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Pakistan fight earns them a draw against SA
ABU DHABI - Pakistan can go back with their head held high after they battled hard to save the second Test against South Africa at the Shaikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Faced with a target of 354, Misbah-ul-Haq conjured up a captain’s innings for the second consecutive game and Azhar Ali came up with an equally stoic knock in Pakistan’s second dig to deny South Africa on the final day.
South Africa took three quick wickets through their spinners Johan Botha and Paul Harris after lunch and eyed their chance to put it to bed. But Misbah scored his second successive half-century and the third of the two-Test series, while Azhar Ali made 28. The pair defied the Proteas for more than three hours and put on an unbroken 87 for the fourth wicket before the game was called off into the final hour. Pakistan finished up at 153 for 3. Misbah made an unbeaten 58 with 10 boundaries in 140 balls.
Openers Mohammed Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar put on 66 runs before South Africa removed both of them and then saw the back of Younis Khan for nought. Hafeez had made 34, while Umar scored 30. But Misbah and Ali averted the danger.
In hindsight, South Africa may have rued the fact that they didn’t give themselves enough overs to have a go at the Pakistan batsmen.
South Africa had resumed the day on 173 for four, and a lead of 323. They could have been bold with their declaration but they preferred to bat six overs in the morning before calling their batsmen Ashwell Prince and Johan Botha in. They could only add 30 runs as they finished up at 203 for five. Prince remained unbeaten on 47.
It left them with 82 overs to bowl at Pakistan.
“This drawn series will build our confidence for the next series,” Pakistan captain Misbah said.
Pakistan tour New Zealand next month and will play three Twenty20 games, two Tests and six ODIs.
“We have lacked consistency in Tests, but in this series, everyone chipped in with performances, which was good,” Misbah added.
Stand-in South African captain Jacques Kallis said: “They were a frustrating two matches, but we can look back at some positive performances and go back home to take India next month.”
Kallis was standing in after Graeme Smith injured his finger on Tuesday. South Africa host India where they play three Tests, five ODIs and one Twenty20 game next month.
AB de Villiers won the Man of the Match award, while Kallis was adjudged the Man of the Series.
Meanwhile, second-ranked South Africa and sixth-placed Pakistan have taken different positions in the ICC Test Championship after their two-Test series ended in a 0-0 draw in the UAE.
Following drawn Tests in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the Proteas have now slipped from 119 ratings points to 116 ratings points. Pakistan on the otherhand, have gained five ratings points and now lie on 88 ratings points.
Even though South Africa are now just a point ahead of Sri Lanka, they cannot be overtaken by Kumar Sangakkara’s side irrespective of how their series against the West Indies pans out.
With the first Test at Galle already finishing in a draw, the maximum Sri Lanka can now achieve is a 2-0 series win, which will not be enough to put them ahead of South Africa.
A 2-0 win will keep them on 115 ratings points, while a 1-0 series win will mean they will fall to 113 ratings points, just one ahead of England.
However, if the series ends in a 0-0 draw, Sri Lanka could drop behind England and Australia in fifth position on 109 ratings points, while the West Indies will jump to 85 ratings points.
SCOREBOARD
South Africa first innings 584 for nine declared
Pakistan first innings 434
South Africa second innings 203 for five declared
Pakistan second innings (target 354)
M. Hafeez lbw b Harris 34
T. Umar lbw b Botha 30
A. Ali not out 28
Younis Khan lbw b Harris 0
Misbah-ul-Haq not out 58
Extras (lb-2, nb-1) 3
Total: (three wickets; 67 overs) 153
Fall of wickets: 1-66, 2-66, 3-66.
Still to bat; A. Shafiq, A. Akmal, A. Rehman, U. Gul, M. Sami, T. Ahmed
Bowling: Steyn 13-2-40-0, Morkel 11-3-29-0, Harris 23-14-28-2, Kallis 2-0-13-0 (1-w), Botha 17-4-40-1, Petersen 1-0-1-0.
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