Azhar Ali and Faheem Ashraf also struck fifties for the hosts
\nnews desk
\nKARACHI
\nPakistan were 308 for a loss of eight wickets at the close of play on Wednesday, the second day of the first Test against South Africa at the National Stadium.
\nThe home team is leading by 88 in reply to South Africa, who were all out for 220 in their first innings.
\nPakistan\u2019s recovery was led by Fawad Alam (109), Faheem Ashraf (64) and Azhar Ali (51).
\nJust four wickets fell on the second day which was in stark contrast to the opening when 14 wickets tumbled on the grassless pitch. It would have been different had South Africa not dropped four catches.
\nFawad, relishing his first Test at his home ground, added 102 runs for the seventh wicket with Faheem who cracked a relatively rapid 64 from 84 balls.
\nResuming on five and with Pakistan in serious trouble, Fawad led the recovery with an invaluable 94-run stand for the fifth wicket with Azhar, who played within himself for three hours 40 minutes for his 51.
\nFawad had a life on 35 when Dean Elgar failed to cling on to a sharp edge off Keshav Maharaj in the slips but he and Azhar, who survived a tight leg before shout and review from left-arm spinner George Linde, batted right through the morning to take Pakistan to 104-4 at lunch.
\nFawad added another 55 for the sixth wicket with Mohammad Rizwan who made a counter-attacking before edging Lungo Ngidi to Faf du Plessis at first slip.
\nThird Test century
\nShortly after tea, Fawad opened his shoulders to hit a flighted delivery from spinner Keshav Maharaj for a six over long-on which brought up his third Test century in just his eighth Test.
\nHe was finally caught at mid-wicket off Ngidi after batting for six minutes under six hours, hitting nine boundaries and two sixes.
\nFawad\u2019s ton marked yet another remarkable milestone in his return to international cricket.
\nAfter making a debut hundred in Sri Lanka in 2009, Fawad played just twice more that year before being dropped \u2014 for 10 years and 259 days.
\nDespite scoring heavily in Pakistan\u2019s domestic matches, he was constantly overlooked, primarily because of his peculiar stance \u2014 facing front-on to the bowler before turning side-on when playing the ball.
\nHe was recalled for Pakistan\u2019s tour of England in August last year but his first innings back ended with a four-ball duck in Southampton.
\nBut he followed up with another gutsy century in the first Test defeat by New Zealand in Mount Maunganui in December.
\nAshraf\u2019s entertaining 64, which included nine boundaries, ended in unorthodox fashion when he jammed down on a yorker from Anrich Nortje only to see the ball backspin into his stumps.
\nThe two-match series marks South Africa\u2019s first trip to Pakistan in 14 years, after a deadly 2009 attack on Sri Lanka\u2019s team halted visits by foreign sides.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Azhar Ali and Faheem Ashraf also struck fifties for the hosts news desk KARACHI Pakistan were 308 for a loss of eight wickets at the close of play on Wednesday, the second day of the first Test against South Africa at the National Stadium. The home team is leading by 88 in reply to South […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":171029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-171025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n