Pakistan and South Africa draw first Test
Pakistan and South Africa have drawn their first Test in Dubai, with play abandoned with Pakistan 107 runs in arrears and less than an hour of play remaining to complete what had become an impossible chase.
The “hosts” though had batted bravely in their final innings chase of a 451-run victory target, and much of the credit for that must go to former captain Younis Khan, who marked his return to Test cricket with a second innings century, finishing the match unbeaten on 131.
When play was ultimately called off with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 and Salman Butt all in the space of less than 18 months - who was unbeaten on 76.
So the old and the new held their ends up for an unbeaten 186-run partnership to ensure Pakistan emerged from the match with a draw as the underdogs continue to take the challenge right to the Proteas even as controversy rages around them (the latest Zulqarnain Haider’s sudden departure to England before the final ODI of the teams’ series, amid allegations he’d received death threats from match-fixers).
Still, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 will know they let chances to taken the match by the scruff of the neck pass them by – the catch Mark Boucher put down when Younis was on 16 perhaps the most costly of them – and while Pakistan will take solace in the draw after their weakened bowling attack failed to trouble South Africa in their second innings (the Proteas declared it on 318-2, with Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis both on unbeaten centuries), Graeme Smith and his men will likely regard this as one that got away.
The second, and final, Test of the series begins on November 20th.
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