Noman’s six wickets give Pakistan a big lead over South Africa in 1st cricket test

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Left-arm spinner Noman Ali snared six wickets and helped Pakistan take a big lead over South Africa despite Tony de Zorzi’s century Tuesday on a spinning wicket in the first cricket test.

De Zorzi made a gritty 104 off 171 balls before World Test Championship winner South Africa was dismissed for 269 early on Day 3. That gave Pakistan a first-innings lead of 109 runs on a wicket where spinners have already picked up 21 wickets. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada is the only fast bowler so far to take a wicket.

Pakistan, which posted 378 runs in the first innings, extended its lead to 145 runs as the hosts went to lunch at 36-2.

Off-spinner Simon Harmer picked up both wickets with the new ball. He had Imam-ul-Haq stumped off his fourth ball that spun away sharply from the left-hander and then trapped Pakistan captain Shan Masood lbw just before the interval.

Babar Azam survived an lbw referral against Rabada in the last over of the session before getting his first run. Abdullah Shafique was not out on 21.

Earlier, South Africa added 53 to its overnight 216-6 before Noman (6-112) and off-spinner Sajid Khan (3-98), bowling unchanged, finished off the innings.

Senuran Muthusamy (11) added five runs before Salman Ali Agha pounced on a low two-handed catch in the slips in Khan’s second over of the day.

Harmer twice reverse swept Noman for boundaries, and de Zorzi entered into the 90s with a reverse swept boundary and then lofted Noman over wide long-off for a six.

Left-hander de Zorzi then completed his chanceless century, which featured 10 fours and two sixes, when he reverse swept Noman for a single. He raised his both arms to celebrate his second test hundred.

De Zorzi was finally out when Shaheen Shah Afridi held a well-judged low catch as he dived forward at long-on, giving Noman his ninth five-wicket haul in 20 test matches – the most by any Pakistan left-arm test spinner.

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