Rawalpindi, Oct 20 (NationPress) Shan Masood’s fluent 87 and Abdullah Shafique’s composed 57 propelled Pakistan to a score of 259 for 5 on the first day of the second Test against South Africa in Rawalpindi, as the hosts decided to bat first on a sluggish and unresponsive pitch.

The duo formed a robust 111-run partnership for the second wicket, establishing Pakistan's dominance, while South Africa's bowlers, particularly Keshav Maharaj, labored diligently but were hampered by subpar fielding.

The pitch in Pindi provided minimal assistance to the bowlers, with no notable spin early on and only sporadic low bounce. Pakistan maintained a cautious approach, with their run rate remaining below three per over throughout the day, concentrating on building partnerships and safeguarding wickets on a surface expected to deteriorate as the match progressed.

South Africa squandered four clear opportunities—three of which came from Shafique at 0, 15, and 41, along with another from Masood at 71—proving detrimental to their efforts.

Several edges also fell short of reaching the fielders at short leg. Despite these misses, Maharaj emerged as the standout bowler, claiming crucial wickets and generating some turn and bounce. He dismissed Masood, who top-edged a sweep to Marco Jansen, and later removed Babar Azam with a spectacular one-handed catch by Tony de Zorzi at silly mid-off.

Earlier, Kagiso Rabada found Shafique’s outside edge in the very first over, but Tristan Stubbs let the chance slip at third slip. Marco Jansen, sharing the new ball, nearly had Shafique's inside edge, with the ball brushing the stumps without dislodging the bails. Simon Harmer provided the breakthrough by bowling Imam-ul-Haq and continued to trouble the batsmen with drift and spin.

Pakistan reached lunch at 95 for 1 and continued to progress steadily in the afternoon, with Shafique achieving his sixth Test fifty before edging Harmer down the leg side for 57. Masood kept the scoreboard moving with assertive strokes, particularly against the spinners, before falling short of a century.

Saud Shakeel was at the crease on 42 at stumps, partnering with Salman Agha after Rabada struck with the second new ball in the 85th over to trap Mohammad Rizwan lbw for 19.

At the end of the day, Pakistan stood at 259 for 5 in 91 overs—a commanding position built around the contributions of Masood and Shafique, despite South Africa’s relentless bowling and numerous fielding blunders.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 259/5 in 91 overs (Shan Masood 87, Abdullah Shafique 57; Keshav Maharaj 2-63, Simon Harmer 2-75) against South Africa