2nd Test Port Elizabeth : Day 1 Match Report (by Easa)

[Saj]

An amazing day of cricket ended with a shot Kamran Akmal will soon want to forget, and it was a day of comebacks, returns, wickets, and more wickets. The day began with Pakistan boosted by the return of two of their top players: the ever consistent Mohammad Yousuf, and the irrepressible Shoaib Akhtar. Despite an even covering of grass on the St.George’s Park wicket, Graeme Smith won the toss and bravely decided to bat first. That move did not work however, and Shoaib got two early wickets, sending Hashim Amla and the woefully out of touch AB De Villiers back to the pavilion. De Villiers perished to an awful stroke, trying to pull a bouncer that was way wide of off stump and getting a nick through to the under pressure Kamran Akmal, while Amla failed to avoid contact from a Shoaib bouncer down the leg side, and Kamran scooped up another.

Soon the wily Danish Kaneria was into the attack, and Smith fell to a rather uncalled for aggressive stroke, Younis taking a simple catch at slip and Kaneria picking up his first to make it 40/3. 9 runs later, Mohammad Sami, playing in his first international since August, picked up the in form Ashwell Prince to have South Africa reeling at 49/4. Danish had one last final say before lunch, though, sending Gibbs back to the pavilion, with a wrong un, which he tried to slog sweep. Pakistan was ecstatic, South Africa was down, and the session after lunch proved to be a good one.

Wickets continued to fall after lunch, with the pick being Shoaib’s dismissal of Kallis. The Rawalpindi Express steamed in, went wide of the wicket, and swung it away to get the edge of Kallis’s bat, and Kamran Akmal took a fantastic catch after having a horrible first session with the gloves. Besides Boucher, none of the South African batsman showed any guts or application whatsoever, and they were bundled out for 124, with Akhtar being the pick of the bowlers with 4/36 from 11 fiery overs.

The Pakistani batsman came out for a short period before Tea, hopeful to negotiate the few overs and go in safely at the interval. That was not to be however as Ntini bowled with pace, direction, and fire as he picked up Farhat and Hafeez in no time, Hafeez in particular, falling to a very average shot. Pakistan went in to tea at 17/2.

Surprisingly after Tea, it was Yasir Hameed who came out to bat with Younis Khan and it did not prove to be a good move, as Hameed was soon dismissed, caught fishing outside his offstump. Ntini had his 3rd as AB De Villiers took a simple catch.

The outstanding Mohammad Yousuf came out to bat, and Younis Khan and him did well to counter the South African bowlers with a 60 run partnerships, which included some majestic fours. Yousuf was soon out for 32, though, falling to a dubious decision by Billy Doctrove, and Pollock had struck. Had Yousuf gotten out a minute or so later, it would have been Inzamam Ul-Haq stride out to join Younis in the middle, but instead it was Kamran Akmal.

The young wicketkeeper batsman probably felt he had a point to prove after an average day behind the stumps, and he proceeded to bat very well along with Younis Khan in a 56 run partnership, before they both departed just before the close of play, Akmal to a very rash stroke – the dreaded pull. Younis got a beauty from Ntini, and was caught by Gibbs of the outstanding Ntini, but Kamran played a horrific shot and was caught by Prince at the boundary, of the bowling of Andre Nel. The nightwatchman, Mohammad Sami, will be joined by Inzamam Ul-Haq tomorrow, who was of the field for some time with a neck injury.

Pakistan ended the day, placed just 11 runs ahead of the Proteas, and a fantastic day 2 could be in store for us.

This is Easa Quraishi, PakPassion's roving reporter, reporting back to you.