Newlands, Cape Town, pitch history and Test records 

After confirming their place in the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025, South Africa is ready to host Pakistan once again. The Shan Masood-led team put up a spirited fight against the Proteas in the first Test, who jumped the ropes thanks to a winning partnership between Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen.

The second test awaits in Cape Town, a city that has hosted the largest number of tests (60) in South Africa. Pakistan would be wary of the fact that they have never beaten South Africa here in four attempts. In fact, this is the same ground where the famous low-scoring affair between South Africa and India occurred in January 2024.

Ahead of the second Test between South Africa and Pakistan, here are some important numbers you need to know from previous Tests held at the venue.

Newlands, Cape Town, statistics and testing records

The Proteas have a 27-22 record at the venue. Up to 11 events have been drawn here, and the first match dates back to 1889.

Here is a list of some important numbers you should know from previous Test matches organized at this ground:

Games played: 60

Matches won by teams batting first: 23

Games won by teams batting second: 26

Drawn matches: 0

Drawn matches: 11

Highest team total: 651 – South Africa vs Australia, 2009

Lowest Team Total: 35/10 – South Africa vs England, 1889

Most successful career pursuit: 334/6 for Australia vs South Africa, 2002

Highest individual score: 262- Stephen Fleming (New Zealand) vs South Africa, 2006

Best bowling figures (innings): 8/11 – John Briggs (ENG) v South Africa, 1889

Best bowling figures (match): 15/28 – John Briggs (ENG) vs South Africa, 1889

Average first entry score: 322

Newlands, Cape Town Presentation Report

Heaven for pacemakers! That’s what we got in the last match when India bowled out South Africa for just 55 in the first innings. To be honest, the wicket here was quite bad, and the batsmen had no chance of building an innings.

The pitching curator might cook something up to make amends, but the pacers should still pose a big ‘test’ for the top-order batsmen. The exact launch report will be broadcast live just before the live action of the second and final test of the series.

Newlands, Cape Town, last test

The last time Newlands hosted a Test match, the ICC rated the pitch as “unsatisfactory”. The match ended two days after cricket, with a total of 464 runs scored in four innings, i.e. 116 runs per innings.

Mohanmmed Siraj’s 6/15 shook SA, who posted 55/10. In response, India were in the driving seat before losing six wickets for zero runs. From 153/4, they fell to 153/10.

In response, Aiden Markram scored a brilliant ton to have something on the board for South Africa. India easily chased down the total of 79 runs, with Rohit Sharma remaining unbeaten.