LIGHTNING does not strike twice as they say. No, not here at Newlands where Pakistan from a precarious 33-4 recovered to a respectable 253-5 with the help of a stubborn record partnership of 219 against South Africa between Younis Khan and young Asad Shafiq.

The pair overtook the 127-run stand in Johannesburg between Asad and Misbah-ul-Haq, which didn’t work at the Wanderers in the first Test after Pakistan sunk to their lowest total in Tests when they were dismissed for 49 in the first innings.

At Newlands yesterday things looked as much distressing when Graeme Smith put the tourists in and in no time reduced them to another ominous looking embarrassment as four wickets fell with Pakistan not even reaching anywhere near 40.

I really feared for them so did everyone present from the media-men to the people watching as the experienced Younis and Asad played and missed to push the score and then reached to a position of respectability sharing in the process a valuable stand to take Pakistan to tea without any further damage and with it notching up a half century each.

Peter Kirsten, the elder brother of Gary Kirsten the coach of the South Africa team and who was one of the most successful 1992 World Cup batsmen besides Martin Crowe and Javed Miandad told me as early wickets fell that ‘in this country it is difficult to come to terms with the bouncy wickets or where the ball moves prodigiously. For the players nurtured on low bounce tracks, it is tough here.

“Also when you have a team in which more than three quarter of the players have never had the experience of playing at the highest level here, it is even tougher,” he said.

Rightly so as we know from experience by touring with the sub-continental players.

Younis is an old horse of the game no doubt and has the taste of the South African conditions not for the first time. He has already played 10 Tests against them and has a proud average of 42.50 before this match with three hundreds under his belt. His 74 in the practice game few days ago against Emerging Cape Cobras has certainly given him the much needed confidence.

Jittery at first, he did settle down to steady the sinking ship and to play some handsome shots like his young and solid looking partner Asad, who shot for shot matched his senior colleague as he cut and pulled with severity when Robin Petersen was brought on after lunch with Pakistan still unsure of their survival to see the day off.

The diminutive Asad looked in a different league altogether from those who perished before him early during the day. There were few good deliveries no doubt by pace trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander but not as venomous in pace or in bounce as we witnessed during the first Test. Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali and Misbah were out as they failed to cope with the movement and bounce off the pitch.

Both Younis and Asad as they dug out displayed a lot more caution with the short deliveries and balls bowled outside the off stump. The shaved wicket did help the bowlers early in the morning but as the day progressed it had lost its moisture as both Pakistan batsmen showed little concern against pace or spin of Petersen who did not get much turn or bite off the surface.

Asad was indeed lucky on 24 when Elgar spilled him at short leg off Petersen. But in cricket you do need luck and he had in plenty as he ducked and dodged the fast bowlers to reach his half century immediately after Younis had his with a six off Petersen over mid-wicket as he swatted a flighted delivery with the full face of the bat and later two more sixes in front of the wicket of the same bowler to get to his 21st Test hundred and the fourth against South Africa not much later.

Asad deservedly followed soon to pick up his third hundred in Tests with a crisp boundary in the point region. The show is still not over for the young right-hander. But he was denied the pleasure of having the company of his senior partner at start of Friday’s second day play. Younis was given out caught behind off an inside edge when South Africa were successful in overturning umpire Bruce Oxenford’s decision in the closing overs of what was an absorbing day of Test cricket.