Pacers to the ‘four’

Hashim Amla also played a bad shot, attempting to glance a short-pitched delivery down the leg side when on 5. He succeeded only in getting a glove to it for Akmal to take another catch. Smith started to attack Kaneria when he was brought on to bowl, but, after hitting him down the ground for four, he misread a googly and edged the ball. Akmal palmed it up and Younis took an easy catch to dismiss Smith for 28.

Prince got a second chance when Akmal missed a simple chance from an edge off the bowling of Sami, but two balls later edged again, this time straight to Mohammad Hafeez at first slip to depart for 2. Gibbs then missed a sweep against Kaneria’s spin to be out leg-before-wicket for 2. South Africa went to lunch at 64-5, but 19 runs later Kallis edged a ball from Akhtar to Akmal.

Boucher fell edging Kaneria to Younis at slip, while Pollock on 4 chipped a simple catch to Mohammad Sami at square leg off Shoaib. Pakistan’s reply was soon in trouble when Imran Farhad prodded at Ntini’s second delivery and edged him to De Villiers at slip to be dismissed for a duck. Hafeez was then out on 13, hooking a ball from Ntini for Amla to take a running catch at short leg.

Hameed was out for 2 and then Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf put on a 60-run stand before Yousuf fell leg-before-wicket to Shaun Pollock for 32. Kamran Akmal came in ahead of Inzamam-ul-Haq because the Pakistan captain had spent too long off the field.

Younis (45) was caught in the gully by Herschelle Gibbs for 45 off Ntini to end a stand of 56.Akmal played a rash hook shot at a bouncer by Andre Nel in the last over of the day and was caught by Ashwell Prince on 33. Mohammad Sami was not out without scoring when play ended.

Brief scores: South Africa 1st Innings 124 (Graeme Smith 28, Mark Boucher 35; Shoaib Akhtar 4/36, Danish Kaneria 3/36) vs Pakistan 135/6 (Younis Khan 45, Mohd Yousuf 32, Kamran Akmal 33; Ntini 4/18).