”

The second test begins at Cape Town on Friday.

AP

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