The opening day of the first test Pakistan vs South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, the hosts ended the day in a strong position at 313/5 . It was a day dominated by Pakistan disciplined batting display. Led by imam ul haq 93, Mohammad Rizwan 62* and salman Ali Agha 52 unbeaten , while South Africa bowlers toiled hard under the warm Lahore sun.
Pakistan winning the toss opted to bat first, however,the start was shaky when Abdullah Shafique was dismissed for just 2 runs, in the very first over. The early breakthrough gave South Africa a brief lift,but from there,pakistan top took control of the morning session with a solid and composed response.
Shan Masood and Imam ul Haq led the rebuilding process with a partnership that defined the tone of the day . The duo added a brilliant 161 runs for second wicket showcasing textbook test match batting, Imam was confident, mixing caution with aggression well crafted 93 ,while Masood provided stability at the other end, contributed a vital 76 .
The partnership finally ended when muthusamy trapped Masood lbw , moment later, the proteas fought back with quick wickets Babar Azam fell on 27 , while saud Shakeel departed without scoring . From 163/2 , pakistan suddenly found themselves reeling at 199/5 .
However, Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha displayed remarkable composure. In the final session and completely shifted the momentum back in pakistan favour. Their unbeaten 114 run partnership for the sixth wicket steadied the Innings and ensured the hosts finished the day in commanding position.
At the end of the day Pakistan 313/5 , Rizwan remained unbeaten 62 off 134 balls, while Agha complemented him perfectly with a fluent 52 not out.
South Africa bowling, Senuran muthusamy was the pick of the bowlers 2/101 while Rabada, Harmer and Subrayen took 1 wicket each.
Heading in to Day 2 , Pakistan focus will be on pushing the total beyond 500 and putting south africa under scoreboard pressure. While South Africa will look strike early morning session and wrapped up under 400 to stay competitive in the contest.
Match summary
Toss : Pakistan won the toss and Opted to bat first
Pakistan 1st innings: 313/5
Top scorer: Imam ul haq 93 off 153 balls
Top bowler: Senuran muthusamy 2/101