Kallis and Prince guide SA to victory

CAPE TOWN – Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince shared a century stand to guide South Africa to a series-clinching win over Pakistan in the third test yesterday.

South Africa reached their victory target of 161 before tea on the third day to win by five wickets and claim the series 2-1. The result kept intact South Africa’s record of never having lost a home test series to a team from the Asian sub-continent.Kallis scored 51 in a fifth-wicket stand of 117 with Prince, who was 59 not out.The partnership was the biggest of a match in which 32 wickets fell on the first two days.Pakistan were dismissed for 157 in their first innings, to which South Africa replied with 183.The visitors were bowled out for 186 in their second innings.South Africa, who resumed on 36 for two, lost their third wicket without adding to their overnight score when paceman Mohammad Asif trapped Graeme Smith in front for 33 with the ninth ball of the day’s play.Four overs later Asif reduced South Africa to 39 for four when he had Hashim Amla caught behind by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal for three.Kallis and Prince batted cautiously together, eking out their runs at a rate of less than two an over before lunch.Just 40 runs were scored in the 29.5 overs bowled in the morning session as Pakistan kept the batsmen under pressure.Kallis struck the first boundary of the day in the sixth over before lunch when he drove fast bowler Mohammad Sami off the back foot through the covers for four.Kallis reduced the remainder of the target to double figures with Sami’s next delivery, which he drove through mid-on for another four.But the trickle of runs soon slowed, and no other boundaries were signalled before lunch.The scoring rate rose after lunch, and the last six overs of the match included eight fours.Pakistan squandered a chance to dismiss Prince for 31 with the total on 116 for four when he pushed forward to a delivery from leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and sent an edge to sily point, where Imran Farhat dropped the catch.Kallis and Prince were finally separated just five runs away from victory when paceman Shahid Nazir clean-bowled Kallis, who faced 149 balls and hit seven fours in a patient innings.AB de Villiers, who scored four not out, drove Kaneria down the ground for two to end the match.The Pakistanis appealed often and vociferously, particularly when Asif and Kaneria were bowling.Umpires Steve Bucknor and Peter Parker both spoke to the team after particularly emphatic appeals were turned down.Nampa-ReutersThe result kept intact South Africa’s record of never having lost a home test series to a team from the Asian sub-continent.Kallis scored 51 in a fifth-wicket stand of 117 with Prince, who was 59 not out.The partnership was the biggest of a match in which 32 wickets fell on the first two days.Pakistan were dismissed for 157 in their first innings, to which South Africa replied with 183.The visitors were bowled out for 186 in their second innings.South Africa, who resumed on 36 for two, lost their third wicket without adding to their overnight score when paceman Mohammad Asif trapped Graeme Smith in front for 33 with the ninth ball of the day’s play.Four overs later Asif reduced South Africa to 39 for four when he had Hashim Amla caught behind by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal for three.Kallis and Prince batted cautiously together, eking out their runs at a rate of less than two an over before lunch.Just 40 runs were scored in the 29.5 overs bowled in the morning session as Pakistan kept the batsmen under pressure.Kallis struck the first boundary of the day in the sixth over before lunch when he drove fast bowler Mohammad Sami off the back foot through the covers for four.Kallis reduced the remainder of the target to double figures with Sami’s next delivery, which he drove through mid-on for another four.But the trickle of runs soon slowed, and no other boundaries were signalled before lunch.The scoring rate rose after lunch, and the last six overs of the match included eight fours.Pakistan squandered a chance to dismiss Prince for 31 with the total on 116 for four when he pushed forward to a delivery from leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and sent an edge to sily point, where Imran Farhat dropped the catch.Kallis and Prince were finally separated just five runs away from victory when paceman Shahid Nazir clean-bowled Kallis, who faced 149 balls and hit seven fours in a patient innings.AB de Villiers, who scored four not out, drove Kaneria down the ground for two to end the match.The Pakistanis appealed often and vociferously, particularly when Asif and Kaneria were bowling.Umpires Steve Bucknor and Peter Parker both spoke to the team after particularly emphatic appeals were turned down.Nampa-Reuters