Pakistan grind to 259-5 against scrappy S.Africa in second Test

Captain Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique survived four dropped catches to hit half centuries as Pakistan grinded to 259 for five against world champion South Africa on the opening day of the second and final Test on Monday.

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Shan Masood plays a shot during the first day of the second Test against South Africa.

(Agence France-Presse)

Masood, put down on 71, scored bulk of his runs in singles before falling for 87 off 176 balls in the final session on a dry wicket that is expected to favor the spinners more and more.

Kagiso Rabada should have dismissed Shafique off his fourth ball of the Test match, but had to wait for his first wicket until late on the first day when he trapped Mohammad Rizwan (19) plumb lbw on the backfoot.

Left-hander Saud Shakeel was batting on 42 and Salman Ali Agha was not out on 10 at stumps as South Africa could get just one wicket with the second new ball late on Day I.

Surprisingly South Africa used its best bowler in the first test - Senuran Muthusamy - for only two brief spells of two overs each. Keshav Maharaj (2-63) and Simon Harmer (2-75) kept the scoring rate under control by sharing 54 overs in between them. Muthusamy had bagged career-best II-wicket haul at Lahore on a spin wicket.