Kamran, Younus fight back, still a long way to go

LAHORE: Wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal and Younus Khan batted courageously in Pakistan’s fight back to chase an improbable target of 457 runs on the fourth day of the second and the final Test match here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.

They have so far added 93 valuable runs for their unbeaten second wicket after Pakistan lost an early wicket. At close of play, Pakistan were 108 runs for the loss of Salman Butt with Kamran batting on 49 and Younus on 48. They have still a long way to go as they are required to make further 349 runs to win with nine wickets in hand.

Earlier, South Africa declared their second innings at 305 for four just before tea and set an improbable target of 457 in remaining four sessions.

The dominance of the South African batsmen continued on fourth day as captain Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis scored centuries and together added 207 runs for the third wicket to guide South Africa to a commanding position.

Resuming at the overnight 154-2, Captain Graeme Smith and Jacquis Kallis stretched their partnership to 145 runs by lunch as Pakistan had to rely on its two spinners. Paceman Mohammad Asif injured his elbow Wednesday after bowling only four overs. He will not be able to bowl anymore in this Test.

Smith completed his nearly six-hour-long century off 254 balls with 12 boundaries in the last over before lunch. He hit a solitary boundary in the entire morning session. He scored his overdue century in over two years when he made 126 against the West Indies at Antigua in 2005.

Kallis had a lucky escape on 47 when captain Shoaib Malik misjudged a lofted shot at long off in left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman's first over. Kallis, who had plundered 155, 100 not out and 59 in his previous three test innings on the tour, completed his third century of the series in 231 balls with seven fours. This was his 27th Test hundred.

Smith was dismissed by Danish Kaneria for 133 but Kallis remained unbeaten at 107 when South Africa declared their innings by tea at 305 for four wickets before Ashwell Prince was bowled by Abdul Rehman for 11.

Pakistan was shot out for 206 in its first innings in reply to South Africa's 357. Now they have an uphill task of making 457 runs to win the match and equal the two-Test series.

Disciplined bowling gives Pakistan the advantage on the first day of the second Test Against South Africa, Lahore

Ashwell Prince and Jacques Kallis hit half-centuries but Pakistan struck back with some disciplined bowling to restrict South Africa on day one of the second and final Test here Monday.

South Africa had posted 259-6 with Prince (63) and Kallis (59) leading the charge at the Gaddafi Stadium when bad light stopped play seven overs ahead of schedule.

Mark Boucher was unbeaten on nine and Andre Nel was yet to score.

It seemed AB de Villiers (45) would ratchet up the South African total but he fell to an unfortunate run-out, giving Pakistan some advantage as they seek to level the series.

South Africa won the first Test in Karachi by 160 runs.

Captain Graeme Smith plundered 46 runs but none of his teammates followed suit against the spin and pace attack of Pakistan.

Key batsman Kallis, who scored a masterly 155 and an unbeaten 100 in the first Test, was not in the best form as he nearly played on Danish Kaneria twice. He regained composure though and hit paceman Umar Gul for two consecutive boundaries to reach his 45th half-century.

Kallis added an invaluable 83 runs for the fifth wicket with Prince, who also defied the bowling with some resolute stroke play.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, who once again went into the Test with just two seamers and two frontline spinners, did not introduce left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman until the 51st over.

Rehman, who took eight wickets in Karachi, was hit for a six by Kallis before Kaneria struck back, trapping the South African with a disguising googly.

Kaneria, who bowled a long spell of 27 overs on either side of lunch, was the best of the home bowlers with 2-73.

Earlier, Kallis added 53 runs for the third wicket with Smith after the tourists lost Herschelle Gibbs (13) and Hashim Amla (10).

Pakistan's pace duo of Gul and Mohammad Asif provided the early breakthroughs. Gul had Gibbs caught in the gully while Asif bowled Amla with an inswinger.

Smith, batting with confidence on 31 with South Africa 70-2 at lunch, drove Kaneria for a boundary before the leg-spinner had the last laugh with a sharp turner which went through bat and pad to hit the off-stump.

Prince and Kallis took the score to 160 before Kaneria claimed the prized scalp of Kallis to raise hopes of dismissing the tourists for a modest total.

Prince, however, kept one end intact and consolidated the South African innings. Rehman finally brought an end to Prince's innings when he beat the batsman in the air to hit the stumps.

Prince hit five boundaries in his stubborn three-hour knock.

The Lahore Test is the swansong for Inzamam-ul Haq who is retiring from Test cricket.

The 37-year-old veteran was brought into the team along with Mohammad Yousuf. Inzamam was unavailable for the first Test while Yousuf pulled out at the last minute citing a lack of match fitness.

South Africa remained unchanged, leaving veteran all-rounder Shaun Pollock on the sidelines. Pollock was dropped for the first Test -- the first time in his 107-Test career.

Pakistan chasing record 424 target set by SA

KARACHI: The first of the two Test series between Pakistan and South Africa has entered into an interesting stage when Pakistan’s young team is chasing a daunting target of 424 to win and made 146 for three by the close of play on the fourth day with Younus Khan batting on 93.

They are required to score 278 more with seven wickets in hand and besides Younus, there are in-form batsmen - Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal - to bat with determination.

After two early dismissals, Younus Khan and Faisal Iqbal got together and fought bravely to take score to 134 when Faisal departed on 44 in the last moments. At stumps, Pakistan were 146 for three with Younus batting at 93 and night watchman Muhammad Asif at one.

Younus has played 99 balls and hit 14 fours and one six in his. With Faisal, he added 114 runs for the third wicket. Faisal faced 69 balls and hit eight fours.

Earlier, South Africa declared their second innings at 264 for seven and set Pakistan a daunting target of 424 to win the match, after Jacques Kallis reached his second hundred of the match. He became the fourth South African to score centuries in each innings of a Test, but his stubborn and flawless unbeaten 100 was in sharp contrast to his 155 in the first innings, during which he was dropped twice.

Other main scorers were Ashwell Prince (45) and Andre Nel (33) where as left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman finished on identical figures of four wickets for 105, in the second innings also, thus claiming eight for 110 in his debut Test. leg-spinner Danish Kaneria captured three wickets.

South Africa scores 294-3 at close on 1st day of 1st match against Pakistan

KARACHI: All-rounder Jacques Kallis made Pakistan pay for dropping him twice by scoring a brilliant unbeaten century to help South Africa make a solid start to the first Test here on Monday.

The 31-year-old scored an unbeaten 118 for his 25th Test hundred as South Africa reached 294-3 at close on the first day after winning the toss on a dry and well-prepared pitch at the National Stadium.

Kallis, in the news for the wrong reasons after quitting the vice-captaincy over his omission from the Twenty20 world championships squad last month, shared a third-wicket stand of 170 with a resolute Hashim Amla, who made 71.

Kallis hit 15 boundaries during his 224-minute stay at the crease. He should have been out on 36 when he edged leg-spinner Danish Kaneria only for wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal to drop a regulation catch. Salman Butt then grassed a pull off Mohammad Hafeez when Kallis was on 61.

Kallis, who took 91 deliveries to score fifty, reached his second half-century off just 56 balls, hitting 11 boundaries to reach his ton, his second against Pakistan.

Amla hit six boundaries and a six during his 225-minute knock. He was also let off on one when Misbah-ul Haq spilled a catch off skipper Shoaib Malik.

The lapses allowed Kallis and Amla to continue untroubled before paceman Mohammad Asif bowled Amla in the second over with the new ball.

Earlier, South Africa were given a solid opening start of 87 by Herschelle Gibbs (54) and Graeme Smith (42).

Gibbs, without a hundred for 37 innings, looked set for a big score as he drove and cut with confidence to reach his half-century in two-and-a-quarter hours, hitting seven boundaries.

But he fell to a low catch in the slips by Hafeez off Umar Gul. Gibbs fell three short of reaching 6,000 Test runs.

Pakistan had been forced to rely on the only two available seamers in Asif and Gul but they failed to achieve an early breakthrough, forcing Malik to introduce Kaneria in the tenth over.

Kaneria did turn the ball but it was batting all-rounder Hafeez who claimed Pakistan's first wicket when he trapped Smith leg-before in his second over.

Smith hit five boundaries in his 105-minute stay at the crease. The home team received a jolt before the start of the match when prolific batsman Mohammad Yousuf pulled out, citing a lack of match practice and form.

The 33-year-old last week made himself available to play for Pakistan after cancelling a contract with a rebel Indian league.

But he had barely picked up a bat for two months after being dropped for the Twenty20 tournament, at which Pakistan were finalists.

"Yousuf told us that he needed time to gain match fitness and opted out on his own,"

chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said.

Pakistan included Faisal Iqbal in Yousuf's place and gave a debut to left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman.

South Africa preferred paceman Andre Nel over veteran all-rounder Shaun Pollock after rookie paceman Morne Morkel failed to regain fitness following a leg injury.