Pakistan Win First Ever Test Series Against SA

New Star
By SS
October 28 2003

Pakistan held firm on a fluctuating final day in Faisalabad to earn a deserved draw. Taufeeq and Inzamam looked to have given Pakistan a chance of victory, but quick wickets meant that Moin and Shoaib Malik had to bat the final few overs to preserve the one nil lead in the series.

An enthralling test match which ebbed and flowed finished in Faisalabad today. Going in to the last day Pakistan faced the tricky prospect of requiring 302 runs to win or batting for 90 plus overs in the day for a draw.

The task of reaching 302 runs on the last day against an experienced bowling line up as the South Africans have, was going to be an extremely difficult one, but not an altogether impossible one. The opening partnership which has been the new found strength of the Pakistani batting was going to be the key, but unfortunately Imran Farhat found himself on the end of a Taufel shocker with the score on only 18 runs.

One has to appreciate that this was a very inexperienced batting line up that the Pakistanis had, with a lot of pressure on skipper Inzamam ul Haq. Taufeeq is still relatively young at international level, Imran was making a comeback, Yasir is still new to test cricket, Asim Kamal only in his second test and Shoaib Malik only has a handful of tests under his belt. Although experience was available down the order with Abdul Razzaq, Moin and Mushtaq, it would have been a lot to ask numbers 7, 8 and 9 to score heavily and win this test.

Pakistan definitely had a good chance of winning this match when Taufeeq and Inzamam were going strong, but a rush of blood and Taufeeq was caught by Smith, trying to smash Peterson over long on. Asim Kamal played a risky little cameo of 38 and took a special liking to some of the rubbish that Paul Adams was once again bowling, but Adams gained revenge by getting Asim caught at the wicket from a faint edge.

All hopes were on the experienced duo of Abdul Razzaq and Inzamam ul Haq, the skipper who was batting with a great degree of concentration, responsibility and looked really focused out in the middle. Razzaq played a couple of sumptuous shots through the off side from Pollock, but when Inzamam and Razzaq departed from consecutive deliveries where no shot was played, so departed Pakistans realistic hopes of victory.

In a tense finale, not without a scare or two, Moin Khan and Shoaib Malik saw Pakistan to safety and earned their team a draw and the series. It must have been comforting for Pakistani fans to see such an experienced campaigner like Moin in the final few overs. Moin seemed oblivious to the pressure and batted with great authority.

So Pakistan win a test series against South Africa for the first time and they can be truly proud of their achievements in this series against an extremely talented and dangerous opponent. South Africa are currently ranked number 2 team in the world and their bowling attack was expected to cause Pakistan a lot of problems.

There were a lot of positives from this series for Pakistan, much more than their opponents, with Taufeeq Umer and Imran Farhat establishing themselves at the top of the order. Asim Kamal an unknown before this series showing sound temperament and a patient attitude to his batting. Shoaib Malik also showed that he is a competent middle order batsman and can chip in with wickets when the team needs them. He can also be a key defensive bowler when the situation requires it. Abdul Razzaq showed glimpses of his form in the second test without looking in prime form.

The Pakistani bowlers were in superb form with Shoaib Akhtar leading from the front. Shoaib bowled with venom, control, variety and thought and led the attack brilliantly. The South Africans at times seemed to lack the mental toughness to combat Shoaib and they had to resort to underhand tactics to eliminate Shoaib from playing in the second test. Mohamed Sami has also proved that he is an excellent foil for Shoaib. Sami is far from the finished article but with immense pace, control and the ability to move the ball both ways, he has the basic ingredients to be a huge success. Danish Kaneria was a real star for the home team. He bamboozled the South African batsman and he could bowl at them all day and they still would not be able to pick his wrong one.

The plus points for South Africa were the form of Gary Kirsten who is going to leave a massive hole when he finally retires. Gibbs showed that he is a world class player and a key man in the South African team along with Shaun Pollock who still has the ability to pick up wickets and raise his game at crucial times.

South Africas middle order must be a major worry for them, with Kallis, Dippenaar and McKenzie guilty of getting starts but not going on to make the big scores. Kallis was a major disappointment in this test series and one wonders if you take the ability to swear out of his game, he is not quite the same player. The spin department for South Africa is obviously a problem with neither Adams nor Petersen having the ability to turn the ball too much.

South Africa did not do themselves any favours with their childish antics both on and off the field and will be remembered by a lot of Pakistanis as one of the most unpopular teams to ever tour Pakistan.

Overall a satisfying result in this series and a satisfying performance for the Pakistan team, with a lot of plus points to build upon.