Tahir helps South Africa dominate first day

Oct 23, 2013

With Hashim Amla returning home to attend his child's birth, it was imperative South Africa pulled themselves after conceding the first Test to Pakistan. Pakistan chose to bat and Dale Steyn broke the opening partnership, dismissing Khurram Manzoor off the second ball of the morning•AFP

Pakistan continued to lose regular wickets. Imran Tahir got his first breakthrough when the ball took the inside edge off Masood's bat and rolled on to the stumps. Pakistan were then 52 for 3 •AFP

Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen knew they needed a solid start, and did well enough to get through the first ten overs •AFP

Ajmal also dismissed Jacques Kallis to leave South Africa at 128 for 3 at the close of play, with a slender lead of 29 runs•AFP

Azhar Ali and Shan Masood put on a steady partnership thereafter before Morne Morkel trapped Azhar lbw with the score on 38•AFP

Aided by Steyn, who dismissed Younis Khan, Tahir continued to play chief destroyer. He claimed the wickets of Misbah-ul-Haq and Adnan Akmal to leave Pakistan reeling at 60 for 6 at lunch•AFP

However, Zulfiqar Babar trapped Petersen leg-before with the score on 37•AFP

Tahir took two more wickets as Pakistan were dismissed for a paltry 99. He picked up the first five-for by a South African spinner since Paul Harris' 5 for 123 against England in December 2009, and the first by a South African spinner in the first innings of a Test since Paul Adams' 5 for 37 against Bangladesh in 2003•AFP

With Amla away, Dean Elgar was brought in at No. 3 to see off a testing period. Elgar put on 54 runs for the second wicket with Smith before being dismissed by Saeed Ajmal for 23•AFP