Debutant Bosch impresses with the bat as South Africa edges ahead in 1st test against Pakistan

Centurion (South Africa), Dec 27 (AP) Fast bowler Corbin Bosch continued his strong debut with a record-breaking half century to help give South Africa the advantage in the first test against Pakistan on Friday.
    Bosch's unbeaten 81 off 93 balls — the highest by a No. 9 batter on his test debut -- earned South Africa a meaningful 90-run first innings lead as the home team got bowled out for 301.
    Pakistan reached 88-3 and still trailed by two runs when early stumps were drawn on Day 2 because of bad light. Babar Azam was batting on 16 and Saud Shakeel was not out on 8.
    South Africa needs to win one of the two test matches against Pakistan to seal a place in the final of the World Test Championship at Lord's next year with Sri Lanka, India and Australia also in the running.
    The opening pair of Saim Ayub and captain Shan Masood both scored 28 runs each and counterattacked South Africa's pace bowlers before Pakistan lost three wickets for 25 runs late in the final session under gloomy skies.
    Kagiso Rabada, who bowled splendidly in the first innings without getting a wicket, knocked back Ayub's off stump and Marco Jansen found the outside edges of Masood and Kamran Ghulam (4) in successive overs.
    The 30-year-old Bosch had grabbed a wicket with his first ball on Day 1 and finished with figures of 4-63 after the visitors got bowled out for 211 with Dane Paterson (5-61) grabbing his second successive five-wicket haul.
    Bosch bossed the all-out Pakistan pace attack by hitting 15 boundaries, including some meticulous cover drives and pull shots as he shared a 41-run stand with Kagiso Rabada and then contributed a further 47 runs with No. 11 Paterson.
    South Africa seemed to have lost its grip when it collapsed from 178-4 to 213-8 when Aiden Markram (89) missed out on his eighth test century and edged Khurram Shahzad to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan down the leg side in the second session.
    Naseem Shah bowled a marathon 10-over spell and picked up three wickets after initially struggling with his lengths in the first session as South Africa's middle order couldn't hang in with Markram.
    But Bosch batted like a seasoned batter on his home ground to the frustration of Pakistan's bowlers. The lead was 43 when Rabada skied Aamer Jamal's shot ball to Babar at short mid-wicket before Bosch reached his half century off 46 balls with a superb cover drive.
    Paterson also showed his batting skills with a straight six off Mohammad Abbas (1-79), who is making a test comeback after more than three years. Bosch looked set for a memorable hundred but Paterson ran out of patience against the offspin of Ayub and Shahzad took a brilliant running catch over his shoulders at mid-off.
    Earlier, Markram led South Africa to 180-5 in the first session after the home team resumed on 82-3. Pakistan hit back with two wickets in the latter half of the first session with captain Temba Bavuma (31) and David Bedingham (30) both edging behind the wickets.
    Markram completed his half century with an exquisite cover driven boundary off Naseem and stretched the fourth-wicket stand to 70 runs with Bavuma before Pakistan got its first breakthrough.
    Jamal was rewarded for his persistent length balls to Bavuma as the South African skipper finally got a thick outside edge while going for a loose drive.
    Bedingham counterattacked from the onset, smashing five boundaries in his 33-ball knock and also survived when Pakistan unsuccessfully went for an lbw television review against Naseem Shah's full pitched delivery, which television replays suggested would have missed the leg stump.
    However, Naseem didn't have to wait long as Bedingham was beaten by some extra bounce and nicked it in the first slip in the penultimate over before lunch. (AP) DDV

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)