Pakistan v. Sth. Africa - Second Test

[Donny]

South Africa up against it

Wisden Cricinfo staff

South Africa may be relieved with Richie Benaud's ruling which has kept Shoaib Akhtar out of the second Test at Faisalabad, but Graeme Smith and his not-so-merry men will still be hard-pressed to level the series after the first-Test debacle. Akhtar was instrumental in starting the slide in the second innings at Lahore, but more worrying for Eric Simons, the South African coach, was his batsmen's inability to come to terms with Pakistan's spinners.

Between them, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Malik and Mushtaq Ahmed took 12 wickets in the Lahore Test. Mushtaq was the least of the threats, though, which persuaded the selectors to call up Mansoor Amjad, a 17-year-old wrist-spinner who has yet to play a first-class match, although he has appeared for Pakistan's age-group teams. He is unlikely to make his debut at Faisalabad, but South Africa can expect another severe examination by spin at the Iqbal Stadium.

The lack of experience in playing quality spin bowling showed quite clearly at Lahore, as none of the batsmen attempted to use their feet and smother the spin. There were also far too many batsmen who got starts, and then failed to cash in: Smith, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis and Boeta Dippenaar all made scores of between 24 and 33 in the first innings at Lahore.

To make matters worse, the South Africans have no-one to exploit the conditions, which are again likely to favour the slow bowlers. Paul Adams picked up seven wickets in Pakistan's first innings in the first Test, but also served up plenty of hit-me balls - and he was taken apart in the second innings, when he disappeared for 57 in 11 overs. The only other spinner in the squad, Robin Peterson, is hardly a wicket-taking option.

Pakistan might be one strike bowler short, but their batting will be bolstered by the return of Inzamam-ul-Haq, their captain, who missed the first Test with a hamstring injury. He will step in for Yousuf Youhana, who has a hamstring strain of his own. Pakistan's line-up in Lahore lacked experience, but Asim Kamal, the 27-year-old left-hander who filled in for Inzamam there, made an encouraging 99 on his debut. It was an excellent example of how to construct a Test-match innings. It lacked the flourish of extravagant shotmaking, but in a batting order already bursting with exciting strokeplayers, Kamal's solidity is a huge asset.

Smith's short stint as South Africa's captain has been notable for his hard-nosed approach, and his earnest attempt to ensure that his side shrugs off the choker's tag that it has been stuck with. The South Africans demonstrated this newfound steel as recently as the one-day series in Pakistan, turning a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 series win. It is time to display that resolve again.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Taufeeq Umar, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Yasir Hameed, 4 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Asim Kamal, 6 Abdul Razzaq, 7 Moin Khan (wk), 8 Shoaib Malik, 9 Mushtaq Ahmed, 10 Mohammad Sami, 11 Danish Kaneria.

South Africa (probable): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Gary Kirsten, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Boeta Dippenaar, 6 Neil McKenzie, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Shaun Pollock, 9 Paul Adams, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Andre Nel.

[Donny]

Smith won the toss and decided to bat. He was soon out for 2 and Dippenaar (4) followed shortly after.

Gibbs is 14 n.o. and S.A. is 2/28 after 8 overs. Shabbir Ahmed has 2/15.

[Donny]

Kaneria took the vital wicket of Kallis for 10 and S.A. are now 3/52. Gibbs is 31 n.o.

[Donny]

Gibbs brings up his 50 as S.A. move on to 3/82.

Gibbs and Kirsten have added 42 for the 4th. wicket.

[Donny]

At lunch, S.A. is on 3/108.

The Gibbs/Kirsten rescue mission is doing well with 68 runs, so far. Gibbs is 59 and Kirsten, 31.

[Donny]

6/231 with Boucher and Pollock at the crease. Ahmed has 3/56.

[Donny]

Stumps on the first day sees Sth. Africa on 9/256

Shabbir Ahmed certainly has done his job as replacement for Akhtar with 4/63 from 22 overs.

[Donny]

Pakistan on top despite Gibbs's 98

The Wisden Bulletin by S Rajesh

Herschelle Gibbs played a sublime innings of 98, but Pakistan took the honours on the first day of the second Test at Faisalabad. Despite losing the toss and being asked to bowl first on a shirtfront, Pakistan's bowlers stuck to the disciplines of line and length, and were rewarded with wickets at regular intervals, as South Africa closed the day on 256 for 9.

The day was played out in three parts: Pakistan took the early initiative, reducing South Africa to 40 for 3, Gibbs then revived the innings in a 108-run stand with Gary Kirten (54), before Pakistan hit back, taking the last four wickets for just 44 runs.

All the Pakistani bowlers, with the exception of a patchy Mushtaq Ahmed, bowled with superb control, but the pick of the lot was Shabbir Ahmed. The absence of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami – who pulled out due to illness – reduced Pakistan's new-ball attack from lightening quick to medium fast, but Shabbir Ahmed made up for the lack of sheer pace by maintaining excellent control over line and length, and moving the ball both ways off the seam. The pitch was bare and dry, but Shabbir's high-arm action helped him get lift even off an unresponsive surface. He ended the day with figures of 4 for 63, just rewards for a large-hearted performance. Danish Kaneria took just one wicket, but tormented the batsmen with his control, flight and turn. He bowled 32 overs in the day, and kept up the pressure relentlessly, conceding less than two runs per over.

The Pakistan attack performed admirably, but South Africa let themselves down with some sloppy batting. Graeme Smith (2) led the way in that regard, flailing at a full and wide delivery from Shabbir, and edging to Inzamam-ul-Haq at first slip (6 for 1). Two more attempted cover-drives and two more snicks later, South Africa were in danger of losing the plot in the first morning itself, as both Boeta Dippenaar and Jacques Kallis fell to catches by Taufeeq Umar in the slips.

Gibbs and Kirsten then stemmed the rot with a sensible partnership. Gibbs had scratched a half-century in the second innings of the first Test, but his effort here was far more convincing. Secure in defence, Gibbs was quick to punish even a slight error in length, producing some gorgeous drives down the ground and through cover. And when the spinners came on to bowl, Gibbs wasn't afraid to use his feet, coming down the pitch and tonking Shoaib Malik over his head for four. Mushtaq suffered the most, with Gibbs lofting a straight six and then contemptuously putting away a short ball for four in the same over shortly before tea.

Kirsten's was a typically workmanlike innings. He started off by nudging the ones and twos, then opened out briefly after lunch with some crisp cover-drives and flicks to square leg, before settling down into defensive mode once more. Pakistan's bowlers, however, choked the runs well in the afternoon session, and were soon rewarded when Kirsten attempted to cut one which was too full and too close to the body, and edged to slip, where Taufeeq held his third catch of the day (148 for 4).

Neil McKenzie wasn't entirely convincing in his knock, but helped add 47 more for the fifth wicket, before Mushtaq – who struggled for rhythm throughout the day – struck the most crucial blow for Pakistan. Eager to get to his hundred, Gibbs shuffled across his stumps to turn a googly away to leg, missed, and was trapped plumb in front (195 for 5).

The momentum shifted, and Pakistan held sway for the rest of the day. McKenzie slapped a cut to Mushtaq at deep gully (212 for 6), and then South Africa's lower middle order, which can usually be relied upon to add on a few crucial runs, succumbed to the second new ball. Abdul Razzaq's second delivery with the new ball crashed through Mark Boucher's defences, while Robin Peterson's hoick to leg off Shabbir was comfortably taken at the square-leg boundary. In between those two dismissals, Shabbir showed his fielding prowess too, getting to the ball quickly and hitting the stumps with a back-handed flick to run out Shaun Pollock.

In their only previous Test at this venue – which started six years ago to the day – South Africa managed to get out of jail, thanks to a virtuoso performance by Pollock, who took 5 for 37 and dismissed Pakistan for 92 as they chased a victory target of 146. Smith needs a similar inspirational performance from his bowlers here to get back in this Test, and the series.

[Donny]

All out for 278. Kaneria and Razzaq both took 2/68.

Good effort by Pakistan but let's see how they bat on the same track before I say anymore.

[Donny]

The Pakistani openers are setting up a good platform for a lead.

After 31 overs, they are 0/96 with Farhat on 50 and Umar, 45.

[Donny]

The opening partnership was 137 when Taufeeq Umar fell, for 68.

Farhat has continued on to 118 n.o. and Pakistan is 2/230.

[Donny]

By tomorrow night, Sth. Africa could well be staring 2-0 in the face as Pakistan is 2/237 and only 41 behind.

[Donny]

Farhat's century puts Pakistan on top

Wisden Cricinfo staff

A fiesty 124 not out by Imran Farhat helped Pakistan to a position of strength against South Africa in the second Test, at Faisalabad. At the close of the second day, Pakistan were 237 for 2, just 41 behind with 8 wickets in hand. South Africa, after their last-wicket pair had taken the score to 278 in the morning, had an absolutely awful day.

To begin with, the South African bowlers toiled relentlessly for more than three hours before they could get the first breakthrough. It wasn't all their fault; Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Jacques Kallis and Paul Adams all bowled good spells, but Taufeeq Umar and Farhat were in an especially determined mood, and applied themselves superbly to the task at hand. They had added 109 and 134 in the two innings of the first Test; they did better here, adding 137.

Both began circumspectly, but once they settled down, they opened out in their own distinctive styles, taking full toll of all the loose bowling that came their way. Taufeeq was nimble-footed and techincally correct, and cut and drove with classical grace. Farhat was relatively leaden-footed to start with, and relied more on his hand-eye co-ordination for the big strokes. He flashed at a couple of wide balls early in the innings, but settled down to display fine shot selection, a quality that a batsman with his limited footwork needs to develop.

At one point, it seemed that Taufeeq and Farhat had decided to play out the faster bowlers and punish the spinners. Robin Peterson had a bad over before lunch when Farhat thrashed him for ten runs, and was smashed down the ground for a straight six by Taufeeq a couple of overs after that. Graeme Smith was also tonked around by both batsmen after lunch, going for 16 in a spell of three. But the two openers were just playing the bowling on its merit, and appeared quite content, after that, to bat through the day.

Until Taufeeq ran out of patience, that is. He tried to pull a short ball from Adams which was very wide of off stump, and only succeeded in dragging it across to Herschelle Gibbs at midwicket (137 for 1). Taufeeq was out 68, in a soft dismissal that went against the run of play.

Yasir Hameed did not display the kind of patience that the openers had shown, and was out for 21, guiding Pollock to Gibbs at gully, shortly after slashing and edging another Pollock delivery just past a diving second slip (178 for 2). Pollock was fired up, and almost snared Inzamam-ul-Haq as well, inducing an edge that Kallis, at slip, could not hold on to. Inzamam made no further mistakes after that.



Makhaya Ntini: was a bit of a nuisance early in the morning © AFP



Farhat almost did, flashing at a ball outside off when he was on 98, and being lucky not to get out. He had entered the 90s with an imperious pull off Ntini, but got just a wee bit jittery as his hundred approached. Once he had crossed it, though, with a glance to fine leg, he opened up a bit, cover-driving Adams and pulling Kallis for four. As the close of play approached, Inzamam and Farhat went back into their shells, and saved themselves for another day.

Earlier in the morning, Adams and Ntini, who added 28 runs for the last wicket, saw off early spells from Abdul Razzaq and Shabbir Ahmed. But Danish Kaneria struck as soon as he was brought into the attack. Adams tried to cut a short legbreak outside off and only succeeded in edging it on to first slip, where Taufeeq balanced himself to take a good sharp catch, his fourth of the innings. South Africa were five balls short of facing 100 overs.

The way Pakistan were placed at the end of the day, it seemed unlikely that they would have similar problems.

[Donny]

Pollock took an early wicket. Inzamam, l.b.w. for 23.

Pakistan is now 3/248, 30 behind.

[Donny]

Here's why Pollock is rated right up the top on the best bowlers list.

He has snared Inzi, Farhat and Malik in 5 overs this morning and with Ntini chipping in with Kamal's wicket, S.A. are right back in this.

Pakistan is 6/270 and still 8 runs behind.