Pakistan 150 for 5 (Babar 42, Harmer 2-46, Muthusamy 2-46) and 378 lead South Africa 269 (de Zorzi 104, Noman 6-112, Sajid 3-98) by 259 Runs
Pakistan extended their lead to 259, which could already be match-winning on a surface that continues to present difficulties for batters. They added 114 runs to their lunch score of 36 for 2, thanks largely to a 55-run stand between Babar azam and Saud Shakeel and further built on by Mohammad Rizwan. Babar, who turns 31 tomorrow, was denied an early birthday present in the form of his 38th Test fifty in front of an adoring home crowd, who have had plenty to cheer.
South Africa’s attack stuck to their task well but lacked the control to keep Pakistan from getting away from them. The hosts scored at a run rate just shy of four to the over in the second innings, and recovered after losing two batters inside the first ten overs.
Imam-ul-Haq was the first to fall when he failed to build on from his first innings 93. He shimmied down the pitch to drive Simon Harmer through the offside but the ball turned away from him, he missed and was stumped.
Kagiso Rabada caused significant problems in a superb spell of back of a length bowling that he pushed into a sixth over. He found Shafique’s edge three times but the ball went for four on each occasion and also beat Shan Masood with an absolute peach that just missed offstump. The pressure Rabada created brought rewards at the other end. Harmer got a second when Masood was stuck on the back foot trying to cut a delivery that angled in and hit on the pad. He was given out on-field and reviewed and ball-tracking showed it would have clipped legstump.
Babar survived a review off Rabada when he hit high on the back leg and Aiden Markram was convinced to send it upstairs. The ball would have bounced over the stumps.
South Africa started the afternoon session with double spin and it almost worked. Babar top-edged a sweep off Harmer but it went over leg slip and Shafique hit Senuran Muthusamy high over mid-off but Wiaan Mulder couldn’t take the catch over his left shoulder. Babar showed extreme patience and scored just nine runs off the first 26 balls he faced and was well in when Shafique handed Muthusamy a thigh-high caught and bowled. In Muthusamy’s next over, Babar came down the pitch to hit him through mid-on and assert his authority.
Shakeel, on a pair, survived a South African review for lbw off Muthusamy as UltraEdge picked up an under-edge but had to wait seven balls before he scored. He swept Muthusamy behind square for his first runs of the match. It was only when he swept Prenelan Subrayen for back to back fours at the stroke of drinks that South Africa brought back Rabdada to see if he could get a breakthrough.
He tested Babar with back of a length balls but Muthusamy offered relief. Babar hit him over his head, past mid-wicket and through third for a trio of boundaries. Just as Babar had the Lahore crowd going, Rabada got one to nip back into him and hit his back pad. He was given out lbw and reviewed, unsuccessfully. Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan almost closed out the session with acceleration and intent. Just before tea, Shakeel edged Harmer between the wicketkeeper and slip and in the next over, he tried to clear mid-wicket but hit the ball to Stubbs at deep square leg to leave Pakistan five down.
In the morning session, Tony de Zorzi reached his second Test hundred – and second in the subcontinent – but couldn’t stop Noman Ali from claiming a fourth, successive five-for or South Africa from losing 4 for 54.
Muthusamy was the first to fall when he edged Sajid Khan to slip where Salman Ali Agha took a sharp catch. His dismissal rushed de Zorzi, who was 81 overnight, to try to get to his century. He moved to 87 when he swung across the line and hit Sajid for four and moved to 96 when he launched Noman over long-off for six. Later in that over, he reverse-swept Noman for a single to bring up a hard fought hundred and underline his credentials for playing in tough conditions.
With the second new ball looming, de Zorzi sought to be as aggressive as possible but it was his undoing. He advanced on Noman and swung hard but only got the ball as far as Shaheen Shah Afridi on the long-on boundary to give Noman five. South Africa made it to the second new ball, Pakistan took it and gave it to their spinners, and it took Noman eight balls to strike. Subrayen tried to defend but got an edge and Agha was in action again to take another good catch at slip. Noman finished with 6 for 112.
Sajid ended the innings when he bowled Rabada at the end of the 84th over, with a ball that turned past the outside edge and found the top of offstump.