2nd Day, 3rd Test match report by b0wld

Match Report: Pakistan vs. South Africa: 3rd Test (DAY 2)

Another sunny and windy day welcomed us to the Newlands Cricket ground at Cape Town for day 2 of the 3rd and final test between Pakistan and South Africa.

After seeing an enthralling 1st day of play where the ball again dominated the bat & the devastated look of the Newlands ground suggesting to the players that they were forced to play here, all was set for another day of thrilling contest & some RnR.

South Africa at stumps on the 1st day were 131/5 & trailed Pakistan by 26 runs after bowling them out for just 158. The pitch looked the same, but it suggested that it might have gone ot a slower side as the moisture was milked out of the pitch - but this reporter thinks that the pitch still had a lot of demons and it was only the matter of pitching the ball in the right areas that results will come as they did on the 1st day where 15 wickets fell.

Ashwell Prince & Paul Harris resumed their innings with Danish Kaneria staring the first over of the day. And Pakistani got a result straight away as Danish got the wicket of Prince caught at silly mid-off after Akmal again failed to collect the ball cleanly. It was fortunes for Akmal as the replay suggested that the ball has missed the bat & Buknor’s overly late decision made it all too suspicious. Had Prince not been given out Akmal, in this reporter truest opinion would have lost his job for good!

Paul Harris was the next to go as he edged a good delivery from Asif to Younis Khan at 2nd slip as SA slipped to 138/8 and Pakistan looked to seal the innings. Hall was next to go as he got a beauty (according to this reporter typical Warny leg break) from Kaneria where the ball pitched on the leg, turned, got the edge of Hall's bat. Akmal for a change took the catch cleanly.

Mark Boucher had other plans. He went berserk and thrashed the Pakistani bowling all over the park, while Steyn kept it tight at the other end. Worst Inzamam sent the worst fielders in the outfield when Boucher was batting so that he could score more runs. Pathetic & backward thrower Kaneria was positioned at third man for a top edge and he let one of Boucher top edges sail over for six.

Boucher with Steyn not only ended the deficit but took SA to a lead of 26 before a brilliant piece of fielding from Younis Kahn sent Steyn packing to the pavilion and Ntitni was caught plumb in front of the stumps the very next ball from Sami as SA were all out for 183 with Boucher not out for a cameo 40.

Pakistan started their 2nd innings trailing SA by 26 runs. Again Hafeez & Farhat were cautious and it didn’t help the Pakistani cause one bit. Hafeez went just before Lunch in the same fashion as was his case in the 1st innings with just the change that the bowler was Steyn, Pakistan 12/1.

Disaster struck Pakistan after lunch as Farhat was found plumb in front by Steyn and Younis went for a duck fishing a ball outside of his off-stump after a few ball as Pakistan were destroyed by the SA as they slump to 24/3. Yasir Hameed & Muhammed Yousuf came together and produced thee flow of he runs in the demoralizing situation. Hameed looked aggressive but played the ball to its merit while Yousuf as usual took his chances. In a situation getting out of hand for SA they produced their ultimate surprise, Andrew Hall.

He bowled in the right channel with speed and accuracy that helped the ball skid on the wobbly surface. He first bowled Yousuf with a beauty and the got Hameed caught behind as Pakistan slumped to 92/5. This reporter has also the pleasure to report that all the off season bowlers who are whacked even by their club teams do well against Pakistan (Mystery, mystery???).

Inzamam looked out of sorts and Akmal as usual as playing without a brain. Harris enticed Akmal to give him the heave ho but Akmal failed miserably (curtains for you buddy and I will seek to it) as Boucher flicked the bails off Akmal gone for a dismal 6. Inzamam was next as he again got a good one from Steyn (who was having a ball out in the middle).

Pakistan were looking out of the match at 121/7, with a lead not even a 100. Then the bowlers who got the team back in the game was given another task: Bat you’re A$$ off for us and get us to 150 (seriously these people according to this reporter should be paid more). And they did just that. First Sami and Nazir then played smartly and tried to consolidate the innings and to get Pakistan in a good fighting position. They both played some elegant strokes. Sami was awesome on off-side and of the Hook while Nazir made inroads through drives on the leg side & on the straight boundaries.

Both put on a 50+ partnership and took Pakistan for 175/7. Nazir then got out to hall trying to feel the bal outside the stumps and Boucher did the rest. Sami went next in quick succession as he attempted the Hook on too many occasion & found Amla taking a simple catch of Kallis leaving Pakistan on 179/. Asif then scored a lucky boundary but perished in he next over while trying to loft Harris out of the ground. Pakistan all out for 183 on the same day leaving the SA team, the crowd & this reporter mesmerized (supporters), pleased (SA team) and crippled (Me). SA were given a simple target of 157 to win the test & the series. What looked like a promise start to the day was keeping to its words, but only for the host team.

South Africa resumed their 2nsd innings (to their & my gutted surprise) and Smith & Dippenar came out al guns blazing. Smith in Particular was looking the same way as he was in the 1st innigs, ultra-muttha dangereous He smashed the quickies (Even Asif) to all part of the ground. When it looked as all was over for Pakistan Danish Kaneria came to the party. First he got Dippenar form a beauty of a deliver (just like Hall’s dismissal) and then got night watchman Paul Harris for a duck (though replay showed the ball hit his bat first) as the day ended for SA at 36/2 still needing 121 runs to win the test and the series.

This reporter was devastated & shocked by the display of Pakistani batsmen in the 2nd innings. I mean what the hell were they thinking. They don’t really know how to play in the 2nd innings & its becoming a habit. Our most reliable pair in this situation is the tailenders. Even the bikini babies were distancing themselves from me.

Tomorrow is the 3rd and probably the final day of this test match. On paper it looks like SA are going to get home easily, but you never know. This reporter has seen a lot of cricket & has come to one conclusion and that is “The Match aint over until the last ball is bowled”. Let’s hope this is the case tomorrow. But for that Pakistan have got to bowl & field out of their pyjamas, which they rarely do.

This is b0wld reporting from Depressed Mountains at Newlands Cape Town

"this reporter" needs to relax....it's been a low scoring match and PAK's score is not that big of a surprise!