CAPE TOWN, Jan 5: Pakistan posted their highest opening stand against South Africa as Shan Masood and Babar Azam put up solid resistance against the hosts on a flat track here on Sunday.
Masood went past 30 for the first time in nine innings and went on to score his sixth Test hundred while Babar, opening in place of the injured Saim Ayub, made 81 The pair took a significant chunk out of their first-innings deficit of 421. Pakistan are now 208 behind with nine wickets standing.
South Africa’s five frontline bowlers were made to toil on a surface that remains good for batting despite showing signs of turn. They also bowled 23 no-balls across the two innings so far – 10 in the ongoing second innings alone – and will be disappointed with their ill-discipline. Their only second innings success came late in the day when Babar chased a full, wide ball from Marco Jansen and edged to slip. Nightwatcher Khurram Shahzad accompanied Masood to the end of the day.
After dismissing Pakistan for 194 midway through the afternoon session, South Africa enforced the follow-on with an eye on wrapping things up early. But Kagiso Rabada and Jansen both erred on the side of too full and only created one chance between them. Rabada found Masood’s edge, with the Pakistan captain on 18 but the ball flew through the vacant third slip region, leaving Rabada on his haunches.
The change bowlers, Wiaan Mulder and Kwena Maphaka, barely threatened and Pakistan went to tea on 80 without loss.
As both settled in, South Africa’s frustration boiled over and Mulder flung the ball back at Babar as he stepped out of his crease to defend. He hit Babar on the shin and words were exchanged before Umpire Dharmasena stepped in to cool things down. The only other bit of drama came when Rabada was convinced he had Masood lbw when he hit him on the knee roll and South Africa were considering a review but Rabada had overstepped.
Masood got to his century with a flick off Jansen and celebrated with a glance skywards. Babar seemed set to follow him but slashed at a slower Jansen ball and edged to Bedingham at slip, to give him his fifth catch of the day. Though Babar fell short of a century, he scored 108 runs in the day – 27 overnight and 81 in the second innings.
Earlier, Pakistan resumed 64 for 3 under some cloud and found the early exchanges challenged. Rabada beat the beat, Jansen found extra bounce and though both made things difficult for Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, they were unable to remove them. Jansen hit Rizwan on the collar bone in the first 45 minutes as Rizwan attempted a one-armed pull but he recovered to hit Jansen for four and six in the same over.
Babar brought up the Pakistan hundred with an edge through the slips and his fifty off the next ball when he chopped Rabada over point. But when debutant Kwena Maphaka angled one down leg, Babar followed it in an attempt to flick it off his hips and edged to Kyle Verreynne.
The Babar-Rizwan partnership was broken on 98, with responsibility falling to Rizwan to keep chipping away. Against the run of play, Rizwan advanced on Mulder and tried to smash him down the ground to reach his fifty, but under-edged onto his stumps.
That led to the collapse of the Pakistan innings as the visitors lost 6 for 76 either side of lunch, most of them to loose shots. (Agencies)
