Pakistan took advantage of a brilliant 93 from Imam-ul-Haq to reach 313-5 after a brief comeback from South Africa on the opening day of the first Test in Lahore on Sunday.
Shan Masood scored 76 but Haq missed his hundred as Pakistan fell to 199-5 as four wickets fell quickly.
Mohammad Rizwan, 62 not out, and Salman Agha, unbeaten 52 at the end, rebuilt the innings during an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 114 in the final session on a Gaddafi Stadium playing field.
Rizwan scored two fours and two sixes in his 12th Test half-century, while Agha scored two fours and a six to reach his 10th fifty.
Pakistan dominated most of the first two sessions but then had a mini collapse from 163-1 to 199-5 as they lost four wickets for 36 runs, the last three without adding a run either side of the tea interval.
Spinner Prenelan Subrayen trapped Masood lbw for 76, including nine fours and a six, to end a 161-run stand with Haq.
Left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy then had Haq caught at short leg by Tony de Zorzi, after a 236-minute knock that included seven fours and a six.
The next ball, the last one before tea, Muthusamy had Saud Shakeel caught and bowled to bring South Africa back into the game at 199-4.
Local hero Babar Azam fell for 23, caught in the previous leg by Simon Harmer after the interval to make the score 199-5 and leave a good 10,000 festive spectators disappointed.
South Africa could have been in a better position had they not dropped Masood on 61 and Haq on 72, with Subrayen being the unlucky bowler on both occasions.
With the pitch likely to turn, Masood opted to bat after winning the toss and named spin duo Noman Ali and Sajid Khan in the team as Pakistan lost the opening leg of Abdullah Shafique before pacing spinner Kagiso Rabada with the third ball of the day.
South African captain Aiden Markram turned to his spinners in the sixth over and by lunch had used all three – Subrayen, Harmer and Muthusamy.
But there was no more drama in the opening session as Pakistan reached 107-1 at lunch after Haq reached his 10th Test fifty.
The two-match series is part of the new two-year cycle of the World Test Championship. South Africa won the title by beating Australia in June.
The two-match series is part of the new two-year cycle of the World Test Championship. South Africa won the title by beating Australia in June.
The Shan Masood-led hosts, who finished an embarrassing last place in the nine-team WTC 2023-25 table, must significantly improve their game in all departments if they are to hold out against the Aiden Markram-captained tourists who claimed their maiden WTC crown by beating Australia in the final at Lord’s last year.
The Gaddafi Stadium did not host a Test in the previous WTC cycle after the venue was used for the third and final Test between Pakistan and Australia in March 2022. South Africa, on their last tour to Pakistan in 2021, lost a two-Test series 2-0.
While both captains were hoping for a spin-friendly track at the Gaddafi Stadium, there were doubts over the inclusion of Pakistan’s key player Sajid, who was suffering from a viral infection but practiced with the team yesterday.
Before the game, Shan said taking 20 wickets, rather than racking up big scores, will be key to winning the Test series. “We don’t want flat courts where games end in a tie,” he commented.
In his press conference, Markram acknowledged Pakistan’s plan to prepare spin pitches at home and said his players were up for the challenge. “As a team that is not very exposed to these conditions, it will be exciting and a great opportunity for us to do things well here.”
Equipment:
Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan
South Africa: Aiden Markram (captain), Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Kyle Verreynne
Referees: Chris Brown (New Zealand) and Rod Tucker (AUS)
television referee: Sharfuddoula Saikat (BAN)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
