South Africa close in on victory

First Test, Centurion, day four (stumps): Pakistan 313 & 302 v South Africa 417 & 69-2
Scorecard
South Africa looked on course to win the first Test against Pakistan after ending day four on 69-2, needing a further 130 runs at Centurion Park.

They appeared even better off when the tourists slumped to 199-7.

But tail-enders Shahid Nazir (40), Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (33) and Danish Kaneria (23) attacked to lift the total to 302.

Spinner Paul Harris finished with 4-46 and Shaun Pollock 3-60. AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith (32) fell late on, but the Proteas remained favourites.

Tight bowling helped them control the first half of the day, with Younis Khan the first to fall after being pinned in his crease by one that Pollock nipped back.

Makhaya Ntini then twice found the edge of Imran Farhat's bat, with the left-hander on 41 and 47, but Jacques Kallis at slip and wicket-keeper Mark Boucher failed to hold on.

Having reached his 13th Test fifty off 124 balls, Farhat fell just before lunch when a push forward to Harris resulted in the ball flying to de Villiers at silly point.

Faisal Iqbal, skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal then perished in the afternoon trying to play aggressive shots.
Nazir was dropped by Pollock before the break off the luckless Ntini and could have been run out twice before thrashing the seamer over mid-wicket for six and seeing his stumps re-arranged attempting a repeat.

Naved, who survived a strong caught behind appeal off Pollock in the first over after tea, and Kaneria took over to launch a succession of meaty blows.

Three fours came in one over from Ntini and a startled Pollock was thrashed over long-off and mid-wicket for huge maximums.

Harris saw off Kaneria to bring the carnage to an end but the momentum had shifted back towards Pakistan.

When De Villiers edged a delivery that Mohammad Asif shaped away, the tourists were scenting something dramatic at 20-1.

But Smith and Hashim Amla looked set until the slow bowlers were introduced and the batsmen were playing for stumps.

Part-time off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez beat skipper Smith with one that turned and won an lbw verdict.

But Pakistan knew they would need a combination of inspired bowling and poor batting to avoid an opening defeat in the three-match series.