January 3, 2003	Friday	Shawwal 29, 1423

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CAPE TOWN, Jan 2: Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith thrashed a lacklustre Pakistan bowling attack as they shared South Africa’s highest Test partnership of all time on the first day of the second and final Test at Newlands here on Thursday.

Gibbs (228) and Smith (151) put on 368 for the first wicket, as South Africa finished the day on 445 for three, which beat a 100-year-old record for the most runs in the country in a single day.

South Africa’s powerful performance made virtually certain that they would finish the match as the official world Test champions. They need only to draw the match to win the series and go ahead of Australia in the ICC Test table.

While Gibbs and Smith, both playing on their home provincial ground, earned rapturous applause from a crowd of 11,324, it was a dismal day for Pakistan.

Beaten by 10 wickets in the first Test in Durban, Pakistan looked like a team that had been on the road too long. They have not played a home Test since May when a tour by New Zealand was cancelled after a fatal bomb blast outside the Karachi hotel where the teams were staying.

Playing without the unavailable Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar, who left the tour claiming a knee injury, Pakistan were further weakened when all-rounder Abdur Razzaq withdrew because of a an ankle injury.

The Pakistanis undermined their own cause by dropping both opening batsmen.

Gibbs was put down by Yousuf Youhana at backward point off Mohammad Sami when he had 29. He was out to an almost identical shot, slicing a forcing shot off the back foot, when he was dismissed by captain Waqar Younis for 11 in the first Test in Durban.

Gibbs gave another chance on 99 when a leaping Salim Elahi at mid-wicket could not hold a fierce pull off Mohammad Zahid. Gibbs then survived a close leg before wicket appeal before going to his eighth Test hundred off 125 balls with 14 fours and two sixes.

Smith, giving an emphatic riposte to the national selectors who did not include him in their World Cup squad announced on Sunday, escaped shortly before lunch with his score on 54.

He edged a drive against off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and Younis Khan was unable to hold a sharp catch at slip. Smith reached his second Test century in the last over before tea when he turned part-time bowler Younis Khan to leg for two runs. It took him four hours and 155 balls.

Another part-timer, opening batsman Taufiq Umar, was due to bowl the tea over but twisted his knee in his delivery stride and had to be helped from the field without sending down a ball.

The two batsmen took full advantage of their let-offs, dominating the bowling on an easy-paced pitch after skipper Shaun Pollock won the toss and decided to bat on a hot, sunny day.

The partnership set several records. They passed the 195 put on by Mark Boucher and Pat Symcox for the ninth wicket in Johannesburg in 1997-98, the previous best for any wicket in Tests between South Africa and Pakistan.

Then they beat South Africa’s all-time first wicket record of 260, set by Bruce Mitchell and Jack Siedle against England at the same ground in 1930-31.

Finally they surpassed the 341 put on by Eddie Barlow and Graeme Pollock for the third wicket against Australia in Adelaide in 1963-64, the previous best for any wicket by South Africa.

When Smith was bowled by Zahid, they had set the fourth-highest first wicket score in Test history, The world record of 431 was established by Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy for India against New Zealand in Chennai in 1955-56.

Smith batted for 338 minutes and faced 216 balls. He hit 18 fours.

Gibbs reached his second Test double century off 211 balls and seemed on course for the South African individual Test record of 275, shared by Daryll Cullinan and Gary Kirsten, until he seemed to be the victim of a poor decision.

Umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan adjudged him caught at slip off Saqlain Mushtaq but replays suggested the ball spun past his bat and looped off the pad only.

Gibbs made his 228, his highest Test score, in 383 minutes off 240 balls. He hit 29 fours and six sixes, five of them off Saqlain.

Despite Pakistan’s only bowling 89 overs before bad light stopped play an hour and 10 minutes after the scheduled close, South Africa scored at a run a minute or better throughout the day.

The previous highest single-day total by South Africa was 428 for seven at the old Wanderers ground in Johannesburg in 1902-03 when matches were played on matting pitches with a gravel outfield.

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings):

G.C. Smith b Zahid 151

H.H. Gibbs c Younis Khan b Saqlain 228

G. Kirsten c Younis Khan b Waqar 19

J.H. Kallis not out 19

H.H. Dippenaar not out 8

EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-19) 20

TOTAL (for three wkts, 89 overs) 445

FALL OF WKTS: 1-368, 2-413, 3-414.

TO BAT: N.D. McKenzie, M.V. Boucher, S.M. Pollock, N. Boje, M. Ntini, M. Hayward.

BOWLING (to-date): Waqar Younis 19-2-99-1 (2nb); Mohammad Sami 18-2-78-0 (4nb); Mohammad Zahid 16-1-83-1 (3nb); Saqlain Mushtaq 32-1-160-1 (10nb); Younis Khan 4-0-24-0.

PAKISTAN: Taufiq Umar, Salim Elahi, Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana, Faisal Iqbal, Kamran Akmal, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Sami, Mohammad Zahid. —Reuters