PAK vs SA 2nd Test: Shan, Abdullah put Pakistan in command

Captain Shan Masood and opener Abdullah Shafiq steady Pakistan after losing Imam ul Haq cheaply in the first session of the Rawalpindi Test against South Africa.

The hosts reached 95-1 in 30 overs with Shan and Abdullah at the crease with scores of 38 and 37, respectively.

Batting first, the hosts began confidently as Imam and Abdullah Shafique added quick runs, finding boundaries with ease and keeping the scoreboard ticking in the morning session.

The pair looked set for a solid opening stand before Imam was clean bowled by spinner Simon Harmer for 17 off 35 balls.

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Abdullah continued to bat positively, mixing aggression, while at the same time, the Pakistan Test captain made his presence felt, smashing two towering sixes to relieve the pressure as Pakistan reached 65-1 after 20 overs.

The duo brought up a 50-run stand in the 25th over.

By the end of the first session, Shan Masood remained unbeaten on 38 off 63 balls, including three sixes and a boundary, while Abdullah Shafique stood firm on 37 off 82 deliveries.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood (c), Abdulah Shafique, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Shaheen Afridi, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan and Asif Afridi.

South Africa: Aiden Markram (c), Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen, Simon Harmer, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada.