Duanne Olivier completed match figures of 11-96 as Pakistan were skittled for 190, leaving the Proteas with 149 runs to win in the Centurion Boxing Day Test, writes KHALID MOHIDIN.
Pakistan dominated the first two sessions of day two at SuperSport Park. Their bowlers backed up their performance in the last session of day one and scrambled the Proteas for 223 runs, with Temba Bavuma’s 53 and Quinton de Kock’s 45 digging the Proteas out of trouble to hand the hosts a 42-run lead.
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Pakistan’s second innings was led by a grinding half-century from Imam-ul-Haq, who helped take the visitors into tea with a 58-run lead.
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The tea break seemed to have given the Proteas the necessary boost to shift the momentum in their favour.
Olivier, who took the only wicket before tea by removing Fakhar Zaman for 12, struck twice after the break by forcing Imam (57) to chop a short delivery on to his stumps, followed by the dismissal of Azhar Ali for a duck.
Shan Masood managed to kick on for his side and scored his fourth half-century before Asad Shafiq nicked Dale Steyn’s delivery one ball after he had successfully overturned an lbw call to become Steyn’s 423rd wicket.
Rabada piled on the pressure and took two wickets. He bowled Babar Azam with an exquisite in-swinger in the 45th over, followed by the wicket of Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, who edged Rabada to Du Plessis at slip for a duck in the 47th over. He was then hit for consecutive boundaries in the 49th over by Mohammad Amir, but Rabada responded the following delivery by coming around the wicket and knocking over his off and middle stump to reduce Pakistan to 158-7.
Olivier made it 159-8 with his 10th wicket of the match and fourth in the innings by removing Yasir Shah for a duck.
Steyn took his 424th wicket by dismissing Pakistan’s star man Shan for 65 as Pakistan lost their ninth for 185 runs.
Olivier wrapped up the match with a second five-for and third-best match figures at Centurion with 11-96.
The Proteas now have three days to score 149 to seal the first Test.
Pakistan 181 & 190 (Imam-ul-Haq 0 & 57, Shan Masood 19 & 65; Duanne Olivier 6-37 & 4-59)
Proteas 223 (Temba Bavuma 53, Quinton de Kock 45; Shaheen Afridi 4-64, Mohammad Amir 4-62)
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
