Ton-ups Smith, De Villiers punish Pak

Graeme Smith smashed a double century and AB de Villiers hit a robust hundred to guide South Africa to an imperious position in the must-win second Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Thursday.
South African skipper made 227 not out for his fifth double ton while De Villiers -- dropped off the first delivery by wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal off paceman Mohammad Irfan -- was unbeaten on 157 for his 17th Test century.
The duo plundered a hapless Pakistan attack to take South Africa to 460-4 at close on the second day, giving them a big 361-run lead with three full days to play to force a series-levelling win.
Pakistan won the first Test by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi last week. Smith and De Villiers have set an all time South African record for the fifth wicket in Tests with 326, beating the previous best of 267 set by Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince against the West Indies at Antigua in 2005.
The experienced duo plundered Pakistan's spin-cum pace attack on Dubai stadium pitch which gave little help to the bowlers who only managed to dismiss nightwatchman Dale Steyn (seven) in the first hour.
Smith reached his fifth double hundred with a couple off spinner Zulfiqar Babar towards mid-wicket, also completing 9,000 runs in 112 Tests.
He is the 12th batsmen in all Test cricket to reach 9,000 and second behind team-mate Jacques Kallis who so far has 13,140 runs in 164 Tests.
The South African captain, seeking to keep his team's unbeaten run away from home since losing to Sri Lanka in 2006, raised his arms to the applause of his teammates.
In all Smith has hit 16 boundaries off 367 deliveries of complete domination. De Villiers was in more punishing mood, having hit 16 boundaries and a six off 262 balls.
Pakistan keeper faltered once more when he dropped Smith off spinner Zulfiqar Babar when the batsman was on 202, capping a miserable day for his team.
Smith hit spinner Saeed Ajmal for three consecutive boundaries to reach his 9th score of 150 plus.
Smith, overnight 67, anchored the innings and reached his century with a straight drive off Ajmal for his only sixth boundary. It took Smith 204 balls to reach the milestone.
Pakistan took the new ball straightaway after the 80th over but it only upped the scoring rate with de Villiers hitting Irfan for two successive boundaries and one off Babar to bring up his fifty.
He also completed 1,000 runs against Pakistan in 12 Tests. Resuming at 128-3, South Africa lost Steyn in the seventh over of the day, bowled for seven as he offered no stroke to a Irfan delivery.
Irfan, who bowled at good pace, could have had De Villiers off the very next ball but Akmal failed to hold on to a edge towards his right.


Pakistani spinners led by Saeed Ajmal (2-132) bowled tirelessly but failed to exploit any turn on a pitch that was expected to give slow bowlers help.

Irfan had figures of 84-1 in 27 overs, while Babar had figures of 1-112. 

Brief scores
Pakistan 99 (Tahir 5-32, Steyn 3-38)
South Africa 460 for 4 (Smith 227*, de Villiers 157*) 
Status South Africa lead by 361 runs

South Africa Win

Shahid Afridi's brilliant 88 off 48 balls went in vain as Pakistan fell short of South Africa's mammoth total of 343 by 34 runs in the third one-day international at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday. 
A high-scoring encounter with South Africa winning it and taking a 2-1 lead. Pakistan's batsmen got starts but weren't able to push on. Afridi threatened to take the game away from South Africa but by the time he began imposing his presence. 
Pakistan, who were bowled out for 309 to slip 2-1 down in the series, had been in deep trouble when Afridi walked in at 132 for five but he gave his side hope as he thrashed 88 off 48 balls with seven sixes and five fours.
Afridi's innings included some of the biggest sixes seen at the Wanderers.
One, after he had been bowled off a no-ball, was a mighty hit onto the roof of the four-tier Centenary stand which was last seen bouncing towards an adjacent golf course.
Afridi was yorked by Ryan McLaren when he had 73 but a check requested by umpire Billy Bowden showed the bowler had over-stepped.
McLaren then bowled a wide, which meant Afridi still had a free hit to which he committed all his power.
There was one more six before he hit a full toss from Lonwabo Tsotsobe to McLaren at long-off.
There was still a possibility of a reprieve as the umpires checked whether the full toss was above waist height, which would have meant another no-ball, before confirming the dismissal. 
Earlier, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers shared a world record third wicket partnership as South Africa recovered from a slow start to post an imposing total.
Amla hit 122 with De Villiers eclipsing him on 128 as they managed 238 as a pairing before the hosts finished on 343 for five after being sent in.
South Africa struggled early on, with left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Irfan taking two early wickets as Pakistan's fast bowlers exploited some early life in the pitch.
The first two overs, by Junaid Khan and Irfan, were maidens before Irfan bowled Graeme Smith with the total on four.
Amla and Colin Ingram put on 38 for the second wicket but the stand took 65 balls before Irfan produced a vicious lifter which Ingram could only fend to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
However, the momentum swung when De Villiers joined Amla at the crease.
Their record stand beat by one run the previous one-day international third wicket mark set by Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar for India against Kenya in 1999.
That ensured Pakistan would have a challenging run chase on a ground renowned for high scoring.
De Villiers was quickly into his stride and the pair posted a fifty partnership off just 38 balls.
The rate slowed slightly when Pakistan brought their spin bowlers into action and after 35 overs South Africa were on 115 but that was when the torrent began as the last 15 overs yielded 156 runs.
Amla reached his 11th one-day international century off 99 balls, while De Villiers earned his 14th century in the format off 87 deliveries.
Amla was caught at cover for 122 off 113 balls with nine fours and a six and De Villiers was held at deep midwicket for 128 off 108 deliveries, with 12 fours and three sixes.
Pakistan were briefly reduced to ten men after Irfan, who had been a doubtful starter because of a hamstring strain, left the field for treatment.
He was replaced by Umar Akmal but after 20 minutes the umpires informed Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq that the maximum 20 minutes allowed for treatment had expired. Pakistan had a fielder short for two overs before Irfan returned.

Brief scores
South Africa 343 for 5 (Amla 122, de Villiers 128)
Pakistan 309 (Afridi 88, Hafeez 57, McLaren 3-56, Tsotsobe 3-74)
Result South Africa won by 34 runs
MOM :Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers (South Africa)

Irfan Leads Pakistan to Six-wicket Win

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan took four wickets in a devastating opening spell to set up a six-wicket win in the second one-day international against South Africa on Friday.
Tall left-armer Irfan took a career-best four for 33 in seven overs as South Africa were bowled out for 191 in a match reduced to 44 overs a side.
Pakistan achieved victory with 4.4 overs to spare, captain Misbah-ul-Haq anchoring his side's chase, making 57 not out.
The win levelled the five-match series at 1-1 after South Africa had cruised to a 125-run win in Bloemfontein last weekend with the third game to be played in Johannesburg on Sunday.
South Africa crashed to 62 for five under Irfan's onslaught but recovered to reach 177 for seven after 38.4 overs when a violent thunderstorm struck the ground and caused a stoppage of almost two-and-a-half hours.
South Africa failed to see out the revised quota of 44 overs, losing their last three wickets for 12 runs to be bowled out with four balls to spare.
Farhaan Behardien led the South African fightback, making a measured 58 off 82 balls for his maiden international half-century.
Robin Peterson made 44 and helped Behardien put on 67 for the seventh wicket before Behardien was caught on the midwicket boundary one ball before the stoppage.
After Irfan had made his inroads, slow bowlers Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi kept the pressure on.
Ajmal took two for 23 and Hafeez two for 35, while Afridi conceded only 24 runs in eight overs.
Pakistan had a brief wobble when they slipped to 69 for three in the 15th over, with Hafeez and Kamran Akmal falling in successive overs.
But Misbah and Younis Khan, the side's most experienced players, steadied the innings with a fourth wicket partnership of 46 off 67 balls.
Shoaib Malik joined Misbah and they added an unbeaten 77 off 82 deliveries, with Malik contributing an aggressive 35 not out off 75 balls.
Misbah's 57 runs were made off 75 balls with three fours and three sixes.

Brief scores
South Africa 191 all out (Behardien 58, Peterson 44, Irfan 4-33)
Pakistan 192 for 4 (Misbah 57*, Malik 35*, Peterson 2-52)
Result Pakistan won by six wickets 
MOM Mohammad Irfan (Pakistan)

Pakistan Name for South Africa Test Squad

Pakistan on Friday included lanky paceman Mohammad Irfan in a 16-man squad for next month's three Tests against world number one side South Africa, but there was no place for the three Akmal brothers.

The 30-year-old Irfan, who is said to be seven foot one inch tall, impressed with his steepling bounce during Pakistan's recent tour to India where he featured in all three one-day matches and two Twenty20 internationals. But he has yet to play a Test.

The Test squad, led by Misbah-ul Haq, will open with a four-day side match at East London from January 25 before the first Test in Johannesburg from February 1.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said separate squads for two Twenty20 internationals and five one-day matches, which follow the Tests, will be announced later.

Surprisingly, none of the three Akmal brothers - Kamran, Umar and Adnan - are part of the Test squad and no selector was available to say why.

Nineteen-year-old paceman Ehsan Adil was also selected for the first time after impressing during the Junior World Cup in Australia last year. Adil has taken 56 wickets in ten first-class matches this season.

The pace squad will be led by the experienced Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Irfan.

Uncapped left-hander Haris Sohail and Faisal Iqbal also retained their places in the squad after failing to play any match on the Sri Lanka tour while left-handed opener Nasir Jamshed, who has yet to play a Test, also made the cut.

Pakistan Test squad:

Misbah-ul-Haq  (capt)

Mohammad Hafeez

Nasir Jamshed

Azhar Ali

Asad Shafiq

Younis Khan

Taufeeq Umar

Sarfraz Ahmed (wk)

Junaid Khan

Mohammad Irfan

Ehsan Adil

Saeed Ajmal

Adbur Rehman

Haris Sohail

Faisal Iqbal

Umar Gul

Gul Star in Thriller Win

Umar Gul turned an unlikely hero with the bat as Pakistan survived a middle-order collapse to beat South Africa by two wickets in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20 on Friday.

Pakistan, chasing South Africa's modest 133-6, crashed to 76-7 in the 15th over before Gul and Umar Akmal combined to share a match-winning partnership of 49 in 27 balls.
Gul smashed two fours and three sixes in his 32 off 17 balls before he was dismissed off the last ball of the 19th over by fast bowler Dale Steyn with nine more needed.
But Akmal, who remained unbeaten on 43, and Saeed Ajmal steered Pakistan home with two balls to spare, Ajmal edging the winning boundary off Morne Morkel.
Pakistan's openers raced to 24 in 2.5 overs before the innings fell apart after Imran Nazir (14) was caught behind off Steyn.
Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, who came to bowl the fourth over, removed skipper Mohammad Hafeez with his second delivery and Nasir Jamshed with the six to make Pakistan 31-3.
Off-spinner Johan Botha also struck in his first over by bowling Kamran Akmal for one, Jacques Kallis dismissed Shoaib Malik (12) and JP Duminy had danger man Shahid Afridi caught in the deep first ball.
But Gul and Umar Akmal launched a blistering attack on the Proteas to earn Pakistan full points in the opening match of group two.
India and Australia, the other two teams in the group, play in the second match of the double-header at the Premadasa stadium later on Friday night.
Earlier, Pakistan's spinners revelled on a slow wicket to restrict mighty South Africa to 133-6.
Hafeez claimed 2-23 and 20-year-old left-arm spinner Raza Hasan conceded just 12 runs in three overs after South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
Seamers Yasir Arafat and Gul shared three wickets as the batsmen tried to hit out against them after failing to play the slow bowlers.
South Africa, the top-ranked side in the Twenty20 format, were reduced to 28-3 in 6.1 overs before recovering through skipper AB de Villiers and JP Duminy.
Left-handed Duminy top-scored with 48 off 38 balls, while de Villiers made 25, but no other batsman reached 20.

Brief scores
South Africa 133 for 6 (Duminy 48, Hafeez 2-23)
Pakistan 136 for 8 (Umar Akmal 43*, Gul 32)
Result Pakistan won by two wickets
Points Pakistan 2, South Africa 0
MOM Umar Gul (Pakistan.

ICC World T20, Super Eight: South Africa vs Pakistan

Colombo: They have so far maintained a clean slate and there is very little to separate the two teams as South Africa lock horns with Pakistan in what is expected to be a battle of attrition in their ICC World Twenty20 Super Eight match on Friday.
Both teams will be equally confident after their emphatic showings in the group stage of the tournament, and it will be interesting to see who emerges winner at the R Premadasa Stadium stadium.
Pakistan, winner of the 2009 edition, won both their group league matches with ease.
If skipper Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed shone in their win over New Zealand, Imran Nazir led the way with an onslaught that left the Bangladesh bowlers shell-shocked in their last game.
Hafeez deserves mention as he led admirably with both bat and ball, his canny off-spinners often proving to be a perfect foil for Saeed Ajmal, who has become a sort of a headache for batsmen the world over.
Flashy wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has also shown glimpses of his brilliance and looked in good nick against their South Asian rivals.
Pacers Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir haven`t really fired, but Yasir Arafat made an impact with three Bangladeshi wickets, and Pakistan are unlikely to make any changes to the squad that played in the last game.
The match assumes more significance for Pakistan as a win against the Proteas will put them in the perfect frame of mind ahead of the big-ticket encounter with arch-rival India on Sunday.
South Africa have been their consistent self in the group stage, but the real tournament starts now, and more so for the Proteas.
The shocking 2011 World Cup quarterfinal defeat to New Zealand still fresh in mind, South Africa would once again would look to shed the tag of perennial chokers in ICC tournament, and a win tomorrow will be a positive step in that direction.
A look at their performance in the group stage will only add to South Africa`s confidence going into the competitive round.
Led by the explosive A B de Villiers, the team hammered neighbours Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to start the tournament in the best possible manner.
In the rain-reduced seven-over hit against hosts Sri Lanka, the Proteas were well served by the skipper, who helped them to a 32-run win in Hambantota.
There is no dearth of strokemakers in the SA line-up and right from the in-form Hashim Amla to the great Jacques Kallis, each one of them is capable of single-handedly turning a match on its head.
The presence of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and his brother Albie make for an effective pace battery.

Teams (from):

Pakistan: Mohammed Hafeez (c), Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Imran Nazir, Kamram Akmal, Mohammed Sami, Nasir Jamshed, Raza Hasan, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat.

South Africa: AB de Villiers (c), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Johan Botha, JP Duminy, Francois du Plessis, Jacques Kallis, Richard Levi, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.