Pakistan vs South Africa: South Africa level the series with an easy win

Bowler Imran Tahir (3rd from R) celebrates with his teammates after taking the wicket of Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan during the fourth day of the second Test cricket match between Pakistan and South Africa in Dubai on October 26, 2013.

South Africa won the second and final Test match against Pakistan by an innings and 92 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates to level the series 1-1.

Resuming the day on 132/4, with Misbah-ul-Haq (42*) and Asad Shafiq (28*) at the crease, Pakistan’s best hope would have to been bat as long as possible and delay the inevitable. The pair did have their nervy moments, early in the day, against the pacers but were fortunate enough to get through them without any further inroads into the line-up.

Both the players continued to frustrate the opposition as Shafiq went on to score his fourth Test century. The pair had added 197 runs for the fifth wicket before Misbah (88 off 218), so unlike his usual self, was caught at first-slip while trying to hit Dean Elgar out of the park, thereby gifting him his first Test wicket.

Imran Tahir and Jean-Paul Duminy then ran through the lower order as the next four wickets fell for just 59 runs. Shafiq (130 off 320 deliveries) was the last man to be dismissed, stumped of Tahir’s bowling. Spinner Zulfiqar Babar’s injury prevented him from coming on to bat.

Tahir and Duminy picked up three wickets each as Graeme Smith was declared as the man of the match for his stupendous 234, in the company of AB de Villers who scored 164, that gave the visitors a commendable first innings score of 517 after bowling out Pakistan for a paltry 99 in the first innings. AB de Villiers was declared as the Man of the Series for scoring 273 runs at an average of 91.