The Independent Voice of West Indies Cricket
Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi
South Africa (Playing XI):
Aiden Markram(c), Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne(w), Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada
Pakistan (Playing XI):
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood(c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Salman Agha, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Asif Afridi
Pakistan have won the toss and have opted to bat
Aiden Markram: We would have liked to bat first as well, we got a couple of lessons from the first innings in the previous game and we need to learn from them. We have got world-class spinners in our ranks and they would like to make the best use of conditions. Two changes for us - Jansen and Maharaj come in and unfortunately. Mulder and Subrayen miss out.
Shan Masood: A bit on the drier side but we don't know how it is going to play, so it's best to bat first. The toss doesn't decide everything, we have to still execute still. We have to take it session by session. Just one change - Asif Afridi makes his debut today.
Pitch Report:
It looks very abrasive, this is about good length and when you run hand through it, it feels abrasive. Batting first would be an advantage as the surface will crumble as the game goes on. The batters have to be proactive against the spinners, employing the sweep shot would be a good option. I feel this one is even more abrasive than the surface in Lahore. A first innings score above 275 will be good, reckon Bazid Khan and Rameej Raza.
Asif Afridi makes his debut at the age of 38 for Pakistan in Tests. He received his cap from Shaheen Afridi a while back.
0.4
•
Rabada to Abdullah Shafique, no run dropped! A thick outside edge and it carries to third slip. But Stubbs drops it. In and out. Was a length ball in the channel and Shafique hung his bat out
end of over 2
Maiden
PAK: 5/0 CRR: 2.50
Abdullah Shafique 5 (12b 1x4)
Imam-ul-Haq 0 (0b)
Marco Jansen 1-1-0-0
Kagiso Rabada 1-0-5-0
Day 1: 1st Session
PAK 5/0 (3) CRR: 1.67
Imam-ul-Haq 0(6)
Abdullah Shafique 5(12)
Kagiso Rabada 2-1-5-0
3.5
Marco Jansen to Shafique, FOUR, shot! Length delivery outside off, Shafique holds his shape nicely and square drives it through point to find the fence. That was so elegant on the eye
PAK 9/0 (4) CRR: 2.25
Abdullah Shafiqu 9(1
Imam-ul-Haq 0(6)
Marco Jansen 2-1-4-0
Day 1: Lunch Break
PAK 95/1 (30) CRR: 3.17
Abdullah Shafique 37(82
)Shan Masood 38(63
35.1
Marco Jansen to Masood, 2 runs, fifty for Masood, his 13th fifty in Tests! He has batted with intent and has kept the scoreboard ticking! Brilliant knock so far. Was on a length outside off, Masood tapped it past the left side of backward point and came back for the second run
50.5
Harmer to Shafique, out Caught by Verreynne!! Tame end for Shafique. That was a strangle down leg. Was a flatter delivery down leg, the btter tried to tuck it and got a faint edge as the keeper gobbled it up down leg. Good take by the keeper who was blinded but took a fine catch to his left. SA finally get a breakthrough and this is Harmer's second wicket.
Shafique c Verreynne b Harmer 57(146) [4s-4]