The Proteas will be relying on the efforts of Tony de Zorzi on day three, after the good work of Senuran Muthusamy was undone late on day two.
Proteas spinner Senuran Muthusamy says the team has to find their resilience and get themselves back into the game, after a disappointing finish to the second day saw them reach the close in their first innings on 216/6, in response to Pakistan’s 378 all out at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Monday.
Muthusamy starred for the Proteas in the morning session, picking up a career best figures of 6/117 off 32 overs, to help spark a Pakistani collapse that saw them lose their last five wickets for just 16 runs.
But after a solid start to their reply saw the Proteas sitting very well placed on 174/2 during the final session of play, Muthusamy wouldn’t have been expecting to walk to the crease with the team 200/6 a few overs before stumps, but that is exactly what happened.
Speaking after the day’s play, Muthusamy admitted it wasn’t an ideal situation, but said he believed that the team could fight back, especially with Tony de Zorzi still unbeaten at the crease on 81.
Not ideal
“It’s not ideal to have lost those wickets so close to the end of play. But this does happen in Test cricket, so it’s about bouncing back and finding some resilience again. I thought we did a lot of good today (overall),” said Muthusamy.
Pakistan had started the day on 313/5 and were in a powerful position on 362/5 with Mohammad Rizwan (75) and Salman Agha (93) at the crease, when Muthusamy stepped in to turn the innings on its head in the 102nd over snagging three wickets off four balls.
He had Rizwan caught behind by keeper Kyle Verreynne, bowled Noman Ali for a second ball duck, and had Sajid Khan caught by captain Aiden Markram at slip first ball, and the Pakistan innings ended soon after.
It was the second time in the match that Muthusamy found himself on a hattrick, after picking up two in two balls on day one, and he admitted that a lot of his success was down to the work of the whole bowling unit.
“It was very cool. Just to contribute to the team as well. Unfortunately it didn’t happen, but it was great to pick up those wickets and kind of open up the game. It would have been nice to get a hattrick, but it wasn’t meant to be,” said Muthusamy.
Spin friendly
“These are probably as spin friendly (conditions) as I have played in. But it was a real team effort and I think we bowled well as a unit. I think all the bowlers bowled really nicely and I was just grateful to have picked up the wickets.
“It wasn’t easy. It was a lot of hard work. There was a lot of toil as a bowling unit. I thought Prenelan (Subrayen) and Simon (Harmer) both asked good questions throughout the innings, and I was just lucky enough to benefit.”
The Proteas innings was then powered by De Zorzi and opener Ryan Rickelton (71), with their 94-run third wicket partnership the main highlight so far.
Captain Aiden Markram (20) and Wiaan Mulder (17) fell relatively cheaply, with the score 80/2 before De Zorzi arrived at the crease and lived a charmed life early on, before settling in with Rickelton.
They took their side to tea on 112/2 at tea, and moved onto 174/2 in the final session, before a flurry of wickets, sparked by Noman Ali, 4/85, saw the Proteas lose four wickets for 26 runs.
De Zorzi will now resume on day three looking to bring up a second Test century, and he will hope to receive good support from Muthusamy, this time with the willow, with him unbeaten on six.
