South Africa finish strongly after stuttering start in Abu Dhabi Test
The brilliant looking Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi became the 103rd ground in the world to host a Test match as Pakistan looked to register their first Test series win since 2006.
The ground offered a distinctly un-Middle East like pitch that was tinged with green, and was also carrying a little bit of moisture. Perhaps that was what tilted the management’s decision towards playing three seamers instead of two spinners, handing Tanvir
Ahmed, the 31 year old medium pacer, a Test debut, and Mohammad Sami a Test recall. In the batting department Umar Akmal was left out and young Asad Shafiq was picked in his place to make his Test debut.
Misbah won the toss for Pakistan and elected to field first, a decision that almost immediately paid dividends. The debutant Tanvir Ahmed bowled pretty well at the start and got the scalp of South African opener Alvro Petersen in just the second over of
the day.
He was lucky though to get his next wicket in the 4th over when in-form Amla was given out caught behind having clearly missed the ball. Graeme Smith’s troubled stay at the crease, during which he played and missed at many balls, was also ended
by Tanvir when he got the Proteas’ skipper to edge a ball to the keeper for just 10 in the 12th over.
At that stage Pakistan looked to be cruising, but then Jacques Kallis showed how he was a class apart from the rest of his team. In difficult conditions he seemed supremely unconcerned, creaming cover drives and smashing anything short.
Mohammad Sami was his usual erratic self, and aided Kallis and de Villiers a good deal with some truly pathetic bowling, and South Africa went in to lunch at 114 for 3 courtesy Kallis’s brilliance, a good recovery after having slipped to 33 for 3.
In the second session too, the pair continued in much the same fashion, scoring at quite a quick rate and with an ease that must have been disconcerting to the Pakistani team.
After his initial furious start, Kallis slowed down a little getting to his hundred at a strike rate of around 75, as the partnership between him and de Villiers piled on the runs. The post lunch session then belonged firmly to South Africa as they went
to tea on 212 for 3, Kallis and de Villiers still undefeated on 105 and 80 respectively. The two batted well, but were undeniably helped by some doubtful decisions going their way.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 finally got a wicket in the first over after the tea break, and the man who provided the breakthrough was again the debutant Tanvir as he nipped one back in sharply that caused Kallis to play on to his stumps, ending his fine innings of 105.
With Kallis’s departure, the Pakistani bowlers were able to apply the brakes a little, and the de Villiers-Prince partnership progressed at a slow rate, in stark contrast with the last partnership between Kallis and de Villiers.
AB de Villiers meanwhile proceeded along steadily and got to his hundred with a strike rate of about 53 in the third session of the day. Ashwell Prince though, looked inexplicably restless during his stay at the crease, and even more so in the build-up to
his dismissal, which was affected when he pulled a long hop from Hafeez straight to Asad Shafiq at mid-wicket. Prince scored 32 in his 56 run partnership with de Villiers.
That was the last wicket Pakistan got in the day, as they failed to take advantage of the new ball, and de Villiers and Boucher played watchfully to guide http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AB-de-Villiers-c887
who remained unbeaten on 120 holds the key for South Africa and Pakistan would be looking to dismiss him early tomorrow morning.
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