LAHORE, Oct 21: Pakistan won their first-ever Test against South Africa at home by a comfortable margin of eight wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium on Tuesday.

Starting  the  final fifth day with only 24-run needed to achieve the target of 161, Pakistan took only 7.1 overs to complete an emphatic win for the loss of Taufiq Umar.

Pakistan gained a valuable 81-run lead on the first innings scoring 401 in reply to the visitors’s 320 which proved decisive in the end. The home team then bowled out South Africa for 241 in their second innings.

It was Pakistan’s 91st Test win, the second against the Proteas, who have won five Tests, out of a total 10, that the two countries have played so far since 1995. Pakistan’s only other victory was achieved at Durban by 29 runs in February, 1998. Three matches ended in a draw.

Taufiq, a first innings century maker, was the only batsman to lose his wicket when clean bowled by the unorthodox left-arm leg-spinner Paul Adams with a delivery that kept low in the day’s third over. He just added two runs to his overnight score of 61 and during his stay of 153 minutes and cracked nine fours and faced 114 balls.

Yasir (20, three fours, 30 minutes, 24 balls) with Shoaib Malik got the required runs without ever being troubled. Shoaib lofted skipper spinner  Graeme Smith for a straight boundary to have the honour of hitting the winning runs.

Taufiq, who cracked century (111) in the  first  innings and half-century in the second, was jointly adjudged Man-of-the-Match with leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, who finished with a match-haul of 7-111 (2-65 and 5-46).

Later, Youhana, who had promised to go all out for victory in the first Test, attributed Pakistan’s win against South Africa to collective effort in the first Test.

The win gives Pakistan a psychological 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.

Deputising for injured Inzamam-ul-Haq, Youhana, however, admitted that he never expected success by such a convincing margin.

He was all praise for debutant Asim Kamal, Taufiq Umar and Imran Farhat, the trio whom he claimed had proved, they had the potential to succeed at the highest level.

Team coach Javed Miandad, believed there were many twist and turns to the Test but gaining the first innings lead was the turning point of the match in Pakistan’s favour.

“A team which bats first but concedes lead, ultimately comes  under pressure and that happened with the South Africans” Miandad said.

The coach praised openers Taufiq and Imran for providing   fine starts in both the innings. “Such stands can help any team to even chase bigger targets,” he added..

South  African skipper Smith said that the fiery  bowling spell by Shoaib Akhtar in the first session on Monday  proved the  turning point of his team’s defeat.

“If we had played two more overs of Shoaib  without  any loss before he left the ground due to hamstring injury, then we could possibly be in a better position”

He hoped that South Africa would bounce back in the second Test to square the series.

Smith refused to comment on several decisions that went against the visitors, couple of them at the very crucial juncture of the match in the second innings. “You want me to get into trouble by asking such a question” he said.

Australian umpire Darrell Hair adjudged key South African batsmen Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis caught fending off pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar’s rising deliveries on Monday.

However, television replays showed the ball brushed batsmen’s shoulders on both occasions. South Africa from 99-1 then succumbed to 241 all out.

South African coach Eric Simons also called for the use of television replays after Monday’s decisions.

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA (1st Innings) 320 (M.V. Boucher 72, G. Kirsten 53 retired hurt; Shoaib Malik 4-42).