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Pakistan stop Proteas fightback in its tracks
A counter-attacking half-century partnership between Mohammad Rizwan (27*) and Faheem Ashraf (29) stopped a Proteas fightback in its tracks as Pakistan ended on 129 for six, a lead of 200 runs, at the close of play on day three of the second test at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on Saturday.
It was an action-packed final session of play as the Proteas initially spun their way back into contention, before poor fielding cost the visitors dearly as both Rizwan and Ashraf got reprieves early in their innings, allowing them to take back control of the match.
Having resumed after tea on 42 for two, the Pakistan batsmen were put under intense pressure by the spin duo of George Linde, 3-12, and Keshav Maharaj, 2-74, who helped reduce the hosts to 76 for five at a stage, which could have been even worse had important catches been held.
Maharaj first removed the in-form Babar Azam (8) in the 23rd over as Pakistan slipped to 45 for three.
Linde then got in on the act, removing the dangerous-looking Azhar Ali (33) LBW, with the score 63 for four in the 32nd over. Linde then had Fawad Alam (12) caught by Markram at short leg at the start of the 36th, with Pakistan in all sorts of trouble.
The last ball of the 36th over then saw Linde catch the edge of new man Ashraf’s bat, with the ball flying to slip where Dean Elgar dropped the chance with the batsman yet to score.
The first ball of the next over bowled by Maharaj then saw Rizwan, on four, pop the ball to the right of silly point where Rassie van der Dussen flung himself to his right and just got a hand to the ball but was unable to hold on as a really tough chance went down.
IMPRESSIVE HASAN
If both catches had been held, Pakistan would have been on 76 for seven at that stage and in huge trouble, but both batsmen gleefully took their chance and put on a 52-run stand, which included a 32-run burst between the 41st and 43rd overs where they took on Anrich Nortje and Maharaj, hitting seven boundaries during that period.
Linde, however, returned to the attack late in the day and had Ashraf caught by Nortje at backward point, with the hosts 128 for six in the 50th over, before Rizwan and Hasan Ali saw out the final few balls of the day.
Earlier in the day before tea, Pakistan bowled the Proteas out for 201 thanks to the efforts of the impressive Ali, 5-54, to give themselves a lead of 71 after they had managed 272 all out in their first innings.
Their second innings started poorly as both openers fell cheaply, Imran Butt trapped LBW by Kagiso Rabada for a 13-ball duck in the fifth over and Abid Ali (13) gloving an attempted sweep to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps off Maharaj, leaving them on 28 for two in the 17th over.
Azhar Ali (22*) and Babar Azam (5*) then took them to tea on 42 for two.
COUNTER-ATTACKING CHARGE
Earlier in the session, the Proteas resumed their first innings on 188 for seven after the lunch break, but only managed to add 13 runs to the score before the superb Ali finished things off by claiming a five-wicket haul to leave the visitors well short of the hosts' first-innings total.
Ali knocked Maharaj’s (1) middle stump back, Rabada was run out without scoring and then Nortje was bowled for a first-ball duck, leaving a ball from Ali that tailed back in to take the top of off stump, leaving Temba Bavuma unbeaten at the crease on 44 as the final five wickets fell for just 37 runs.
At the start of the day, the Proteas resumed their first innings on 106 for four with captain de Kock on 24 off 11 balls and Bavuma on 15.
De Kock was looking to continue his counter-attacking charge from the night before as he hit two twos and a single in the first over bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi to swiftly move to 29 off 16 deliveries.
However, his aggressiveness then became his undoing as, in the third over of play, De Kock attempted to drive a delivery outside off stump, only to inside-edge the ball back onto his own stumps to depart for 29, leaving the Proteas in trouble on 114 for five.
That brought Wiaan Mulder to the crease and, along with Bavuma, they looked to build a desperately-needed partnership for the visitors, taking as few risks as possible.
In the 49th over, Mulder then looked to free his arms, lofting Yasir Shah over long-off for the first maximum of the game, with the shot also taking the Proteas over the 150-run mark.
Five overs later and disaster struck as Mulder nudged a ball from Hasan Ali off his hip to bring up the pair's 50-run stand. However, he wanted two and was then run out well short of his ground for a well-played 33 as the Proteas slipped to 164 for six.
George Linde then joined Bavuma and he took the attack to the Pakistan bowlers, hammering three fours and a six on his way to a run-a-ball 21, but was then bowled by Hasan Ali, having dominated his 22-run partnership with Bavuma.
There was then still time for some late drama, but the Proteas managed to reach the lunch break without losing another wicket.
PAKISTAN: Imran Butt, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (capt), Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali, Shaheen Afridi
SOUTH AFRICA: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock (capt & wk), Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
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