Pakistan made a solid start to the second Test of the two-match series against South Africa, reaching 95-1 at lunch on Day 1 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq provided a composed start, carefully negotiating the new-ball threat to take the score to 32 without loss in the opening 10 overs.
Simon Harmer drew the first blood, removing Imam (16) with a stunning delivery to leave the hosts 35-1.
Captain Shan Masood then joined Shafique at the crease, and the duo started accelerating the scoring rate, with Shan taking an aggressive approach. Shan did not hesitate to step out against South African spinners, hitting three sixes in his unbeaten 38.
Shafique, meanwhile, adopted a more cautious approach, surviving a close call against Keshav Maharaj after successfully overturning an on-field decision through a review.
Shan (38) and Shafique (37) will resume Pakistan’s innings in the second session.
The hosts are leading the series against the defending champions 1-0 after securing a 93-run victory in the Lahore Test, led by Noman Ali, who picked up a 10-wicket haul in the match.
Pakistan made one change as 38-year-old Asif Afridi replaced pacer Hasan Ali to make his debut for Pakistan, while South Africa brought Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj in their playing XI.
Following the red-ball series, the two teams will also feature in One Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) series.
The three-match T20I series will kick off on October 28 and culminate on November 1. The opening game will be staged in Rawalpindi, while the remaining two will be played at Gaddafi Stadium.
The tour will wrap up with a three-match ODI series, scheduled from November 4 to 8, with all games to be held at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.
Playing XIs:
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, and Asif Afridi.
South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne, Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj, and Kagiso Rabada.
