SA in charge despite second essay setback

“The lead of 160 runs is like gold at the moment,” Boucher said. “If we can get another 100 runs, say a lead around 320, it’s something competitive.”

First innings century-maker Jacques Kallis finished the day unbeaten on a patient 18 while Ashwell Prince was not out on 11. Captain Graeme Smith (25) and Herschelle Gibbs (18) put on 41 runs for the first wicket before rookie Abdul Rehman (2-25) and Danish Kaneria (1-18) struck three times in rapid succession.

Rehman had Smith caught behind, then Hashim Amla was stumped for a duck, with replays showing his foot was slightly in the air when wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal dislodged the bails.

In between Rehman’s double strike, Gibbs (18) was caught close to the wicket off a mistimed sweep.

In Pakistan’s first innings, Boucher’s stumping of Umar Gul was his 396th dismissal (378 catches, 18 stumpings) in his 103rd Test match, surpassing Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy’s tally of 395 dismissals (366 catches, 29 stumpings) in Test cricket.

“It’s a great feeling for me, especially to break someone like Ian Healy’s record,” Boucher said. “He’s always someone that I used to watch on television as a schoolboy and I used to love the way he kept. If we put up a win here, it will be cherry on the top.”

Resuming at the overnight score of 127-5, Pakistan lost Rehman (9) in the morning session, caught behind off paceman Andre Nel, before captain Shoaib Malik and a recovered Salman Butt combined for an 84-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Malik and Butt (24) dug in for two hours before both fell in the second session to left-arm spinner Paul Harris (5-73), who took his first five-wicket haul in test matches.

Butt played a reckless cross-batted shot off his backfoot and was trapped lbw. Malik ran out of patience and was stumped after facing 170 balls in his three and a half hour knock. Malik, captain for the first time in tests, also reached 1,000 test runs in his 19th test with a straight six off Harris.

Pakistan needed a further 13 runs to avoid the follow-on when Malik departed, but Kaneria and Gul took Pakistan past the follow-on total.

SCOREBOARD

South Africa (1st Innings): 450

Pakistan (1st Innings) (Overnight 127 for five): M Hafeez c Kallis b Harris 34, K Akmal lbw b Harris 42, Younis Khan b Nel 6, F Iqbal b Kallis 7, Misbah-ul-Haq c Boucher b Steyn 23, Shoaib Malik st Boucher b Harris 73, Abdul Rehman c Boucher b Nel 9, Salman Butt lbw b Harris 24, Umar Gul st Boucher b Harris 12, Danish Kaneria not out 26, Mohammad Asif b Steyn 10

Extras: (15b, 7lb, 1w, 2nb) 25; Total: (All out, 97.3 overs) 291

Fall of wickets: 1-71, 2-82, 3-84, 4-97, 5-120, 6-149, 7-233, 8-238, 9-259, 10-291

Bowling: Dale Steyn 13.3-2-50-2 (2nb), Makhaya Ntini 11-2-48-0, Paul Harris 36-13-73-5, Andre Nel 20-4-59-2, Jacques Kallis 11-3-21-1 (1w), Graeme Smith 6-1-18-0

South Africa (2nd Innings): Graeme Smith c Akmal b Rehman 25, Herschelle Gibbs c Iqbal b Kaneria 18, Hashim Amla st Akmal b Rehman 0, Jacques Kallis not out 18, Ashwell Prince not out 11

Extras: (4b) 4; Total: (For 3 wkts, 32 overs): 76

Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-43, 3-43

Bowling: Mohammad Asif 6-1-14-0, Umar Gul 5-1-15-0, Abdul Rehman 11-3-25-2, Danish Kaneria 10-1-18-1