1st Test, Day 1: Pakistan on top after Hafeez picks 4 to bowl Proteas out for 253

Zeenews Sports Bureau

LIVE SCORECARD» |LIVE COMMENTARY» ==================================================================================== PAKISTAN: Over: 2 II Score: 6/0( Hafeez: 6*, Jamshed: 0*) Pakistan openers were watchful in the two overs bowled by Philander and Steyn. It's indeed Pakistan's day and the hosts will be disappoited after losing wickets in a hurry towards the end. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA INNINGS: South Africa have managed to score 253 all out in their first innings with Kallis (50) being the highest scorer. Pakistan have performed extremely well. Their pacers started off in a very good way and despite some resilience shown by Smith and Petersen the wuick bowlers found a way to knock them over. However Hafeez with figures of 4 wickets for 16 was the best bowler for the tourists. Pakistan will now come in to bat and will do so for at least 5-10 minutes. The Proteas pace attack can add some fun towards the end of this day. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 85.2 II Score: 253/10( Steyn: 12*) Steyn smashes Gul down the ground for a massive SIX. Hafeez wraps up the South African innings with a peach of a delivery that beats Morkel all ends up and crashes onto his off stump. M Morkel b Mohammad Hafeez 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 84 II Score: 243/9( Steyn: 2*) South Africa have lost two more wickets. Pakistan are now looking to wrap up the Proteas as soon as possible. Very good performance from Pakistan. D Elgar c Sarfraz Ahmed b Mohammad Hafeez 27 (40b 3x4 1x6) VD Philander run out 1 (2b 0x4 0x6) ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 82 II Score: 239/7( Elgar: 26*) Pakistan have struck again and this time its du Plessis who plays on in a strange way. Junaid is ecstatic. Peterson replaces du Plessis in the middle. South Africa have scored at a healthy rate in the last ten overs or so. Hafeez picks up the wicket of Peterson who escorts a ball from Hafeez onto his off stump. South Africa are in big trouble here. RJ Peterson b Mohammad Hafeez 0 (11b 0x4 0x6) F du Plessis b Junaid Khan 41 (107b 2x4 0x6) ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 70.1 II Score: 199/5( du Plessis: 33*) After a prolonged session of mellow cricket from both teams Pakistan have broken through. Hafeez was given the ball and he picked up the wicket of De Villiers in his very first delivery. So Pakistan are on top again. Dean Elgar is the new batsman. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 65 II Score: 185/4(de Viliers: 21*, du Plessis: 29*) South African batsmen are settled and are playing comfortably now. Ajmal has proved to be ineffective and that has hurt Pakistan. South Africa are, slowly but surely, clawing their way back into this Test match. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 55 II Score: 159/4(de Viliers: 10*, du Plessis: 14*) Pakistan are toiling hard for a wicket and the Proteas are doing the same to deny them one. De Villiers and du Plessis have not been very circumspect and have played the ball on its merit. No chances have been taken by the batsmen. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 45.4 II Score: 135/4(de Viliers: 1*, du Plessis: 0*) Pakistan have struck again and this time it’s Younis Khan who has got the breakthrough. Short and wide and Amla smashes it to gully where Azhar Ali takes a sharp catch. Pakistan needed a moment of magic and Younis and Azhar have combined to provide one. HM Amla c Azhar Ali b Younis Khan 37 (67b 6x4 0x6) ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 40 II Score: 125/3( Amla: 21*,de Viliers: 0*) Pakistan have got rid of the dangerous Kallis. The veteran middle order batsman had completed his half century and was batting really aggressively. Umar Gul bowled one short and Kallis pulled it but did not time it to perfection and was held very well by a diving Shafiq. AB de Villiers is the new batsman. JH Kallis c Asad Shafiq b Umar Gul 50 (78b 9x4 0x6) ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 34 II Score: 107/2( Amla: 21*, Kallis: 39*) Pakistan pacers are looking very ordinary now. Kallis and Amla are hitting boundaries regularly. Ajmal is trying his best to put a brake on the scoring but he has not looked threatening either. Junaid tried a few short deliveries on Amla but he was put to the cleaners by Amla. Pakistan need to do something different now. Misbah will have to implement ‘plan B’ now. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 30 II Score: 92/2( Amla: 17*, Kallis: 29*) South Africa have started the post lunch session in a positive way. Junaid, who bowled so well in the morning session, is losing his line and length a little. Amla hit him for consecutive fours. Rahat Ali is also bowling a bad length and is being punished by the batsmen. Runs coming nice and easily for the Proteas here. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 25 II Score: 68/2( Amla: 7*, Kallis: 15*) South Africa go into lunch at 68 for the loss of 2 wickets. Amla and Kallis have ensured that South Africa did not lose any more wickets. The session has belonged to Pakistan. The Pakistan pacers bowled a very good line and length and troubled the openers. The South African openers were lucky on several occasions. Junaid Khan in particular caused a lot of problems for the batsmen. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 19.2 II Score: 46/2( Amla: 0*, Kallis: 0*) Junaid is finally rewarded for his effort. He picks up the wicket of Petersen. This was bowled a bit short from around the wicket and Petersen tried to play it towards the leg side but the ball took the edge and was held safely by Hafeez at third slip. Another blow for the home team. Smith is picked up by Gul. Pakistan are right on top now. AN Petersen c Mohammad Hafeez b Junaid Khan 20 (53b 2x4 0x6) GC Smith c Sarfraz Ahmed b Umar Gul 24 (59b 2x4 0x6) ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 15 II Score: 38/0(Smith: 20*, Petersen: 16* ) South African batsmen have settled in now and are looking comfortable in the middle. Runs have started to come as well for the Proteas now. Rahat Ali in particular has been guilty of leaking a few runs. May be time for Pakistan to bring in their trump card Saeed Ajmal. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 10 II Score: 18/0(Smith: 10*, Petersen: 7* ) Pakistan’s opening bowlers have been right on the spot and have not allowed the Proteas to score freely or even be at ease in the middle. Just one loose ball on the pads from Gul and Smith helped himself to a boundary. An exciting and engrossing contest between bat and ball is on in the middle. Junaid has been very unlucky to not have a wicket to his name by now. He has bowled some marvellous deliveries beating the batsmen squarely. Rahat Ali, another left arm pacer, is brought into replace Umar Gul. He will be looking to maintain the pressure that Gul and Junaid have created. ==================================================================================== SOUTH AFRICA: Over: 5 II Score: 6/0(Smith: 4*, Petersen: 1* ) Pakistan pacers have started off well against Smith and Petersen. Umar Gul and Junaid Khan have both been very accurate and have caused problems for the South African openers. Junaid especially has troubled Smith a lot trapping him on the pads a couple of times. The new ball in the hands of talented fast bowlers with a packed slip cordon is a sight in itself. ==================================================================================== TOSS: South Africa have won the toss and will bat first. Pakistan face number one ranked South Africa in the first of the three match Test series in Johannesburg. Pakistan last played a Test match for six months and will be tested by the Proteas in almost all aspects of the game. Pakistan’s attack has the ability to unsettle the Proteas batsmen on helpful conditions but the batsmen may struggle to cope with the pace battery of the hosts. South Africa are going through a dream run and will be looking to extend it against Pakistan. The pace attack led by Dale Steyn and complemented by Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel will hold the key to South Africa’s fortunes.