PAK VS SA 2ND TEST

Despite the surface being bereft of grass and dry in nature, there has not been much turn so far. Expect it to start offering more, perhaps in the second half of Day 2 or from Day 3 onwards. It is all set up for an intriguing Day 2 on Tuesday, 21st October. The first ball will be bowled at 5 am GMT, but we will be here nice and early for the build-up. For now, you can switch tabs and follow the action from the one-off Test between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan in Harare, where the Asian side has been bowled out for 127 on the opening day. You can also tune in to the Women’s World Cup action, where the two Asian rivals, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, are locking horns. Cheers!

With the second new ball only seven overs old, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada will be raring to go in the morning after a good night’s rest. Moreover, given that the batters looked troubled in the two overs of spin with the new cherry, the spinners are also likely to have a role to play. Pakistan will be aiming for at least 350 from here, and with this being the last recognised partnership, Salman Agha and Saud Shakeel will need to shoulder the responsibility.

Rizwan, however, could not survive until the close, with Kagiso Rabada making an immediate impact with the second new ball. It was a testing seven-over period late in the day for Saud Shakeel and Salman Agha, but both managed to navigate the challenge unscathed and see the day out. Even when wickets were hard to come by, South Africa managed to keep the runs in check, particularly during sessions two and three. Surprisingly, out of the 91 overs bowled, Senuran Muthusamy delivered only four overs, despite having claimed 11 wickets in the first Test.

Abdullah Shafique rode his luck, having been dropped on 0, 15, and 41, and also surviving a near-miss when the ball grazed the off stump before he had even opened his account. Those drops proved costly for the visitors, with Shafique going on to stitch a 111-run stand for the second wicket with Shan Masood. Masood was also dropped on 71, but the Proteas managed to deny him a century. In a burst before the second new ball was due, Marco Jansen got the old ball to reverse, testing Mohammad Rizwan and Saud Shakeel, though they managed to see off the spell.

Earlier, after winning the toss, Pakistan opted to bat first, with Shan Masood unsure how the surface would behave. The track looked drier and more abrasive than Lahore, but its behaviour belied its appearance. Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen tested the two Pakistani openers early in the morning, beating the bat at times, though edges failed to carry. Simon Harmer produced a peach of a delivery to dismiss Imam-ul-Haq, but no other ball throughout the day turned as sharply as that one.

SESSION SUMMARY - 29 overs, 82 runs, and 2 wickets. An entertaining day of Test cricket comes to a close, and by the end, the honours are even. Pakistan threatened to take control with their strong start, but South Africa fought back in sessions two and three to keep the hosts in check and that too despite several chances going down.

Huge appeal for LBW but this time as well the umpire remains unmoved! Simon Harmer bowls it touch fuller, pitching it on middle and spins it in. Salman Agha lunges to push it toward the off side, but the ball sneaks past the inner edge and hits the pad. That will be STUMPS on Day 1!

Full and on middle, clipped to short leg.

Pitches it up, just outside off. Salman Agha fends it toward the cover region.

Pitches it up, on off and middle. Salman Agha eases it back to the bowler.

Tossed up, on off. Salman Agha blocks it away.

Short, on middle and leg. Saud Shakeel tucks it toward square leg for a single.

90 overs are done for the day but we have time to squeeze in one more over. Simon Harmer to bowl.

Pitches it up, on off. Salman Agha pushes it toward cover.

Pitches it up, on off. Salman Agha eases it toward the off side.

Huge appeal from South Africa for LBW, but the umpire remains unmoved! Salman Agha gets on one knee to paddle the loopy delivery but fails to get the connection on the bat and wears on the pad. The replays show that the ball brushed the gloves of Agha before hitting the pads.

Short, on middle, angling it down the leg side. Salman Agha looks to flick but misses.

Almost went to hand! Tossed up, on middle, Agha pushes out in front of his body and he does with hard hands. The hard new ball kicks up a bit to catch the upper half of the bat but it drops in front of Tony de Zorzi at silly point.