3.1.      AB and Amla whistle away on South Africa`s day

Ibrahim Moiz

22/2/2013

South Africa coasted to the front seat on the opening day at Centurion against a decidedly green Pakistan attack, with Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers yet again proving their class and fluency as the home side gallivanted merrily to 334 for 6 at four an over, feasting on a very raw pace attack that mixed bouts of incision with bouts of understandable waywardness.

Though Pakistan took wickets at a relatively regular rate, such was the ease with which Amla, whose 92 came off just 128 balls, and de Villiers, a couple short of a hundred by stumps, batted that any pressure was absorbed as in a sponge. The visitors` attack lacked in experience—with each of the trifecta in his maiden series, including lanky nineteen-year-old debutant Ehsan Adil, who limped off at the end of the day with a niggle—what they made up in height—Mohammad Irfan`s seven-foot frame is easily recognizable, but both Adil and left-arm swinger Rahat Ali are also over six feet. At any rate, Amla had no trouble going on the front foot, a delectable array of soothing drives punishing anything marginally overpitched and off line. And de Villiers` exceptional talent both in convention and innovation again shone through, the backward point and third man region especially coming under fire as he managed to maneouvre the bowlers almost toyingly.

All the same, Pakistan`s green seam attack punched above its weight, if not height, till the evening session, when the allrounder-stacked tail cracked like a whip alongside de Villiers, who added 52 with Robin Peterson and a further, unbeaten 86 with Vernon Philander (45 not out).

Having elected to bat, South Africa set a lively pace from the get-go despite losing both openers early (38 for 2). Both Rahat, who swung a rare good-length ball into Alviro Petersen`s pad, and Adil, whose fifth ball was poked by Graeme Smith into the slips—where Younus Khan swooped like a panther to intercept a flying nick—grabbed their maiden wickets, but Amla had already flown off the tarpar.

A high number of no-balls didn`t help Pakistan, and nor did Rahat`s generous supply of leg-side drifters to get Amla`s innings away with a number of efficient on-side flicks, followed by a number of relaxing wide half-volleys that were coaxed square by Amla with delicious timing. Faf du Plessis began with equal confidence, especially when cracking Adil for three fours in an over—a cover drive, a straight drive, and a square cut—as South Africa sped to a rate that they would maintain through the day.

Saeed Ajmal did not really trouble the batsmen either, though he beat them once or twice in flight as they eagerly skipped down to drive him through and against the turn; Amla, especially, leapt down time and again to flick and loft him through and over mid-on and midwicket. A brief spell of restriction brought about du Plessis` dismissal, as an Adil outswinger sprang away into Sarfraz Ahmed`s gloves (107 for 3), but Amla subsequently stroked Adil out of the attack with a volley of superb drives all the way from long-on to extra cover.

By his own standards de Villiers took some time to get underway, but it was not an approach shy of caution; indeed, once settled de Villiers frustrated the towering left-armer Irfan with a number of ingenious, open-faced glides through to third man from bounding, back-of-length balls. The partnership had danced to 79 at such a canter that it was a surprise when Rahat struck a double blow before tea, Amla throwing his hands to nick behind and Dean Elgar trapped on the back pad by one that nipped in (196 for 5).

But South Africa, led by de Villiers, wrenched the momentum in the final session. Peterson, brimming with confidence, set the tone with 28 off just 40 balls, a cameo laced with some superb and beautifully late back-cuts that sent the opposing allrounder, Mohammad Hafeez, out of the attack. De Villiers had briefly resorted to convention, only endeavouring to drive those overpitched balls that were begging to be stroked straight or flicking leg-side drifters, and was a rare second fiddle in the stand, which ended abruptly when the gigantic Irfan swooped at mid-on to nail Peterson with a direct hit (248 for 6).

But by stumps de Villiers was back to his cheeky best, reverse-lapping Ajmal gleefully to his favoured third man area, and as late as the final over flashing a daring uppercut off Rahat over the same area. And the bold Philander relished any short-pitched lengths from the expensive Rahat, standing tall to unfurl some booming pulls as well as a bludgeoned straight drive off Adil that rocketed to the rope; only one review from the part-time wrist-spinner Azhar Ali gave the allrounder a momentary scare. But with the inexperienced pacers flagging and the part-timers ripe for the milking, South Africa whisked away the advantage.