Proteas' poor catching allows Rizwan and Salman to take control on Lahore opening day

1st Test, Day 1, Stumps

Pakistan: 313/5 (Imam 93, Masood 76, Rizwan 62*, Salman 52*, Muthusamy 2/101)

Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha launched a counter-attack in the final session to put Pakistan in the ascendancy after the opening day of the first Test match against the Proteas in Lahore.

Both Rizwan (62*) and Salman (52*) were positive against the Proteas spin trio from the outset, and their bravery was rewarded with some good fortune, with a review and dropped catch going working in their favour. The on-going sixth-wicket partnership has yielded 114 runs. 

Prenelan Subrayen (1/72) felt that he had caught Rizwan on the crease with a skiddy delivery into the pads, as did Australia umpire Chris Tucker who upheld the appeal. But Rizwan challenged the decision successfully with the replays indicating the ball was spinning past the leg stump.

Rizwan’s record is outstanding against the Proteas, averaging 55.50 in his previous five Tests against the current World Test champions.

The Proteas will also reflect on an opening day where their catching went missing. The visitors spilled three chances with Tony de Zorzi, Wiaan Mulder and captain Aiden Markram the offenders.

Markram’s chance was the simplest with the skipper putting down a straightforward edge from Agha on 36 when Senuran Muthusamy found the right-hander’s outside edge. 

It was a crucial stage of the day too as the Proteas had just taken the new ball with sole seamer Kagiso Rabada charging in from the other end. 

Instead, it allowed Agha and Rizwan to continue their rebuilding effort after Pakistan had suffered a mini-collapse before and shortly after the tea interval.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq (93) and Shan Masood (76) had earlier laid the foundation with a joint-highest second wicket partnership of 161. But after Masood, who had also been given a lifeline by De Zorzi, was trapped LBW by Subrayen, the door was left open.

Muthusamy barged through with a double-strike on the stroke of the tea interval, removing both Imam and Saud Shakeel with successive deliveries. And although Muthusamy was denied a hat-trick after the interval, Simon Harmer bagged the big scalp of former Pakistan captain Babar Azam in the very next over.

The strong Gaddafi Stadium crowd was stunned into silence, not only because their local Lahore hero was making his way back to the pavilion, but also because Pakistan had lost three wickets on the same total to slump to 199/5. 

Having been put into the field after Masood had won the toss and elected to bat, the visitors would have been encouraged by their position, especially as coach Shukri Conrad had opted for three specialist spinners with seam-bowling allrounders Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch relegated to drinks duty. 

Instead, the failure to grasp opportunities on a surface that will only become harder to bat on, allowed Pakistan to stretch away heading into the second day on Monday.