5 key takeaways from the South Africa-Pakistan test series 

#1 Quinton’s quality and Steyn’s progress

Quinton de Kock's hundred in the third Test was a masterclass

The way Quinton de Kock bats leads people to believe that he is the typical lower-order dasher. However, the wicket-keeper batsman has played top-quality innings in challenging conditions more than once and has shown that there is genuine quality alongside exciting stroke-play.

His knock in Hobart against Australia in late 2016 and the hundred in the last Test of this series showed how he could excel in somewhat tricky batting conditions also. After a difficult patch of form last year, he is back at his best.

However, one man who is not at his best but getting there quickly is Dale Steyn. While the legendary fast bowler returned to Test cricket last year, he wasn’t making the kind of impact that was expected of him. But in this series, there were unmistakable signs that he is starting to return to his peak.

With speeds in high 140s and consistency of line and length, Steyn was looking close to the bowler we are used to seeing. Other qualities like swing and bounce were also becoming visible, as were the sharpness of tactics.

While he didn’t pick up a bagful of wickets, if he remains fit, it won’t be too long before he starts to. Batsmen of the world, beware!