In a stellar performance during the first Test against South Africa in Lahore, Pakistan`s spinner Noman Ali secured his fifth six-wicket haul in home Tests. This achievement sees him surpass the legendary Abdul Qadir, who had four such hauls, marking a significant milestone in Noman`s career.
Ali`s exceptional spell of 6 wickets for 112 runs in 35 overs was crucial. It followed Senuran Muthusamy`s own impressive six-fer (6/117), which had brought Pakistan`s first innings to a close at 378 runs. Pakistan`s total was bolstered by half-centuries from Imam-Ul-Haq (93), captain Shan Masood (76), Mohammed Rizwan (75), and Salman Agha (93).
Notably, Noman Ali has been in consistently outstanding form since his return to the national team last year against England, having taken at least a five-wicket haul in each of the five Tests he has played. Among Pakistani spinners with a minimum of 50 wickets in home Tests, Noman boasts the best bowling average, with his 66 scalps coming at an average of 22.60. This impressive statistic places him ahead of Iqbal Qasim, whose 111 wickets between 1977 and 1988 came at an average of 25.15.
Match Progression:
South Africa commenced day two at 216/6, with Tony de Zorzi (81*) and Senuran Muthusamy (6*) at the crease. De Zorzi went on to convert his overnight score into a second Test century, scoring 104 runs from 171 balls. However, despite a valuable contribution of 71 runs from Ryan Rickleton, the Proteas suffered a dramatic collapse from 174/2, ultimately being bowled out for 269 runs. The combined efforts of Noman Ali (6/112) and Sajid Khan (3/98) proved instrumental in dismantling the South African batting lineup.
Pakistan entered their second innings holding a healthy lead of 109 runs. Despite promising starts from key batsmen such as Babar Azam (42), Abdullah Shafique (41), and Saud Shakeel (38), they were unable to convert them into significant scores. South African spinners Senuran Muthusamy (5/57) and Simon Harmer (4/51) effectively turned the tables, sharing nine wickets between them to restrict Pakistan to just 167 runs. This set South Africa a challenging target of 277 runs for victory.
At the close of play on day two, South Africa had reached 51/2, with Ryan Rickleton (29*) and Tony de Zorzi (16*) unbeaten, setting the stage for an intriguing final day`s play.
Topics Mentioned in this Article:
- Pakistan Cricket Team
- South Africa Cricket Team
- Noman Ali
- Cricket
