Pakistan 263 for 3 (Manzoor 131*, Masood 75) lead South Africa 249 (Amla 118, Duminy 57, Irfan 3-44, Babar 3-89) by 14 runs
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Usually, a couple of hours into a Pakistan Test innings, Younis Khan is
in the middle trying to rescue the team after the top order has
floundered. In Abu Dhabi, he was relaxing in the pavilion, fiddling
around with a camera while chatting with Junaid Khan. He could afford to
joke around as Pakistan's new opening pair, Khurram Manzoor and Shan Masood,
put on 135 runs, Pakistan's first century stand for the first wicket
since January 2012, back when they were making a mockery of England's
No. 1 ranking.
It is much too soon to talk of them making a mockery of the current No.1
side in the world, but Pakistan's sixth opening combination in seven
Tests put them on course for a healthy first-innings score. Manzoor went
on to his maiden Test century, the first by a Pakistan opener against
South Africa in a decade, to heap the pressure on Graeme Smith's side.
Manzoor is only playing his 10th Test, spread over more than four years,
but was already deemed the senior opener in the squad, after Mohammad
Hafeez was axed. He is fresh off twin half-centuries in his previous
Test, and though he had a few nervy moments early on, he didn't throw
away his wicket. He was generally watchful against the quicks, wearing a
blow on his ribs from Jacques Kallis, and only opened out just before
lunch when the spinners came on, taking three boundaries in two overs.
What stood out as much as his crisp strokeplay and concentration was his
desire to get a big score. He regularly chided himself when he played a
loose shot, even knocking his helmet with his bat several times after
chasing a wide one from Vernon Philander and nearly nicking it when on
90. It was a bit of struggle for him around that time, scoring only one
run in 24 deliveries. Just as the pressure was mounting on him, he broke
free with consecutive boundaries off Robin Peterson. The century
arrived soon after with a push towards cover for two, celebrating in a
chest-thumpingly exuberant manner.
His combativeness was also on display late in the day, when a wicketless
Dale Steyn charged in with the second new ball. When Steyn flung the
ball at him after fielding it, Manzoor didn't back down, snapping back
at the world's No. 1 bowler. Later in the over when Steyn glared after a
quick delivery, Manzoor blew him a kiss.
His opening partner Masood, making his debut, outside-edged his first
ball in international cricket past the slips, survived a half chance to
Jacques Kallis at second slip and had several plays-and-misses but he
didn't look out of his depth in Test cricket. He pounced on the many
leg-stump deliveries offered in the morning session and kept up a brisk
scoring rate, and also eased the pressure with several quick singles. He
looked particularly strong on the leg side, confidently pulling
Philander and using his wrists when Steyn overpitched.
Steyn had a rare off day with the new ball, leaking 31 in five overs and
didn't pose a threat consistently enough. Philander, playing his first
Test in Asia, maintained the tight line he is renowned for but pitched a
touch too short on a surface which is slower than the ones he is
accustomed to. Morne Morkel was the best of the bowlers, probing away
around off and getting the ball to rear at the batsmen.
The slow pitch wasn't giving the quicks anything though, and South
Africa's most glaring weakness - their spin department - was asked to
deliver. Robin Peterson didn't show the accuracy necessary for a lead
spinner, and it was JP Duminy who finally provided the breakthrough,
getting Masood lbw with tea approaching.
South Africa got a couple more wickets early in the final session -
Azhar Ali's wretched form extended and Younis was undone by a snorter
from Morkel - but Pakistan didn't unravel as their batting rock,
Misbah-ul-Haq, resisted with Manzoor for nearly two hours. Misbah used
the reverse-sweep and paddle-sweep to exploit the gaps in the field and
ended the day unbeaten on 44.
South Africa's day didn't get off to the best of starts either as their
final two wickets went down within 19 deliveries and their innings
wrapped up for the addition of just four runs to the overnight score.
Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: Siddarth Ravindran
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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