A supremely well-measured 153-run partnership between captain Misbah ul-Haq (80, 93b, 7×4, 2×6) and Imran Farhat (93, 144b, 8×4, 1×6) took Pakistan towards an all-important victory as they equalized the series 2-2 in Durban. With only a decider at Willowmoore Park in Benoni remaining on Sunday Pakistan have a sniff at a trophy after a tough two-and-a-half month long tour.

South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first on a particularly sunny day. The pre-match banter had been that the Proteas were dissatisfied with a pitch that looked to offer nothing for quick bowlers but there would have been no such talk when the home side lost Hashim Amla and Colin Ingram with the first two balls of the match, from giant Mohammad Irfan. Graeme Smith (12) and Farhaan Berhardien (1) didn’t last much longer and South Africa had to dig deep to rebuild from 38 for 4.

A captain’s knock from the other skipper, AB de Villiers (75, 108b, 5×4) guided the innings to respectability as he and David Miller (67, 77b, 4×4) put on 115 runs and recovered the side to 153 for 4 in 33 overs. A par score of 250 or more was on the cards then but just as the side lost their first four wickets in a flurry, the last four came just as quickly and the hosts only put up a meager total of 234 in 50 overs.

The chase wasn’t plain sailing for Pakistan as they endured a very controversial “obstructing the field” decision by third umpire Billy Bowden to lose Mohammad Hafeez for a duck and then Kamran Akmal (11) and Younus Khan (6) were out soon after to reduce the side to 33/3. Suddenly 235 seemed less than likely to be achieved but a heroic partnership between ul-Haq and Farhat took them within 40 runs of the target and after a two-ball cameo by Afridi (4), Shoaib Malik was able to keep Farhat in good company as the opener narrowly missed out on his hundred as he was caught trying to hit Steyn over the ring.

Pakistan survived a late scare when they lost their seventh wicket in the 49^th over with 8 runs still to get but Malik and Saeed Ajmal saw them home in a thrilling finish. It may have been a very long and hard tour for Pakistan but they certainly won’t suffer from the one-foot-on-the-plane syndrome when they contest the decider on Sunday.

Colin Ingram (105*, 104b, 10×4) starred as South Africa claimed a thumping 126-run win over Pakistan in Bloemfontein in the first of a five-match ODI series. Ingram took the hosts to a massive 315/4 (50 overs) after they were put in to bat by the opposition captain Misbah ul-Haq.  In reply Pakistan were bowled out for 190 after many of their batsmen got starts but failed to build big partnerships.

Rory Kleinveldt (4/22) and Ryan McLaren (3/19) shone with the ball by taking wickets at regular intervals on a benign surface. Perhaps they were made to good by a batting line-up that was demoralized by four arduous hours in the field but it will give cheer to the selectors that the SA attack did the job in the absence of strike bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel.

Ingram spent his university years in the city of roses and he sure looked comfortable in the middle of its cricket ground. His first of three ODI centuries came against Zimbabwe on the same deck in 2010 and his only other ton was also against Pakistan, two weeks later, on a similarly flat pitch in Abu Dhabi. But he has not been a regular feature of the ODI side since that promising start to his international career and has been given only 19 games in three and a half years – today’s knock boosted his average to 44 and is sure to buy him plenty more opportunities.

Ingram was fortunate not to have been given out LBW to Afridi shortly after he notched up his half-century as third umpire Billy Bowden just couldn’t quite find enough evidence to overturn what was a very good appeal but might have just touched the glove. A 120-run partnership with AB de Villiers (65, 63b, 4×4) for the third wicket had just come to an end and a double-strike at that moment would likely have seen South Africa post a more moderate target. Ingram batted on with du Plessis and then a cameo deluxe by Farhaan Berhardien (34, 14b, 3×4, 2×6) propelled the Proteas past 300 to further punish Pakistan’s poor bowling figures.

At 42 without loss in the seventh over of the reply one began to wonder if even 315 was safe on such a good deck but Kleinveldt got the breakthrough of Jamshed and then the same bowler managed one of those awfully lucky dismissals where the batsman hits the ball jolly hard and straight and it ricochets off the bowler and onto the stumps, thereby running out the hapless non-striker (Hafeez). The run-rate then climbed and wickets kept the contest from becoming even remotely exciting.

This weekend offers Pakistan two chances to get back into the series as we see games in Centurion on Friday and the Wanderers on Sunday.

Quotes from presentation
“I have enjoyed it here,” says Colin Ingram, the Man of the Match. “Just glad to be contributing again. Always great to be back in Bloem. Just enjoyed batting with some of the other guys, who helped me along the way. AB looked like he had his game together, I fed off that, and we ran well. Magic knock from Farhaan. The boys are saying this is the best I have played for OSuth Africa. There are one or two knows where I had to grind it out, but I thoroughly enjoyed it today.”

“Very proud of the boys,” says AB de Villiers. “Really excites me to see the boys perform like that. The Pakistan bowlers bowled really well up front. That opening partnership freed the middle order up. Colin played a great game, congrats to that. We haven’t played great ODI cricket of late. It has been worrying and frustrating. I know this is just one game, but it is a step in the right direction. I know the public in South Africa wants consistency, and we will work on that. I am proud the way bowlers came out and worked in partnerships, picking up wickets at regular intervals. Rory is a very mature performer. he knows his game inside-out. The whole bowling unit was outstanding. It was great to see Ryan perform so well in front of a home crowd. A big hand for the crowd for turning up in high numbers. I know it means a lot to Ryan.”

“The way the ball was moving,” says Misbah-ul-Haq, “270-280 would have been a par score. The way it was seaming in the start with the little bit of moisture, we should have exploited the conditions better. They kept the wickets for the first 10-15 overs, which was the key. We were looking at 270-280; it could have been a good game then. We need to work a little bit on death bowling and fielding. Too many easy balls and fielding lapses today. We can improve. We can cut down 30-40 runs easily. Then we really have a chance.”

Until today this had been a torrid tour for the Pakistan cricket team but in bouncing back from a 3-0 Test whitewash and a rained out T20 in Durban, the visitors thrashed an inexperienced South Africa by 95 runs in the final T20 International in Centurion. The thumping win came as such a relief for Pakistan that they celebrated as if they had won the World Cup. The win has woken up a side that will hope to take the momentum forward into the five-match ODI series that begins on Sunday in Bloemfontein.

T20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez (86, 51b, 9×4, 4×6) propelled his side to a massive 195/7 (20 overs) and then Umar Gul destroyed the South African batting line-up as he took Pakistan’s best ever figures of 5/6 as only AB de Villiers threatened to give South Africa a chance of an unlikely chase. South Africa were reduced to 53/5 and then 100 all out.

The South African selectors have found themselves in the difficult position of trying to rest senior players and give opportunities to the next generation of stars. Younger players need experience and older players need rest but when AB de Villiers, at 29 years old, is the only senior player in a starting XI then it is obvious that the side comprises the wrong blend of youth and experience. South Africa prioritise Test matches well above all other forms of the game but for a side that doesn’t play a Test for another seven months it seems strange to risk losing matches by not playing your best team available.

South Africa now drop below Pakistan – who go up to third place – to sixth in the ICC T20 rankings and after an inexperienced ODI squad lost its last series to New Zealand. A loss in the upcoming ODI series could see the hosts drop from fourth to as low as sixth place in the ODI rankings as well. Only six months ago South Africa boasted that they were top of the rankings in all formats but that feat seems unrepeatable in the medium term. The SA selectors will argue that being top of the pops in the Test arena is more important but the South African public might be unlikely to agree. South Africa have not claimed any ICC silverware since they won the Champions Trophy 15 years ago and that tournament is just four short months away.

The general public also might criticise Gary Kirsten’s decision to not coach the T20 side. His replacement in the format, Russel Domingo, is unlikely ever to have the time to work with his side and it is unrealistic to expect results from him. Coach Kirsten was not even at the ground today, instead choosing to spend more time with his family.

When Pakistan are on a roll, as they were today, their team spirit rivals that of a succesful West Indies side. The infectious spirit of the side is impossible not to admire. After a ghastly Test series where they threw it all away the only time they had a chance to win a game, in Cape Town, this side will have the bit between the teeth and be very hungry to go home with some more wins under the belt. I make them strong favourites to beat this inexperienced and disorganized Proteas ODI team.

Post-match Presentation:

Faf du Plessis: ”Nothing went to plan. Mainly because of two things – Hafeez played a brilliant innings and our bowling didn’t work to a plan. But our bowling did well in the last five overs to keep Pakistan to what we thought was a manageable total. But a five-for and an 80-odd completely changes the game. Pakistan are a dangerous team.”

Man of the Match is Mohammad Hafeez: “The credit goes to the coaches, they really worked hard with me. I knew I was only one knock away. The mindset was clear and it was to play positive cricket. Everything I did, it worked for me today. The team was eager to perform as we didn’t have a good time in Tests. Umar showed the way with brilliant bowling as he is the senior bowler. We were very happy with the crowd support. We showed character, we wanted to do well and it is a special occasion for everyone in the team. The win will help us going into the ODIs”

Day Four

Were South Africa brilliant or did Pakistan balls it up? While the hosts showed signs of brilliance at Newlands one would have to say that they were let off the hook by some very mediocre passages in play by Pakistan. Even after allowing Robin Petersen at number 8 to somehow score 84 runs the visitors had a 12-run lead and at 114 for three were well on their way to posting a very difficult fourth-innings target. When the next six wickets – some of them very silly ones – fell for 22 runs, they had blown it.

South Africa were set a below-par 182 for victory and chased up the runs in 43 overs with four wickets in hand. Hashim Amla (58, 96b, 7×4) top-scored for the Proteas as Saeed Ajmal (4/51) almost threatened to spoil the party.

The victory sealed South Africa’s sixth consecutive Test series win on the trot and extended their unbeaten run to 14 consecutive matches. South Africa stand head-and-shoulders above the pack at the top of the ICC rankings but their vulnerability to Pakistan’s dangerous spinner, Saeed Ajmal, proved they can be beaten – indeed they jolly nearly were.

Smith conceded that his batting order remained flummoxed by the world’s best off-spinner, who took ten wickets in the match. “It can be guesswork at times. He bowls a quick pace and delayed action makes it difficult to use your feet. The toughest part is to pick which way the ball is going. And he is very consistent and a lands a lot of balls in the right areas.”

The opposition captain Mibah ul-Haq agreed, “He is a world-class bowler and he proved that today against a top quality side by taking ten wickets against South Africa in South Africa. They know he can cause problems for them.”

While South Africa may have been tested for the first time this summer, the Test still ended with a full day to spare. Pakistan are unlikely to be given as realistic an opportunity of a win at the Centurion Test that begins this weekend on the Highveld, where they have traditionally struggled with pace and bounce. Having said that South Africa’s record in dead rubbers is average at best and one wouldn’t be surprised by a consolation victory on a wicket that isn’t as fast as it used to be and offers turn and bounce for spinners later in the match.

“We lost the Test series but we know we are playing against the No.1 team in the world in their own conditions and we will try to put a better showing there,” Misbah said. “We want to stick to the basics and spend time at the crease. There was a little bit of panic today at the time when Peterson was bowling. We can’t do that. Experience makes a big difference in this kind of game. You need to have experience to develop.”

As Cricinfo’s Firdose Moonda points out, the West Indies went 29 series without defeat in their heyday, while Australia managed 16. South Africa are on 12 not out. I guess you could say they are within striking distance of greatness.

Post-match Presentation:

Misbah: “Improved performance especially the batting. It was Peterson who took the advantage from us. If we had set 250 target that would have been tricky on this wicket. Credit to the South African bowlers today, we could not score fully. The pressure created leads to wickets. Ajmal always puts us in commanding situations.

Smith: “It was a tough Test. The conditions reminded me of the subcontinent. Ajmal’s not the No.1 bowler for no reason. It’s a quality bunch of guys. We were hoping to strike with the second new ball but Vernon struck for us. We turned it around in our first innings. Robbie’s 84 really contributed well for us.”

The Man of the Match is Robin Peterson: “I’m pleased we got over the line. All week the coaching staff had been hammering it to me to play with more positive intent. Everyone did their part, even though we missed Morne. I’ve said it before that Ajmal is a genius. To take those wickets and not get the Man of the Match must be disappointing for him.”

Day Three

“Decent old Test match this one. The sort they call proper cricket.” That’s how our Spin colleague Lizzy Amon summed up this Test on Twitter as the sun started to fade behind Table Mountain on day three at Newlands. South Africa may have won the first two sessions as they recovered from an overnight 136/5 to get to 326 all out, just twelve runs shy of Pakistan’s first innings total. Pakistan then stumbled to 7/2 and then 45/3 as it appeared most likely that would once again find themselves on the receiving end of a hiding.  But captain Misbah ul-Haq (36, 81b, 2×4, 3×6) and Azhar Ali (45, 134b, 6×4) added an unbeaten 55 for the third wicket to see this Test mach set the stage for a very exciting final two days.

Pakistan lead by 112 runs and have seven wickets in hand in a very evenly poised game as they go about setting a fourth innings target on a pitch that is playing well but will no doubt offer assistance to their key weapon of Saeed Ajmal who took six wickets in the first innings.

Robin Petersen (84, 106b, 15X4) was South Africa’s unlikely hero with the bat as he made his highest Test score. Six of his last eight innings in all forms of cricket have ended without him scoring a run. Petersen played within himself as his initial job was to keep company with AB de Villiers (61, 113b, 7×4) but when the SA ‘keeper was out to the giant Mohammad Irfan, Petersen took I upon himself to ensure that his side would not concede a significant deficit. It was most entertaining when the 7 ft 1 Irfan celebrated his wicket and put his hands up for the rest of his team to “high ten” but the smaller guys in the side had to jump up to reach them There is a wonderful spirit in this Pakistan team – it is very hard for the neutral not to want them to do well.

After the Pakistani openers were dismissed for ducks and Younus Khan managed only 14, Ali and Misbah put Pakistan back in the game and the likely result of this match is now very delicately balanced. If Pakistan can bat past tea it is very hard for South Africa to win but if they are out soon after lunch then you would expect the hosts to chase what they are set. South Africa will be happy to draw the match and maintain their 1-0 lead whereas a draw is no good for Pakistan in this three-match series.

Tomorrow promises to be another absolutely splendid day at the finest cricket ground there is.

Post-mach press conference

Robin Petersen

“I enjoy batting at Newlands and last night I had a good chat to a few people about how to play Saeed Ajmal and my tactics sounded a bit risky to most of the guys.

It’s proper Test cricket now.

I tried to get used to the pace of the wicket and once you spend some time out there it feels quite easy.

Ajmal is a genius when it comes to spin bowling – he bowls up to four completely different deliveries in one over.

Morne is a huge loss because of his bounce on this type of surface but it’s a challenge that we have to deal with and someone will step up to the plate.

I think it’s very evenly poised at the moment. You don’t want to be chasing over 300 here but I’d like to think that we can get 250 or so.”

“Pakistan bowling coach: Mohammed Akram

“Test cricket was at its best today. We knew South Africa are a top side and would bounce back. We expect that from the number one side.

When the first Test finished all we discussed was deleting the game from our system and being positive about playing gracefully and successfully.

It was disappointing not to get a good lead but it’s very important that we are in a fairly good position.

When I talk to Irfan the only words that come out of his mouth are: ‘I love bowling’.”

Day Two

We have yearned for some attritional Test cricket in South Africa and now we finally have it as South Africa find themselves in all kinds of trouble at 139/5, 199 runs behind Pakistan’s first innings tally of 338. It couldn’t have been a more interesting day of cricket as South Africa find themselves in a tight spot for the first time since they fought back hard in Adelaide some months ago.

Pakistan resumed the day on 253/5 and in their typically unpredictable fashion they collapsed to 268/8 before a 64-run partnership between Tanvir Ahmed (44, 59b, 4×4) and Saeed Ajmal (21*, 65b, 3×4) took them to a respectable score. 33/4 then 252/4 then 268/8 then 338 all out – all in four sessions work for the mercurial side. When Philander took a wicket in each of his first three overs of the day to claim yet another five-fer at Newlands it seemed that the visitor’s 219 runs for the fifth wicket was some kind of inexplicably freak event and that they would still be skittled out for well under 300 runs. But Tanvir and Ajmal’s partnership frustrated the South African attack and gave the visitors some momentum going into the second innings.

Ajmal picked up with the ball where he left off with the bat as he took three quick wickets to rock South Africa’s progress. Smith, Petersen and Amla fell prey to his guile as he twice used the review system to successfully overturn marginal LBW decisions that had been given not out by the not-up-to-scratch umpire Steve Davis. 84/3 shouldn’t have been too much of a jolt for such a successful Proteas’ side but when you are used to winning every Test in three days then finding yourself on the back foot can come as one heck of a shock.

Faf du Plessis was promoted a place up the order when the decision was made to give Jacques Kallis a little more time with his feet up as he was tired from bowling 20 overs without a wicket. Kallis strode to the crease and the Newlands faithful cheered him on in full belief that he would restore order but that wasn’t to be the case as Steve Davis made yet another terrible decision when he was convinced by some brilliant appealing that Kallis was caught at forward-short-leg. Knowing that his bat was nowhere near the ball Kallis reviewed the decision immediately and indeed Hotspot proved him right but then the hawk-eye thingamajig showed that the ball would have just clipped the leg stump. Despite Davis being made to look like a tit yet again, the decision was then upheld, even though it was OFC for a dismissal for which Pakistan did not appeal and Davis did not give him out. An angry Kallis walked back to the pavilion, LBW for 2.

Faf du Plessis (28, 83b, 4×4, 0×6) had looked solid but was also out to Ajmal as the spinner claimed his fifth of the five wickets that fell for 109 runs. South Africa were in all kinds of trouble, especially considering they won the toss and had Pakistan on the ropes at 33/4 yesterday morning. Dean Elgar (11*, 46b) and AB de Villiers (24, 66b, 2×4) managed an unbeaten 34-run partnership to give the home side hope of getting out of this fix.

Day One

In a Lazurus like recovery, Pakistan avoided a St. Valantine’s Day massacre and recovered from a precarious 33/4 to a very respectable 253/5 at stumps on day one at Newlands. Younus Khan (111, 226b, 7×3, 3×6) and Asad Shafiq (111*, 229b, 14×4, 1×6) fought for survival as they navigated their way through the dangerous new ball and then wrestled full control of the day as they defended and attacked with aplomb, drained the energy from the Proteas’ attack and amassed a partnership of 219, the highest by a visiting side to these shores since 2006. The partnership represented a most unexpected turnaround just as fans were getting used to watching South Africa bowl their opposition out for under 50 runs.

South Africa won the toss and elected to field and in Graeme Smith’s 100^th Test as the Proteas’ skipper he elected to field first on a pitch that looked very good for batting. There had been a little unseasonal rain overnight and touch of cloud led Smith to believe that it might just do enough early on to justify putting the opposition in. His boldness was vindicated as Philander, Morkel and Steyn wrecked through the Pakistan top order but the hosts then bowled 67 overs in vain as Younus and Shafiq overhauled the odds and put their team in the driving seat before Vernon Philander dismissed Younus caught behind to expose Pakistan’s inexperienced ‘keeper two overs before stumps. With Umar Gul in next to bat, it is clear that Pakistan have only a long and vulnerable tail after this partnership is up.

South Africa will rue Dean Elgar’s dropped catch of Asad Shafiq when the batsman was on just 24 runs. It was a sharp catch at forward-short-leg off the bowling of Robin Petersen, who incidentally had an awful day with the ball. Hashim Amla would likely have snaffled it but his entrenched seniority in the side has meant that he is no longer asked to field in that treacherous position. As the local Cape-based journalist Altus Momberg pointed out at the time, the only two senior players ever to field in the position were Amla who was too polite to ask not to, and David Boon who was too unfit to field anywhere else.

The groundsman Evan Flint was surprised by Smith’s decision to bowl first on a pitch that was designed to do exactly the opposite of how it behaved at the last two Newlands tests, which were over in three days. The hot and dry conditions that are forecast over the next few days could well mean that Paksitan’s spinners will enjoy bowling on day five. Not that we have seen five day game in SA this summer.

9000 of the local faithful turned out today and the ground is sold out for day three but there are tickets available for tomorrow. Get involved.

Dale Steyn achieved the astonishing career-best match figures of 11 for 60 in 37 overs as Pakistan were bowled out for 268 before lunch on day four. Graeme Smith’s second-innings declaration on the morning of day three seemed arrogant and in contradiction to his not enforcing the follow-on on day two but his bowlers did not let him down as Pakistan were beaten bowled out 211 runs shy of their 480-run target. It was prey close to a clinical display from South Africa as they won the match so easily after being put under pressure on day one.

A 127-run partnership – easily the longest in the match – between captain Misbah ul-Haq (64, 167b, 11×4) and Asad Shafiq (56, 168b, 9×4) offered Pakistan at least one positive to take from the match but even at 209/4 they never did have a realistic chance of getting close to the massive target. Misbah and Shafiq showed some of the promise of the talent that exists in this Pakistani side but sadly for the visitors they were substantially outplayed for most of the match. It took only three overs of the new ball before Dale Steyn broke the partnership and the remaining five wickets fell in just 18 overs.

AB de Villiers equaled Jack Russell’s record of 11 dismissals in a match. Russell claimed his haul at the same ground in 1995. De Villiers became the first keeper to effect ten dismissals and score a hundred in the same Test. It must be said that his keeping was virtually flawless and he has raised his standard behind the stumps to one where there is unlikely to be any talk that he should give up the gloves and concentrate on batting.

There weren’t many people in the crowd today aside from those of us here to work but it was nice to see that Cricket South Africa invited schools to come and watch the game and a few quite large groups of schoolchildren were able to enjoy the Proteas’ good win. Having said that there was one group of 100 young children from a muslim school who loudly cheered “Pakistan, Pakistan!” It is great to see support for the opposition, especially when they are being so comprehensively beaten.

Pakistan will not play another warm-up game before the 14 February Test at Newlands next Thursday. Those among us desperate for an even contest will hope it doesn’t resemble the Saint Valentines Day Massacre.

It certainly wasn’t the first time in the last year or so that South Africa have had a poor start on the first day of a series and then turned it around to obliterate their opponents on the second day. This morning the Proteas skittled Pakistan out for 49 runs – the lowest ever in that side’s long Test history – and then cruised merrily to 207 for 3 at stumps. A 411-run lead on the second day is almost unheard of.

South Africa’s 253 on day one looked below par but the deadly Dale Steyn (6 for 8) annihilated the visitor’s bating line-up as Pakistan were bowled out before lunch, four runs short of the follow-on target of 53. Graeme Smith (52, 73b, 9×4), probably equally keen on scoring some more runs in his 100^th Test as captain and mindful of the fact that the public have seen enough three-day Tests for one summer, chose not to enforce it. He managed another handy half-century as his side went about the task of batting Pakistan out of this Test and helping them to reconsider any high hopes they may have had of a successful series. The pitch appeared to flatten out after lunch and Smith’s decision was vindicated by South Africa’s strong start to the second innings.

When I complained to a friend that I have had enough of one-sided cricket this summer he made the point that we should all appreciate the fact that South Africa have a team that is so good they are probably capable of dominating world cricket to an extent that only comes around once in any fans lifetime. He has a point. Steyn, Philander and co have bowled each of Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan out for under 50 runs over the past year.

The ball seemed around this morning on a pitch that was significantly faster than it was yesterday and Pakistan, who played their only warm-up game on a slow deck in East London, just couldn’t handle the pace.  Wickets fell so frequently that some South African fielders didn’t even celebrate their occurrence. AB de Villiers took a caught behind catch where he didn’t even bother to appeal – as a result it was given no out and the overturned on review.

For a Saturday in a city of five million people and at a ground where fans have been starved of Test cricket – there has been one Test at the Wanderers in the past two years – it was surprising to see such a miserable turnout.  Under 10 000 people turned up at the 30 000-capacity bullring and most didn’t stay very long but such is the plight of Test cricket everywhere except England, Australia and Cape Town. It is hard to expect more than a few thousand sadists to bother turning up tomorrow.

Alviro Petersen (27, 60, 5b) helped take the shine off the ball and Jacques Kallis (7, 13b, 1×4), who earlier took two wickets, again holed out on the deep leg boundary. Hashim Amla (50*, 91b, 4×4) and AB de Villiers (63*, 84b, 6×4) both batted like men who were every bit as hungry for hundreds as for a Test win.

Post-match press conference

Dale Steyn

“We spoke this morning – Graeme sat the guys down. We don’t often have these conversations but he felt the need to tell us that he wanted a 100% day today and get a three-tick day. The boys were up for it and we definitely put up a better performance today.

“I didn’t feel they were afraid – hey didn’t jump around like the NZ tail-enders but we just picked up regularly. King Kallis bowled bloody well and everybody just contributed.

There wasn’t a lot of talk about I but we made the right decision to bat again and bat them out of the game and take it away from the Pakistanis

“This team can take the game away from the opposition very quickly – when we put our forces together we are a pretty tough team to come up against and I’m very pleased to be part of it.”

Pakistani Coach – Dav Whatmore

“I’ve never seen two hours of relentless and incredible pace bowling as we saw this morning. By jeepers the way they bowled was incredible.

“I’d like to think we haven’t endured much psychological damage here because he reason (for our collapse) was a combination of a difficult pitch and some incredible bowling.”