South Africa v Pakistan - Fourth Test

Newlands, Cape Town

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, Saleem Malik, *Imran Khan, +Wasim Bari, Fazal Mahmood, Abdul Qadir, Waqar Younis.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: HD Bird (ENG) & LH Barker (SL)
Toss: Pakistan

At 2-0 down with two to play, Pakistan simply had to win at Newlands, and whilst South Africa named the same XI for the fourth consecutive match, the tourists made four changes in an effort to register their first victory of the tour. With Qadir finally fit, Akram injured and Asif dropped, Pakistan's bowling attack underwent a major overhaul, but it was the batting that proved the weak link once again as for the third match in succession, the side batting first was bowled out inside a day.

Imran elected to bat upon winning the toss, but after Donald's opening over went for 15 runs it was all South Africa as the Proteas' pacemen made best use of a fast paced pitch. A devastating opening spell from Procter reduced Pakistan to 25-3, and after a stand of 86 for the fifth wicket between Javed and Saleem Malik (36) gave the tourists some hope, the last six wickets fell for 61 to leave Pakistan 203 all out and Javed stranded on 99*, just the second batsman after Allan Border to suffer such a fate in ATG Tests.

Javed had been dropped on 8, and Hansie Cronje received a similar let off when South Africa came to bat, Majid Khan the culprit shortly before stumps on the first day. Cronje was on 13 at the time, and he spent most of day two making Pakistan pay as his maiden ATG century rescued his team from the prospect of an unwelcome first innings deficit. South Africa were 106-6 at one stage, but Cronje put together partnerships of 92 for the seventh wicket with Procter (25) and 69 for the eighth with Mann (25) to haul the Proteas out of trouble and into a first innings lead. Cronje eventually made 164 out of a total of 278, the very definition of a captain's innings, and Pakistan now had it all to do as the game entered day three.

The Newlands pitch had lost much of its early fire by this stage though, and with Donald's radar malfunctioning badly, Mohsin and Mudassar were able to put on 135 for the first wicket as Pakistan roared right back into contention. Both made fifties, with Mohsin in particular seeming set for a century, but Trevor Goddard removed both men either side of lunch, and the innings lost its way somewhat in the afternoon session. Mann dismissed Zaheer for 5 in controversial fashion, eventually inducing a leg side stumping after being called for three leg side wides earlier in the same over, and it was not until Majid Khan and Saleem Malik managed to add 73 runs for the fifth wicket that Pakistan got back on track.

At 275-4, Pakistan led by exactly 200 and looked like setting South Africa a stiff target, but the taking of the new ball changed things round in dramatic fashion, and for the second time in the match the tourists' lower order capitulated without much of a fight. Once Majid edged Procter behind for 68, the last six wickets tumbled for just 39 runs, and a final total of 314 meant that South Africa had five and a half sessions to score 240 and clinch the series with one Test to play. South Africa's batsmen soon began to prove that batting was easier now than on the first day, but three times they lost wickets in pairs just as a partnership had established itself, and by the close of day four the scoreboard read 177-6, and a nervy South Africa entered the final day still requiring another 63 runs to win.

There was no Cronje this time - Qadir had brought him back down to earth the previous day by bowling him first ball - and it was now down to Dudley Nourse to guide South Africa home. Nourse had been in atrocious form in the series up to this point - a return of just 29 runs in six innings meant that he was very fortunate to be in the side at all - but he chose this moment to steel himself for the challenge. Waqar removed both Procter and Mann with the new ball to leave South Africa 203-8 and still 37 short of victory, but Donald managed to cling on for the best part of an hour, allowing Nourse to eke out the runs that finally took the Proteas staggering across the line.

It had been nerve shredding stuff, but Nourse's undefeated innings of 77 had sealed the series win for South Africa, and had given them three consecutive Test victories for the first time. Pakistan meanwhile are now without a win in seven matches, their worst ever run, and they really missed the services of Wasim Akram in this game. Pride will be on the line in the final Test in Johannesburg, and Pakistan will be determined to come away with something after running the South Africans so close here.

Scores
PAK 1st Inns 203 (Javed Miandad 99*; Procter 4-38)
SAF 1st Inns 278 (Cronje 164; Waqar Younis 4-63)
PAK 2nd Inns 314 (Mohsin Khan 84, Majid Khan 68, Saleem Malik 67, Mudassar Nazar 51; Procter 4-83)
SAF 2nd Inns 242-8 (Nourse 77*, Goddard 47)

SOUTH AFRICA WON BY 2 WICKETS


Man of the Match: WJ Cronje