PAK vs SA 2nd Test: Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique anchor Pakistan to 259/5 on Day 1 in Rawalpindi

Pakistan capitalized on dropped catches by South Africa to reach 259-5 on day one of the second Test. Skipper Shan Masood top-scored with 87, while Abdullah Shafique made 57, both benefiting from dropped chances. South Africa's bowlers, particularly Keshav Maharaj, struggled to contain Pakistan, despite taking wickets.

Shan Masood (AFP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Pakistan took advantage of poor catching by South Africa to post 259-5 on the opening day of the second and final Test in Rawalpindi on Monday. Had the tourists held onto the five chances they dropped on a turning pitch, they would have been in a stronger position after Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat. Skipper Shan Masood, dropped on 71 off a luckless Keshav Maharaj, top-scored with 87, while Abdullah Shafique, who was dropped four times, made 57. Saud Shakeel and Salman Agha will resume on Tuesday unbeaten on 42 and 10 respectively, with Pakistan seeking a 2-0 series win over the world Test champions.

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South African pacer Kagiso Rabada provided some respite for his team by trapping Mohammad Rizwan for 19 with the fifth delivery after the second new ball. Maharaj, who missed the first Test in Lahore due to injury, finished with figures of 2-63, while fellow spinner Simon Harmer took 2-75. Despite the bulk of the bowling coming from Maharaj and Harmer, spinner Senuran Muthusamy, who took 11 wickets in the first Test, was surprisingly used for just four overs. The final session saw Masood fall to an uppish sweep off Maharaj, caught by Marco Jansen, after an innings that included two fours and three sixes. Earlier, Shafique’s chancy innings ended when he edged Harmer to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, after adding an invaluable 111-run partnership with Masood for the second wicket. Struggling batter Babar Azam, cheered on by a supportive home crowd, was dismissed for just 16 when Tony de Zorzi took a low catch at silly point for Maharaj’s first wicket. Azam has now gone 29 Test innings without a century. Maharaj had also dropped Shafique on 15, and Aiden Markram let him off on 41 and 53. Shafique even survived on nine when a Jansen delivery rolled onto the stumps but failed to dislodge the bails. Shafique admitted he had been fortunate. "You need luck in cricket and I was lucky today," he said. "Catches get dropped in cricket and today we benefitted from them and now we need to post a 350-plus total from here." In the morning session, South Africa’s only breakthrough came from Harmer, who bowled Imam-ul-Haq for 17 with a sharp turner that beat the bat and hit off-stump. Rabada was also unlucky when Tristan Stubbs dropped Shafique in the slips off the fourth ball of the match when he was on nought. "It was an even day because we controlled their run rate," said Maharaj. "We know how important are catches but no-one means to drop catches although it was frustrating." Having won the first Test in Lahore by 93 runs, Pakistan included a third spinner, Asif Afridi, dropping fast bowler Hasan Ali. At 38 years and 299 days, Asif became the second oldest Pakistani Test debutant, behind Miran Bakhsh, who debuted at 47 years and 284 days against India in 1955.

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