Dale Steyn scratched Pakistan batting at 49 – first Test vs. South Africa

South Africa 253 and 3-207 (AB de Villiers 63*, Graeme Smith 52, Hashim Amla 50*, Umar Gul 2-25) leads Pakistan 49 (Azhar Ali 13, Misbah-ul-Haq 12, Dale Steyn 6-8) by 411 runs.

The perishable batting of Pakistan surrendered to the deadly fast bowling of Dale Steyn as the tourists fell to their lowest Test score ever in an innings.

South Africa scored 253 runs in their first innings and powered another 207 with seven wickets still in hand in the second. Pakistan was bowled out for 49 mere runs and that was their poorest show in the longer version of the game. Their previous minimum score in Test cricket was recorded vs. Australia on October 11, 2002, at Sharjah where they managed 53 runs.

The adventurous second day’s play ended on February 2, 2013, at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.

Earlier, Pakistan started the day at six runs without any loss and that was scored by Mohammad Hafeez as Nasir Jamshed has yet to open his account. Dale Steyn made a first dent in the visitor’s batting when Hafeez was caught behind by the wicket keeper AB de Villiers without adding any run in his overnight score. Nasir Jamshed became his next victim for just two runs when he was declared leg before wicket at 12 on the first ball of the sixth over. Younis Khan multiplied the miseries of Pakistan when he was gone on the last ball of the same over.

Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq tried to stay at the wicket but were unable to score a single run in the next six overs. The latter hit 3 fours in the following overs and Azhar posted 2 fours as well and took the score to 36. Azhar Ali lost his wicket for 12 and Misbah-ul-Haq followed him one run later for 12 as the command was taken by the rival bowlers. Dale Steyn was the most lethal of the four bowlers and none of the visiting batsman was able to enter the double figures. The innings of the entire Pakistani team was folded back for just 49 runs in 29.1 overs.

Dale Steyn was the star performer with 6-8 runs and grabbed his 20^th fifth wicket whereas Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis shared two wickets each.

The visitors fell short of 204 runs but Graeme Smith, the skipper of South Africa, did not enforce the follow on and preferred to bat again. He opened the innings with Alviro Petersen and they took off nicely as Petersen hit 2 fours in the eighth over and Smith followed him with the same result in the next over. The pair kept on enhancing the score and especially Smith was sending the ball out of the rope at his will and they reached 73 in 19 overs at the tea interval.

Graeme Smith attained his 37^th Test fifty in the 21^st over with 2 fours as Petersen was caught by Mohammad Hafeez off Umar Gul for 27 at the total of 82 runs. Smith was caught behind by Sarfraz Ahmed off Umar Gul five runs later for 52 runs as Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis got together at the wicket. Kallis was unable to impress and was caught by Asad Shafiq off Saeed Ajmal for seven runs and was replaced by AB de Villiers. The first hundred of the innings was recorded in the 28^th over and the duo got 4 fours in the 30^th and next over.

The Pakistani bowlers were unable to stop the fluent scoring by the two batsmen as de Villiers survived a leg before wicket review at 49 in the 43^rd over and completed his 32^nd Test half century. The second hundred of the innings was displayed on board in the 50^th over as Amla achieved his 25^th Test fifty three overs later and that was the last over of the day. AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla were unbeaten for 63 and 50 runs respectively as the Proteas smashed 207 runs in 53 overs for the loss of just three wickets.

South Africa has taken a commendable lead of 411 runs on the second day of the match and keeping in view the present form of the Pakistani batsmen, the hosts can win the match on day three.