5 key takeaways from the South Africa-Pakistan test series 

#2 Silver lining for Pakistan

Babar Azam's batting against Dale Steyn in this series was breathtaking

Amidst all the troubles Pakistan has been having, there were three performers who ensured that the Pakistani fans had something to be optimistic about. Primary among them was the performance of Babar Azam.

Though the young player didn’t score a hundred, there were some highly impressive innings from him that showed the enormity of talent he possesses and reinforced the view that he is destined for greatness with his batting.

What stood out was his incredible attack against Dale Steyn in the series. On more than one occasion, he smashed the South African ace around the ground with a succession of high-quality shots. Even the best batsmen in the world haven’t dominated Steyn like he did.

Shan Masood, whose stock fell drastically after the series in England in 2016, came back with a strong performance to show that he is a quality player and probably the answer to the team’s search for an opening batsman. He certainly seems to have the wherewithal to deal with pace and bounce. Whether he is good enough against swing remains the question.

Last, but not the least, Shaheen Afridi too impressed everyone with his bowling. The 18-year old is mature beyond his years and it is very exciting to think how good he would become with the passage of a little more time.