By BV Swagath
South Africa are nicely set up for a huge win in the 1st Test at Johannesburg after an embarrassing batting collapse from Pakistan in the morning session on Day 2. After packing the visitors for just 49, South Africa decided not to enforce the follow on and went onto pile up an overall lead of 411 runs by stumps. The Proteas in their second innings took the game away from Pakistan by miles with a total of 207 for 3 in 53 overs. Hashim Amla (50* from 91 balls with 4 fours) and AB de Villiers (63* from 84 balls with 6 fours) are in an unbroken stand that is worth 108 runs after striking their respective fifties. Skipper Graeme Smith provided the early impetus with a dominating 52 (from 73 balls with 9 fours).
Earlier, Pakistan were bundled out for a paltry 49 in their first innings with Dale Steyn wrecking them apart with a six-wicket haul. In the morning session itself, the Pakistanis lost as many as seven wickets in 23 overs. After Lunch, the Proteas took just about 20 minutes to wrap up the Pakistani innings. The visitors fell five runs short of the follow on target but the Proteas decided not to enforce it. Pakistan through a tame batting performance have conceded a huge first innings lead of 204 runs.
Most of the Pakistani batsmen fell to elementary outswingers, poking at them aimlessly and keeping the slip cordon and the keeper in business all the time. Steyn got three wickets at the start – Hafeez (edging an away swinger), debutant Nasir Jamshed (trapped lbw) and Younis Khan (edging a bouncing away swinger) to make it 12 for 3 in 6 overs. Jacques Kallis came in as the fourth seamer and showed that he could still bowl as good as any other fast bowler in the world. Kallis produced a nasty short ball to have Azhar Ali fending him off to the keeper, and then had Misbah nicking him behind.
Pakistan quickly slipped away to 37 for 5 before Vernon Philander got the wickets of Asad Shafiq (chasing a widish swinging delivery with a booming drive) and Umar Gul (edging his upper cut to the slip cordon). Steyn returned back to polish off the Pakistani innings, taking the last three wickets without wasting any time. Dale Steyn’s destructive figures read an incredible 8.1-6-8-6! Dale Steyn’s destructive figures read an incredible 8.1-6-8-6 and Pakistan collapsed in a heap – 49 all out in 29.1 overs. The innings lasted only 148 minutes while only two batsmen got into double figures.
