Determined batting by Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal steered Pakistan to victory in the second Test against South Africa on Monday.
PORT ELIZABETH: Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal took Pakistan to a series-levelling win on the fourth day of the second Test against South Africa at St George’s Park on Monday. The pair shared an unbeaten stand of 99 as Pakistan won by five wickets with more than a day to spare.
Younis (67 not out) and Akmal (57 not out) rescued Pakistan from a precarious 92 for five. Younis played a solid innings apart from a difficult caught-and-bowled chance low down to Shaun Pollock when he had five, while Akmal batted aggressively as South Africa’s hopes of a fourth successive Test win receded.
Akmal’s first three boundaries, all off Pollock, were edges through the slip cordons. Two went between second slip and gully. When South African captain Graeme Smith moved the gully fielder to third slip, Akmal edged the ball where gully had been. But Akmal then played some stirring strokes as he hurried to his half-century off 61 balls with five more fours.
What had been a tense contest ended shortly before tea as Younis and Akmal took their team to victory with a flurry of strokes. The victory was set up on the first day when South Africa were bowled out for 124.
Scoreboard
South Africa, 1st innings: 124
Pakistan, 1st innings: 265
South Africa, 2nd innings: 331
Pakistan, 2nd innings (Overnight 8 0)
Imran Farhat c Kallis b Ntini 7
Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Pollock 32
Yasir Hameed run out 6
Younis Khan not out 69
Mohammad Yousuf c Gibbs b Pollock 18
Inzamam ul Haq lbw b Ntini 1
Kamran Akmal not out 57
Extras (1lb, 1w, 1nb): 3
Total (for 5 wickets): 193
Overs: 57.3.
Fall of wickets: 1 29, 2 35, 3 48, 4 87, 5 92.
Bowling: Andre Nel 14 2 63 0, Makhaya Ntini 19 6 50 2, Shaun Pollock 13 4 47 2, Jacques Kallis 6 0 17 0, Paul Harris 5.3 0 13 0.
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