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Filed under Pakistan vs South Africa

1st Bank Alfalah Cup test match, Karachi, 1-5 October 2007 - Pakistan lost by 160 runs. South Africa lead the series 1-0 with last test match to be played from 8-12 this month at Lahore.

The selectors dropped him from the T20 world cup, without saying he was too less- mobile for the shortest version of International cricket.

Some cricketers tend to get dishearten & destroy their career at this juncture, whereas Jacques Kallis of South Africa came out even hungrier for this first test match against Pakistan. 155 & 100 notout he made.

But the reason Pakistan looked like visitors on their own backyard, was because of steaming fast bowlers that Proteas threw at them and the lack of crowd support that Pakistan cricket team never get while playing a test match at home. Wonder why PCB don't allow school kids & others to watch such high level cricket for lower or no price!

With easiest test match method of winning the toss & batting first, Graeme Smith had put on 87 for first wicket with Herschelle Gibbs and African team never looked back after scoring 450 good runs on slow National stadium pitch at Karachi. Mkhaya Ntini, Dale Styen and Andre Nel did the job of pushing Pakistan batters on the back foot, & occasionally pitched up to get the edges. Even Paul Harris managed a 5 wicket haul, which shows how incapable Pakistan batting is in 5 day cricket.

Impressive looked Abdur Rehman - the left arm spinner I must add here.

Now the only chance for Pakistan is to draw the test series, for which, they have to win the next one at Lahore. Former captain Inzamam-ul-hap would be playing his last test match, so expect some fighting some emmotional scenes from the 2nd and last game.

The score lines
SA 1st Innings : 450 all out in 136.3 overs.
Gibbs 54, Smith 42, Amla 71, Kallis 155,
Prince 36, AB d Villiers 77, extras 11.
Pakistan 1st Innings : 291 allout, 97.3 overs.
Hafeez 34, Akmal 42, Younis 6, Faisal Iqbal 6,
Misbah 23, Shoaib 73, Butt 24, Kaneria 26.

SA 2nd Innings : 264 for 7 declared in 89 overs.
Smith 25, Bibbs 18, Amla 0, Kallis 100, Prince 45.
Pakistan 2nd Innings (target 424) 263 all out.
Younis Khan 126 & Faisal Iqbal 44.
Dale Styen 5 for 56.

Few notes from Karachi test.
-Mohammad Asif may have picked up just a lone wicket in this test match (of Hashim Amla), but that was his 50th test match wicket, making him the fastest to 50 wkts ever, joining Waqar Younis who also achieved the feet in 10 games.

-Jacques Kallis made a century in both the innings - the 4th South African batsman ever & 63rd occasion in all time list. Interestingly, Kallis has never scored a test match double ton. -Mark Boucher - the S.Africa wicket keeper has now broken the record of most dismissals in a test match career. He has now 397 dismissals, beating 395 by Ian Healy of Australia. Healy did it in 119 test matches, whereas this was Boucher's 103rd test.

-This was second loss for Pakistan in a test match at home in Karachi.. from 39 played games.

South Africa in Pakistan, a history untold

South Africa tour of Pakistan, 2007 - info article

Kallis twin tons seal 1st test for Proteas

South Africa deny Pakistan a Lahore miracle

Pakistan (at last) win one over Proteas