Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini kept South Africa in the hunt on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan on Friday.
Pakistan were 135 for six in reply to South Africa’s first innings of 124 at stumps in Port Elizabeth. A bristling bowling display by Ntini saw him take four for 18 from 10 overs.
South Africa’s total was their lowest against Pakistan, breaking the record of 214 set in Faisalabad in the 1997/98 season.
Pakistan’s fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who last played a Test against India in Karachi in February, took four wickets for 36.
Shoaib was banned from cricket for two years in November after testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone. He was later cleared of doping offences and the ban was lifted.
Shoaib first struck in the fifth over, when AB de Villiers played a ragged shot to wide delivery and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal for two. Four overs later, Hashim Amla, who scored five, attempted to leave a leg-side delivery from Shoaib and gloved a catch to Akmal.
Graeme Smith stood firm for 44 balls for his innings of 28, which ended when he edged a googly from leg-spinner Danish Kaneria on to Akmal’s gloves. The ball ricocheted into the hands of Younis Khan at slip.
Ashwell Prince cut wildly at a delivery from fast bowler Mohammad Sami and was dropped by Akmal.
Four balls later in the same over, Prince, who scored two, repeated the stroke and this time Imran Farhat took the catch. Kaneria had Jacques Kallis and Herschelle Gibbs dropped by Akmal with consecutive deliveries, but with his next ball Kaneria trapped Gibbs in front for two.
Low catch
Kallis and Mark Boucher took South Africa to lunch on 64 for five, and they were 83 for six in the fifth over of the second session when Kallis edged a ball from Shoaib to Akmal to be dismissed for 24.
Shaun Pollock scored four before sending a low catch to Sami at square leg as Shoaib earned his fourth wicket. Kaneria had Boucher caught by Khan at slip for South Africa’s top score of 35, and Asif ended the innings by dismissing Andre Nel and Paul Harris. Kaneria took three for 36 from 14 overs.
Pakistan lost their first wicket without a run on the board when Farhat edged the eighth ball of the innings, delivered by Ntini, to De Villiers at third slip. That was after Mohammad Hafeez edged the third ball of Nel’s first over to the gully, where Gibbs dropped the catch.
Tea was taken immediately after Mohammad Hafeez tried to pull another Ntini delivery and sent a gentle catch to Amla at short leg to be dismissed for 13. Three balls after tea Ntini had Yasir Hameed caught at third slip by De Villiers for two.
Khan and Akmal steadied the innings with a stand of 60 for the fourth wicket, but both were dismissed near the close to hand the advantage back to South Africa.
Ntini had Khan caught by Gibbs in the gully for 45, and Akmal hooked what became the last ball of the day’s play down the throat of Prince at deep square leg to be dismissed for 33 and to earn a wicket for Nel.
Nightwatchman Mohammad Sami was alone at the crease on nought. – Reuters