Pakistan fight back after Steyn record
Pakistan fought back after being bowled out for 181 as bowlers dominated on the first day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park on Wednesday.
Duanne Olivier took six for 37 as the hosts subjected Pakistan to an onslaught of aggressive, short-pitched bowling.
South Africa struggled in reply, reaching 127 for five at the close, with left-armers Mohammad Amir and Shaheen Shah Afridi both taking two wickets.
Teenager Afridi struck with successive deliveries, dismissing Dean Elgar and captain Faf du Plessis as South Africa lost three wickets without scoring a run to sink to 43 for four.
Theunis de Bruyn (29) and Temba Bavuma (38 not out) seemed to be regaining the ascendancy for South Africa as they added 69 for the fifth wicket but De Bruyn was caught behind off Amir late in the day to leave the match evenly poised.
Olivier, effectively South Africa's fifth-choice fast bowler, gained his sixth Test cap following injuries to Vernon Philander and Lungi Ngidi.
Olivier stole the limelight for South Africa on a day when Dale Steyn became South Africa's leading all-time wicket-taker.
Steyn took the second wicket of the match, having Fakhar Zaman caught at second slip, to claim the South African record with 422 Test scalps but had no further success. He was punished for 40 runs in four overs in his third spell of the day as Babar Azam went on the attack while batting with the tail. Azam hit 10 of his 15 fours off Steyn, who finished with one for 66.
Azam made a defiant 71 off 79 balls on a pitch already showing signs of uneven bounce. Hasan Ali (21) supported Azam in a ninth wicket stand of 67, easily the best of the innings.
Olivier's first victim was Shan Masood, who was playing in place of Haris Sohail, who suffered a knee injury during the pre-match warm-up. Masood looked competent as he and Azhar Ali put on 37 for the third wicket before a lifting delivery deflected off his thigh pad onto the stumps. Olivier followed up by trapping Asad Shafiq leg before wicket before he took the wickets of Azhar Ali, captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Amir after the break.
South Africa lost Aiden Markram early, leg before to Hasan Ali, but Elgar and Hashim saw off some tight bowling by Hasan and Mohammad Amir. Amir returned to the attack after a short break and had Amla caught at gully for eight, the latest in a string of low scores by the veteran batsman.
Tall left-armer Afridi, 18, playing in his second Test, followed up in the next over when Elgar was caught at first slip, trying to withdraw his bat, and Du Plessis was greeted by a ball which reared off a good length and he was caught at gully.
SCORES IN BRIEF
PAKISTAN: First innings 181 all out (Babar 71, Azhar 36; Olivier 6-37, Rabada 3-59, Steyn 1-66)
SOUTH AFRICA: First innings 127 for 5 (Elgar 22, de Bruyn 29, Bavuma 38 not out; Amir 2-26, Shaheen 2-36)
STEYN's TEST MILESTONES
Milestones on Dale Steyn's progress to become South Africa's leading Test wicket-taker:
December 2004: Test debut against England in Port Elizabeth. A fast late-swinging delivery to bowl Michael Vaughan shows his potential but it takes him another two years to become an established member of the Test team.
April 2006: First five-wicket haul, 5-47 v New Zealand, Centurion.
November 2007: First ten-wicket match haul, 10-93 v New Zealand, Johannesburg.
January 2008: 100th wicket in 20th Test, Junaid Siddique (Bangladesh), Chittagong.
February 2010: Career-best innings figures, 7-51 v India, Nagpur.
June 2010: 200th wicket in 39th Test, Sulaiman Benn (West Indies), Port-of-Spain.
January 2013: 300th wicket in 61st Test, Doug Bracewell (New Zealand), Cape Town.
February 2013: Career-best match figures, 11-60 v Pakistan, Johannesburg.
July 2015: 400th wicket in 80th Test, Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh), Mirpur.
December 2018: 422nd wicket in 89th Test, Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan), Centurion.
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