Pakistan finished last in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings during the previous cycle. However, the Shan Masood-led side is off to a good start in the new edition, defeating South Africa by 93 runs in the first Test at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. With this victory, the Men in Green moved ahead 1-0 in the two-game series.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first in the Test match. They scored 378 in the first innings, with half-centuries from Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan, and Salman Agha. South Africa were bowled out for 269 in reply, giving up a 109-run advantage despite Tony de Zorzi’s magnificent century.
Senuran Muthusamy grabbed five wickets in Pakistan’s second innings, adding to his six wicket tally in the first. The hosts were bowled out for 167, leaving the Proteas with a 277-run goal to win the fourth innings. However, the batting conditions deteriorated, as Shaheen Afridi and Noman Ali created havoc with four wickets each. In his Test career, the latter took another ten wickets. South Africa were bowled out for 183 and lost by 93 runs.
With this win, Pakistan moved up to second place in the points rankings. They are only trailing former champions Australia in the WTC standings.
World Test Championship 2025-27 Points Table:
| Pos. | Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Deductions | Points | PCT (%) |
| 1 | Australia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 100.00 |
| 2 | Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 100.00 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 66.67 |
| 4 | India | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 52 | 61.90 |
| 5 | England | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 43.33 |
| 6 | Bangladesh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 16.67 |
| 7 | South Africa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 8 | West Indies | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 9 | New Zealand | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
India
