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| October 27, 2003 | Monday | Sha’aban 30, 1424 |
Pollock and Smith lead South African fightback in final Test
FAISALABAD, Oct 26: A devastating spell of six for 78 by fast bowler Shaun Pollock and skipper Graeme Smith’s 65 led South Africa’s fightback on the third day of the second and final Test against Pakistan here on Sunday.
As stumps were drawn, six overs before the scheduled close due to bad light, the tourists had reached 140-3 in their second innings — an overall lead of 70. Gary Kirsten was not out on 27 and Neil McKenzie yet to score.
Smith, who was adjudged leg-before wicket off Shabbir Ahmed after a 164-minute stay at the crease which included six boundaries, was lucky to score his first half-century in 10 innings after two lucky misses. Smith scored 259 against England in July.
But he saw Herschelle Gibbs and Boeta Dippenaar fall before being dismissed himself adjudged leg before to pacer Shabbir Ahmed at the total of 128.
The big left-hander found his form at the right moment but was fortunate to have survived two missed chances.
He appeared to have edged the ball down the leg side after facing just three balls but wicket-keeper Moin Khan couldn’t hold on to the difficult chance.
Moin also missed a chance to stump him out when he was 21 off Danish Kaneria.
South Africa got off to a brisk start of 42 before Kaneria trapped Herschelle Gibbs leg before wicket for 20.
A second-wicket partnership between Smith and Boeta Dippenaar added 51.
Negotiating pace and spin attack with confidence, the pair erased Pakistan’s 70-run lead before off-spinner Shoaib Malik trapped Dippenaar leg before for 21.
For Pakistan Shabbir Ahmed, who took four wickets in the first innings, was again hard working but Abdul Razzaq and Mushtaq Ahmed were disappointing.
Razzaq went for 25 in three overs and Mushtaq conceded 22 in his first two overs before settling down.
Pakistan were dismissed for 348 in their first innings after Pollock snapped up six wickets. The 30-year-old took three wickets off 21 balls for 10 runs to trigger a middle order collapse after Pakistan resumed at 237-2.
Pollock and Makhaya Ntini grabbed four quick wickets with the second new ball.
Pollock trapped Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq for 23 with the third ball of the day’s second over and then removed Imran Farhat in his next to halt the home team’s momentum.
Imran was caught at square leg after making 128 off 226 balls in an innings lasting 343 minutes and including 18 boundaries. The third-wicket stand between Imran and Inzamam yielded 70 runs.
Pollock’s pace partner Ntini produced a sharp in-swinger to force an edge off Asim Kamal on one to leave Pakistan at 257-5.
Pollock, who took a match winning five for 37 against Pakistan here in 1997-98, then had Shoaib Malik caught in the slips for nine after the batsman failed to withdraw his bat while ducking a short delivery.
Moin and Razzaq put on an invaluable 32 for the seventh wicket before Moin sent a catch off Jacques Kallis straight to cover after making 18.
Pollock improved his figures to 5-68 — his 16th five-wicket haul in 76 Tests — after trapping Mushtaq Ahmed leg before for six.
He took his sixth wicket when he dismissed Kaneria to wrap up Pakistan’s innings.
“Normally you don’t get much assistance from the wickets in the subcontinent so this is a very special performance,” Pollock said.
“I think that the first session on Monday would be very crucial for us and we can press a win if we put up a good target,” he said.
With two days to play and the pitch turning, the tourists have a chance to level the series.
South Africa lost the first Test in Lahore by eight wickets.
Scoreboard
SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings) 278 (H.H. Gibbs 98, G. Kirsten 54, Shabbir Ahmed 4-74).
PAKISTAN (1st Innings, overnight 237-2):
Taufiq Umar c Gibbs b Adams 68
Imran Farhat c Peterson b Pollock 128
Yasir Hameed c Gibbs b Pollock 21
Inzamam-ul-Haq lbw b Pollock 23
Asim Kamal c Pollock b Ntini 1
Shoaib Malik c Smith b Pollock 9
Abdul Razzaq c sub (J. Rudolph) b Ntini 37
Moin Khan c Gibbs b Kallis 18
Mushtaq Ahmed lbw b Pollock 6
Shabbir Ahmed not out 24
Danish Kaneria c Smith b Pollock 0
EXTRAS (B-3, LB-8, W-1, NB-1) 13
TOTAL (all out, 116.2 overs) 348
FALL OF WKTS: 1-137, 2-178, 3-248, 4-251, 5-257, 6-261, 7-293, 8-309, 9-339.
BOWLING: Pollock 29.2-9-78-6 (1nb); Ntini 29-9-64-2 (1w); Kallis 22-4-57-1; Peterson 8-1-40-0; Adams 25-5-82-1; Smith 3-0-16-0.
SOUTH AFRICA (2nd Innings):
G.C. Smith lbw b Shabbir 65
H.H. Gibbs lbw b Kaneria 20
H.H. Dippenaar lbw b Shoaib 21
G. Kirsten not out 27
N.D. McKenzie not out 0
EXTRAS (B-1, LB-2, W-2, NB-2) 7
TOTAL (for three wkts, 44 overs) 140
FALL OF WKTS: 1-42, 2-92, 3-65.
BOWLING (to-date): Shabbir Ahmed 11-3-23-1 (1nb, 2w); Abdul Razzaq 4-1-25-0; Danish Kaneria 10-1-36-1; Shoaib Malik 11-4-21-1; Mushtaq Ahmed 8-3-32-0 (1nb).—AFP/Reuters
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