Kingsmead, Durban
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, Intikhab Alam, Waqar Younis.
Debuts: Nil
Umpires: HD Bird (ENG) & BC Cooray (SL)
Toss: Pakistan
After the nail biting finish at Centurion Park, the third Test in Durban turned out to be one of the most one-sided matches you could wish to witness, and come its finish, the shortest Test ever in ATG history, both in terms of actual playing time and overs bowled. Imran won the toss and immediately elected to bat on what promised to be a reasonably quick but otherwise trustworthy wicket at Kingsmead, but halfway through the first afternoon his side had been skittled for just 134 in 41.5 overs as South Africa's bowlers ran riot.
Donald and Heine removed Mohsin (0) and Mudassar (4) respectively, courtesy of a pair of questionable lbw decisions then Goddard, swinging the ball seemingly at will, scythed through the middle order with the excellent figures of 5-35. Majid Khan stroked a wonderful 80 - an innings that saw him pass 2000 career runs - to provide the only meaningful resistance for Pakistan, and by stumps South Africa were already in the lead, sitting pretty on 150-2, with Goddard (73*) and Pollock (53*) the not out batsmen.
Despite his fine form with the ball, Trevor Goddard's place in the side was under great threat coming into this game, South Africa's erstwhile skipper having scored just 198 runs at an average of 14 in his last seven Tests, but his innings here in his home town of Durban marked a most welcome return to form. Goddard added just 2 to his overnight score before glancing Wasim Akram - again Pakistan's best bowler - down the leg side and into Moin's gloves, but Pollock, who had been bowled by an Imran no ball when on 20, continued on to record his sixteenth ATG century, and cameos from Cullinan (43), Procter (37) and an unusually subdued Lindsay (25) helped see the Proteas to a final score of 323 and a lead of 189.
Pakistan now had the best part of a session to bat before the close, and by the time stumps were drawn their top order had been decimated by Mike Procter, who swung the ball both ways at great speed and was nigh on unplayable. Pakistan entered the third day on a precarious 98-4, and by lunch the game was all but over as the lower order failed to display any sort of sticking power. Boundaries flowed as the tourists tried to hit their way out of trouble, but when discipline was required, none was to be found. Most of Pakistan's batsmen made starts, but no-one could top Mohsin's 34, and when Goddard trapped Asif plumb in front for 28 with just the fourth ball after lunch, it was all over.
Pakistan had been bowled out for 176 in just 50.2 overs, and with the game not even at its halfway point, South Africa had won by an innings and 13 runs. Their innings of 323 was the lowest score ever posted to secure an innings victory in ATG Tests, and Pakistan had batted for less than 100 overs in both their innings combined. Goddard's 3-22 in Pakistan's second dig gave him a match return of 8-57 to go with his 75 with the bat, and his replacement as skipper, Hansie Cronje, could not have wished for a better start to his captaincy career. Conversely, his opposite number, Imran Khan, now has any number of problems on his hands ahead of the fourth Test in Cape Town with his side 2-0 with two to play, and his motivational skills are certain to be tested to the limit over the remainder of the tour.
Scores
PAK 1st Inns 134 (Majid Khan 80; Goddard 5-35)
SAF 1st Inns 323 (Pollock 104, Goddard 75, Cullinan 43; Wasim Akram 4-67)
PAK 2nd Inns 176
SOUTH AFRICA WON BY AN INNINGS & 13 RUNS
Man of the Match: TL Goddard
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