Web desk: Noman Ali’s 6-wicket haul gave Pakistan a 109-run lead and a clear advantage in the first test match against South Africa, but a poor batting performance and a batting collapse late in the day have given South Africa a glimmer of hope to turn the tables on Pakistan.
Day 3 of a test match is known as moving day, and it proved to be that way as 16 wickets fell today.
South Africa resumed their innings at 216 for 6 and were bundled out for 269 runs, giving Pakistan a handsome lead of 109 runs.
The star of the show was Noman Ali, who ended up with figures of 6 for 112 in his 35 overs.
His guile and spin had South African batsmen on the ropes. Tony de Zorzi held the South African innings together and scored a magnificent century before getting out to Noman Ali for 104.
While Noman looked threatening throughout the innings, it was a lacklustre performance from his spin partner, Sajid Ali, which cost Pakistan too many runs.
Although he picked up 3 wickets, he didn’t spin the ball, and his line and length were all over the place. If he were his usual self, Pakistan could have bowled South Africa out much earlier.
Despite Pakistan gaining a 109-run lead on a turning wicket that showed signs of deterioration throughout the day, the Pakistani team couldn’t drive the advantage home.
Their batsmen got off to a good start again and were 150 for 4 at one stage, only to suffer another major collapse.
They lost their last 6 wickets for just 17 runs and ended up with 167 runs on board, setting a target of 277 for the opposition.
Pakistan could have batted South Africa out of this match, but they gave them a sniff at a comeback. Shafique, Babar, and Saud got good starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores.
And the lower middle order gifted their wickets away due to poor shot selection.
Senuran Muthusamy was the pick of the bowlers once again as he picked 5 wickets in the 2nd innings and ended up with match figures of 11 wickets for 174 runs.
When South Africa started their chase, Noman again proved really tough to handle as he picked Markram and Mulder early in the piece.
He could also have had Rickelton when he was batting on 26, if Shafique had held onto an easy catch fielding at short leg.
Rickelton and de Zorzi took South Africa to stumps with South Africa 51 for 2 on the board, requiring 226 runs to win the first test.
They look well set, but the pitch is playing all kinds of tricks, and it will become a landmine on Day 4. That’s why Pakistan is very much in control of this Test.
But South Africa will fancy their chances if Rickelton and de Zorzi lay a strong foundation for the batters to come.
For Pakistan, Noman will be the key again, but he will need support from Sajid Khan.
He hasn’t performed to his potential in the match yet, and if he comes up good, Pakistan will run through the South African batting lineup.
All of that means we have a very exciting finish in store for us tomorrow.
