South Africa v Pakistan - Second Test

Centurion Park

South Africa: BA Richards, TL Goddard, *WJ Cronje, RG Pollock, AD Nourse, DJ Cullinan, +DT Lindsay, MJ Procter, NBF Mann, AA Donald, PS Heine.
Pakistan: Mohsin Khan, Mudassar Nazar, Majid Khan, Javed Miandad, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, *Imran Khan, +Moin Khan, Wasim Akram, Iqbal Qasim, Waqar Younis.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: VK Ramaswamy (IND) & LP Rowan (AUS)
Toss: South Africa

Whereas the first Test in Bloemfontein did not spark into life until the final day, it was lights, camera, action from the word go at Centurion Park, with Pakistan striking the first blows after Hansie Cronje won his first toss as captain and elected to bat. An uneven surface was never going to make batting easy though, and a spell of 4-11 from Wasim Akram reduced South Africa to 23-6 on a traumatic first morning for Cronje's team. Procter and Cullinan then hit back with a national record stand of 117 for the seventh wicket, with Procter eventually blasting 80 off 127 balls, an innings that included three sixes, and Donald's 24 was just the third score in double figures as South Africa were bowled out for 189 on the first evening.

Procter's wicket allowed Akram to complete a deserved five wicket haul, and whilst Mohsin and Mudassar were in the process of adding 78 for Pakistan's first wicket on day two, the tourists looked to be taking firm control of the match. Trevor Goddard was able to prise Mudassar (50), Majid (23) and Javed (12) away from the crease during a marathon spell either side of lunch though, and it was all downhill from then on for Pakistan as the innings subsided from 130-3 to 174 all out, with Iqbal Qasim unable to bat due to an ankle injury he sustained whilst bowling on the opening day.

It had been desperately tight cricket up to this point, with low bounce making it almost impossible to bat with any confidence, but the complexion of the game was about to change as Barry Richards took control on what remained of the second day. Deciding that attack was by far the best form of defence on this wicket, he smeared an undefeated 85 from 79 balls before stumps, taking South Africa to a second innings score of 115-2 from just 25 overs in the process and giving them an invaluable lead of 130 at the close. Pakistan needed to strike back early on the third morning, and with his score on 90 and the total on 131-2, Richards suffered a sickening blow in the ribs off the bowling of Imran and was forced to leave the field. Pakistan now had their opening, and by the time Richards was able to return, four wickets had tumbled for 22 runs as the reverse swing of Imran - who was on the way to career best figures of 6-53 - and Wasim began to find the target.

Richards bravely completed a magnificent century shortly before lunch, and he was eventually ninth out for 120 having coaxed 26 vital runs out of partnerships with Mann and Donald. Last man Heine then helped add 16 more with Donald before he was lbw to Akram for 8, and South Africa's total of 205 set Pakistan a target of 221 to win, a total that, if reached, would be the highest of the match. With over half the match still remaining Pakistan certainly had the time, but one could not help feeling that South Africa's wagging tail might just have tipped the balance in the hosts' favour.

Just as in the first innings Pakistan began confidently, and with Procter the only bowler to look really threatening, the score had progressed to 111-3 when the curse of 'Nelson' struck the tourists. Zaheer played on against Donald for 27, then Procter removed both Asif (11) and Imran (0) in the same over to reduce Pakistan to 126-6, still 95 adrift of victory. No further wickets fell before the close, and it was now all down to Javed Miandad to steer Pakistan home. He duly completed a hard-earned 50 on the fourth morning, but when he fell lbw to Donald almost immediately after, the game seemed up for Pakistan. Iqbal Qasim would not be able to bat, and at 154-7 just Moin, Wasim and Waqar stood between South Africa and a fantastic win.

Moin and Wasim now threw caution to the wind, and incredibly the game started to swing back towards Pakistan. Three consecutive boundaries by Wasim Akram off Mann brought the tourists to within 23 runs of the winning post, but in the next over, bowled by the nerveless Goddard, Akram tried one big hit too many and was well caught by a running Nourse on the square leg boundary for 23. Waqar was now the last man in, and eight further runs had been added when Moin, on 30, swung and missed at a slower ball from Goddard: his off stump was knocked back, and South Africa had won a magnificent match by the oh-so-slender margin of 14 runs. It had been a true rollercoaster-ride of a game, with just 32 runs encompassing all four innings totals, but the batting of Procter and Richards just outdid the bowling of Imran and Akram in the final analysis. South Africa had recovered from the dire position of 23-6 on the first morning, and new skipper Hansie Cronje maintains his undefeated record going into what is now a highly anticipated third Test in Durban.

Scores
SAF 1st Inns 189 (Procter 80, Cullinan 40; Wasim Akram 5-38)
PAK 1st Inns 174 (Mudassar Nazar 50)
SAF 2nd Inns 205 (Richards 120; Imran Khan 6-53, Wasim Akram 4-63)
PAK 2nd Inns 206 (Javed Miandad 50)

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 14 RUNS


Man of the Match: BA Richards