Ajmal makes quick work of South Africa top order
The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando
A hostile opening spell from Mohammad Irfan drew first blood of the series for Pakistan, before Saeed Ajmal opened an old South African wound - their deficiency against spin - to leave the top order in tatters. No one in the top five eclipsed 20, as the run rate dragged along in the wake of regular wickets, and at the halfway stage, South Africa were looking at a total below 200, at 83 for 5. Irfan lived just short of a length, extracting as much bounce and carry from the Sharjah surface as there might ever have been found there. His reward for his fire and discipline came at the front-end of his five-over spell. Colin Ingram saw out a challenge from Quinton de Kock for the second openers' spot, but that's practically all he saw out, squaring up to Irfan second ball and sending an edge to the keeper.
Smith and JP Duminy were watchful after that loss, and set an ambling pace for the innings that had not changed by the halfway stage. Sohail Tanvir did not pose the threat Irfan presented, and while his spell was largely tight, even his poor balls escaped punishment, thanks to the visitors' deferred reticence. Just when Duminy began to grow in confidence, though, he pulled Tanvir straight to the square-leg fielder.
Two months prior, South Africa had groped and bungled their way around Sri Lanka, and despite assurances that the lessons from that series had been internalised, familiar failings against spin emerged when Ajmal came to the crease. Graeme Smith had not been part of that Sri Lanka tour, but having had his outside edged beaten early in Ajmal's second over, he overreached, hoping to get to the pitch of the ball and was stumped sharply by Umar Akmal. New man Faf du Plessis couldn't decide to play forward or back, in Ajmal's next over, and was trapped in front by one that spun hard and beat the inside edge. Soon after, AB de Villiers attempted to come down the pitch and attack, but Ajmal had slipped in a doosra and the unwitting batsman ended up providing a return catch. David Miller had been South Africa's best batsman in Sri Lanka, and it is on him, that their innings now hangs.
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