Graeme Smith slams fifth double ton, reaches 9000 Test runs

Zee Media Bureau/Suyash Srivastava

Dubai: Pakistani bowlers had an extremely tough time on day 2 of the second Test match after Proteas skipper Graeme Smith slammed a double ton on Thursday. Pakistan managed to pick just one wicket in the entire day after Smith and De Villiers added unbeaten 326 runs for the fifth wicket. Smith also went past 9,000 runs in Test matches. After suffering humiliation at the hands of Pakistan in the first Test, South African batsmen gained back their momentum and were led by their skipper who also reached the highest individual score of 2013 after he surpassed MS Dhoni’s 224 scored against the Australians earlier this year. Wicketkeeper batsman AB de Villiers joined the run-fest and he too reached the three-figure mark, his 17th in Test matches. The 29-year-old was unbeaten on 157 at stumps. The South African bowlers had bundled out Pakistan for 99 runs in the first innings and with two days remaining; the hosts now lead by 361 runs.