Dominant Pakistan thrash Proteas to go 1-0 up

By Khalid Hussain

January 30, 2021

KARACHI: Pakistan ended their slump in the red-ball format with an authoritative seven-wicket triumph over South Africa to go one up in the two-Test series here at the National Stadium on Friday.

The hosts reaped the benefit after laying a perfect spin track as their spin duo of Yasir Shah and debutant Nauman Ali shared nine second innings wickets between them to give the Pakistanis a rare and much-needed Test triumph.

After three late strikes in quick succession on Thursday evening, Pakistan cleaned up the Proteas quite cheaply in the first session of the fourth day making sure that they won’t have anything substantial to chase. They did lose openers Abid Ali and Imran Butt and skipper Babar Azam while chasing a modest victory target of 88, but the result was never really in doubt once the South Africans were bowled out for 245.

While on Thursday, Yasir was Pakistan’s hero after taking three of the four South African wickets that fell, Nauman was the star on Friday as the 34-year-old became the oldest Pakistani to grab a five-wicket haul on his Test debut and the oldest player since 1949 to achieve the feat. He finished with 5-35 while Yasir bagged 4-79 to squeeze the life out of South Africa’s second innings after Pakistan had taken a commanding 158-run first innings lead.

Even before the first ball was bowled in the Test, it was pretty clear that the match would be a battle between the spinners. And it was Pakistan, who managed to win this battle with Nauman taking 7-73 and Yasir 7-133 in the match. As compared to the 14 wickets taken by Nauman and Yasir, the South African spinners could dismiss just four Pakistani batsmen.

But the biggest hero for Pakistan wasn’t either of the two spinners. It was first innings centurion Fawad Alam, whose 109 lifted Pakistan out of trouble and put them in the driving seat.

It was fitting when Fawad came out to the crease on his home ground following the dismissal of Babar and scored the winning runs in what will go down in history as a memorable Test. It was South Africa’s first Test on Pakistani soil in 14 years and came just weeks after the Pakistanis were hammered by New Zealand in a two-Test series Down Under.

Babar Azam, who made his captaincy debut in the match, was over the moon after leading Pakistan to what was only their fifth win over South Africa in 27 Tests.

“As a team this win is really very important,” Babar told reporters. “In New Zealand our performance was not good and in home conditions we needed to show something positive. I will give credit to the whole team as we did well in every department of the game.”

Pakistan couldn’t have asked for a better start to the fourth day when pacer Hasan Ali got rid of nightwatchman Keshav Maharaj off the very first delivery.

The onus was now on skipper Quinton de Kock, playing his 50th Test. But he, too, didn’t last long falling for just 2 after getting caught playing a lazy shot off Yasir.

There was brief respite for the South Africans as a defiant Temba Bavuma scored 40, adding 42 for the seventh wicket with George Linde. But it was a case of too little too late for the struggling tourists.

After Yasir’s heroics, it was Nauman’s turn as the leggie ripped through the South African tail taking their last four wickets within a span of 22 balls. He scalped Linde for 11, Kagiso Rabada for 1, and Anrich Nortje for a duck, before trapping Bavuma lbw.

Pakistan began their chase confidently but were given some anxious moments by pacer Anrish Nortje, who removed both openers Abid Ali (10) and Imran Butt (12) in the first over after lunch.

But Babar and Azhar made sure that there won’t be any more unpleasant surprises as they batted with authority adding 63 off 85 balls. But when victory was just one shot away, Babar fell to Maharaj allowing Fawad to hit the match-winning boundary. Babar made a 39-ball 30 with six fours while Azhar was unbeaten on 31. Fawad was named man-of-the-match.

The victory helped Pakistan jump to fifth place on the World Test Championship point table while South Africa slipped one place down to No. 6.

Both teams will now travel to Rawalpindi where the second Test will get underway from February 4.

Score Board

South Africa won toss

South Africa 1st Innings 220 all out (D. Elgar 58, Nauman Ali 2-38)

Pakistan 1st Innings 378 (Fawad Alam 109; K. Rabada 3-70)

South Africa 2nd Innings (overnight 187-4)

A. Markram c Abid b Nauman 74

D. Elgar c Rizwan b Yasir 29

R. van der Dussen c Abid b Yasir 64

Faf du Plessis lbw b Yasir 10

K. Maharaj b Hasan 2

*Q. de Kock c Abid b Yasir 2

T. Bavuma lbw b Nauman 40

G. Linde c Butt b Nauman 11

K. Rabada b Nauman 1

A. Nortje c Fawad b Nauman 0

L. Ngidi not out 3

Extras (lb1, nb7, w1) 9

Total: (all out, 100.3 overs) 245

Fall: 1-48 (Elgar), 2-175 (Dussen), 3-185 (Du Plessis), 4-185 (Markram), 5-187 (Maharaj), 6-192 (de Kock), 7-234 (Linde), 8-238 (Rabada), 9-240 (Nortje)

Bowling: Shaheen 17-1-61-0 (3nb), Hasan 16-1-61-1 (2nb), Nauman 25.3-8-35-5 (1nb), Yasir 33-7-79-4, Asrfa 9-6-8-0

Pakistan 2nd Innings

Imran Butt c de Kock b Nortje 12

Abid Ali b Nortje 10

Azhar Ali not out 31

*Babar Azam lbw b Maharaj 30

Fawad Alam not out 4

Extras (b1, lb2) 3

Total: (3 wickets, 22.5 overs) 90

Did not bat: Mohammad Rizwan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali, Yasir Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Fall: 1-22 (Abid), 2-23 (Butt), 3-86 (Azam)

Bowling: Rabada 8-2-21-0, Nortje 7-1-24-2, Maharaj 1.5-0-12-1, Ngidi 3-0-17-0, Linde 3-0-13-0