Pakistan v South Africa, 2nd Test, Dubai, 3rd day Misery for Pakistan as openers fall October 25, 2013 Comments: 17 | Login via | Text size: A | A Lunch Pakistan 2 for 2 (Azhar 2*) and 99 trail South Africa 517 (Smith 234, de Villiers 164, Ajmal 6-151) by 416 runs Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details Saeed Ajmal in his delivery stride, Pakistan v South Africa, 2nd Test, Dubai, 3rd day, October 25, 2013 Saeed Ajmal picked up a six-wicket haul © AFP Enlarge Related Links Players/Officials: Saeed Ajmal Matches: Pakistan v South Africa at Dubai (DSC) Series/Tournaments: South Africa tour of United Arab Emirates Teams: Pakistan | South Africa Pakistan had to endure 83 overs without a wicket during the triple-century stand between Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers. Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander, on the other hand, needed only 11 balls in ten minutes before lunch to get rid of Pakistans openers, as the second Test moved towards an increasingly inevitable South African victory on the third day. South Africa had batted for most of the first session that was extended by 30 minutes because of afternoon prayers, and during that time the Test did not move forward much despite six wickets falling for 57 runs. In the final few minutes, however, Steyn swung one back into Shan Masoods front pad and the left-hand opener continued Pakistans lousy use of reviews by wasting one on an lbw that was plumb. Philander then handed Khurram Manzoor his first pair in Test cricket. The right-handed batsman hung his bat outside off and watched Jacques Kallis dive to his right at second slip to take a sharp catch. Any high spirits Pakistan may have enjoyed after dismissing South Africa had evaporated. The third day had held promise of more records being broken, with Graeme Smith resuming on 227 and AB de Villiers on 157, their alliance worth 326. However, with the job already done unlike when they had come together early on the second day, their stroke-play wasnt as tight. De Villiers began to drive at Mohammad Irfan from the start, but a ball after he placed one to the straight boundary, he drove again and edged. This time Adnan Akmal caught it, 164 runs and 273 deliveries after he should have caught de Villiers first ball. Irfan had now worked up a brisk pace and soon drew an edge from Smith as the batsman tried to force a delivery that bounced sharply through point. Akmal dropped it, and Irfan told the wicketkeeper just what he thought of that effort. The mistake did not cost Pakistan, though, because Ajmal dismissed Smith a ball later. Ajmal had troubled Smith by turning offbreaks past the outside edge from round the wicket and when Smith drove at another, the edge was caught at first slip, leaving South Africa 478 for 6. What followed made Pakistan wonder about the different paths this match might have taken had Akmal not dropped de Villiers before he had scored. Irfan ran in from over the wicket and tormented JP Duminy with deliveries that pitched on a good length outside off stump and jagged into the left-handed batsman, who was caught on the crease and unable to defend with any conviction. Three times in a row - and a few times before as well - Irfan struck Duminy on the pad and bellowed appeals for lbw. He was denied each time because the impact was too high. He delivered the next ball fuller and wider, Duminy chased after it with the drive but was beaten. In his next over, after hitting Faf du Plessis on the glove, Irfan took the umpire out of the equation by bowling Duminy between bat and pad with a delivery that was similar to those that had kept hitting the pad. Only the length was fuller. He celebrated with vigour, but in his next over - his 35th and the innings 149th - Irfan ran out of rope the umpires had given him by following through on the danger area once again. Rod Tucker told Misbah-ul-Haq that he could not use his most dangerous bowler for the remainder of the innings. With Irfan lost, and Junaid Khan blunt, Ajmal was the only threat and du Plessis steered South Africa past 500 and the lead past 400. Smith showed no intention of declaring, though, not even when Ajmal spun through Vernon Philanders defences to pick up his fourth wicket. Ajmal thought he should have had his fifth when umpire Ian Gould turned down a caught-behind appeal against Morne Morkel in the 162nd over. He asked Misbah to review the decision, except Pakistan had exhausted both reviews last evening. The very next ball Morkel was caught at slip, and this time the only doubt was whether the ball had carried to Younis Khan. It had, and Ajmals celebrations were angry. As South Africa slowly increased their lead, a few spectators were evicted from the stands, presumably because they threw something on the field. It ended 16 minutes before lunch, when Imran Tahir slogged to midwicket, giving Ajmal his sixth scalp. Ajmal led his team-mates off the field, and two of them knew they had six minutes of Steyn and Philander to survive before lunch. Neither Masood nor Manzoor did. George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo RSS Feeds: George Binoy © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:35:45 +0000
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