Disappointed Smith promises to bounce back

Graeme Smith has not worn the look he had on today for 22 months and 15 Tests - the span between losing the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and their last defeat, to Sri Lanka in December 2011.

In its time away, the expression has grown considerably more tortured. His usual blue eyes become a shade at least five times darker, his mouth remains pursed, as though it is frowning the way a brow does and his jaw, appears more square than ever, jutting out aggressively, ready to protect and defend.

South Africa have not lost an away Test since Kolkata 2010, and the statistics from 2006 onward show them to be the best travelling team - with a win-loss ratio of 2.14. One defeat cannot erase that, but it has put a stain on otherwise clean sheet and that reality stings.

"It should hurt," Smith said. "But this team has too much ability to make this a habit. This is sport, you do lose and it's natural. We're extremely disappointed. We haven't been in this position too often. And with the standards that we set ourselves, we should have the ability to bounce back."

Smith is already thinking about the next match, perhaps because he wants to forget the out-of-sorts way South Africa performed in this one. After choosing to bat, they were bowled out for less than 250 and their bowlers could not adjust their lengths in time to suit the pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, often bowling shorter than required.

South Africa lost their last six wickets for 50 in the first innings but they've been known to respond tenaciously even after lapses with the bat. This time, a refusal to bowl a fuller length meant "we didn't start as well with the new ball," as Smith admitted. With Pakistan registering their first century stand in more than 18 months, South Africa were out of the game before they could bat a second time.

"From a skill perspective Pakistan were better than us over a period of time and we have to be honest about that," Smith said. "The first innings was where we were put under pressure. Irfan bowled really well upfront but we fought hard to get into a good position and then we collapsed. If we'd pushed on to over 300, 350, we could have given ourselves a chance."

South Africa's second essay didn't turn too many heads either. But having been bowled out for 232 - which meant Pakistan needed only 40 runs to win - the way their bowlers approached defending a small target was encouraging for Smith.

Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander found a fuller length straight away and took three wickets in Pakistan's first four overs. "It was bittersweet because it made us think if we have 150 or 200 runs, we could have had a chance. But we were better with the new ball. That's a big step in the right direction."

That South Africa took almost four days to adjust could be seen as an indication they were underprepared for the conditions. They have not played Test cricket since February and their only opportunity to acclimatise was a lone warm-up game. Some of their players like Smith and Jacques Kallis were recovering from injury or enjoying time off to leave them individually short of match practice as well.

Smith would not concede on that front, insisting the team had done enough. "We maximised the preparation time we had," he said. "It's always very difficult to replicate Tests but we worked extremely hard in training.

"There wasn't a lot of time either. Maybe we could have played two two-day games but you also need preparation time to get to the ground you are going to be playing at and that sort of thing. The strength of this team has been the ability to maximise preparation time. This time, we've been outplayed and you have to look at that."

In an effort to polish their skills, South Africa will hold an optional training session tomorrow, before travelling to Dubai on Saturday and will be back at work on Sunday.

"We have to make sure we are not too emotional and that we have clever plans. We need to have good cricket discussions in terms of planning, tactics and skills," Smith said. "The motivation is there. We are really motivated to win the next Test match. That's got to be our ultimate goal. We have to focus on making sure our plans are better. We are one down and haven't played to our potential. I have no doubt we have a team that can come back and square the series."

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Misbah proud of UAE record

The most important thing about thriving in the desert is the ability to adapt to its harshness. Plants store water, animals spend most of the day preserving energy in the shade and the Pakistan cricket team take wickets on tracks where most attacks toil without reward.

Misbah-ul-Haq credited his attack with dealing a decisive blow to South Africa and paving the way to allow Pakistan to break the visitors 15-match unbeaten streak. "The way our bowlers bowled in the first innings on a flat track, they gave us a good sniff by getting South Africa out for under 250," he said. Mohammad Irfan extracted bounce, Junaid Khan found movement and Saeed Ajmal and Zulfiqur Babar troubled South Africa with turn to ensure Pakistan only needed four bowlers to take 20 wickets.

In comparison, South Africa used seven bowlers and needed 45 and a half more overs to bowl Pakistan out in their first innings. On a surface that offered little assistance to either seam or spin, Pakistan relied on guile to do the job. Misbah said that is something learned through experience and time. "With Pakistan, it's a mental game. We always do well here so we have the confidence and the belief that we can do well."

Pakistan have not lost a Test since making the UAE their adopted home in 2010 and have bowled their opposition out in 15 of 18 innings they've taken to the field in. Their spinners are particularly threatening as England, and now South Africa have discovered. Misbah believes defeating another No.1 team in the world would give the team even more confidence.

"Conditions played an important role," he said. "When you are playing at a venue where you've performed well as a team, its a big plus. You really feel comfortable going in search of a win. I always believed this team has the quality to produce this type of cricket. If we can beat the No.1 side in the world, we can do it against any side in the world."

Pakistan's bowling performance was backed up by batsmen who showed more character than they have in the past, particularly the top two. Misbah ensured they shared the credit for the victory. "That really gave us an advantage. The way they started and the way they were attacking, that made a difference," he said. "By scoring at almost four runs an over they gave us that momentum to press on."

Misbah also thought Khurram Manzoor and Shan Masood did the important job of softening up the South African bowlers and making them question their own plans "When you score only 249 on a flat track. different things go through your mind and bowlers try different things. They want to take quick wickets and go for runs."

He did not have much to say about his own hundred, the fourth of his career, and the first in over two years. When nudged, Misbah admitted it was an innings he will cherish. "It is the most precious thing for a batsman to achieve. Such a satisfaction you cant have doing anything [else]. I really enjoyed that. And we won the game so that makes it something special to remember."

If being home has a feeling, that is what Misbah, more than anyone else would have experienced. The supporters cheered his every move and there were plenty of them in the ground. Given that it was played over the Eid holiday, crowds were larger than predicted with thousands in on every day. Despite the heat, humidity and distance of the ground from the city centre, they filled the grandstand and the grass embankments, brought their drums and their flags and cheered on their team.

"That was wonderful, especially to see that after such a long time," Misbah said. "Usually, you only have this support in one-dayers so it was nice to have it in a Test. I can tell you, it really helped the team. It kept the players motivated. I hope people come to the next game as well."

Misbah has promised the Dubai-based fans they will not be in for a draw because Pakistan are not simply. going to try and preserve their lead. "We have just given clear instructions to the groundsman that we want results. We want to exploit our home advantage," Misbah said. "We are not going to think negative because whenever there are negative thoughts in your mind, you don't get results. Whether we win or lose, we want results."

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BCCI, ECB against ICC chairman's role

The BCCI and the ECB are in agreement over the dilution of power to be exercised by the new ICC chairman and would like the role to be reduced from head of executive office in the ICC to that of a convenor. The BCCI president N Srinivasan and ECB chairman Giles Clarke met on Wednesday in London and one of the developments from that meeting is expected to be a proposal to re-examine the powers and responsibilities of the first ICC chairman, a position expected to come into being as of 2014.

Srinivasan and Clarke's discussions took place on the eve of a two-day ICC Executive Board meeting which began in London on Thursday. An official privy to their talks told ESPNcricinfo that Srinivasan and Clarke, "agreed that there is no role for the chairman in the ICC. It is just an additional layer of bureaucracy which they believe is not necessary. So they are proposing the role of the chairman as a meeting convenor or facilitator on a rotational basis."

It is understood that the central reason behind this turnaround of opinion rests on the fact that one of the most powerful committees on the ICC is the Finance and Commercial Affairs committee, chaired by Clarke and of which Srinivasan is a member. It is possible that the prospect of control over this committee being reduced with the arrival of a chairman with greater powers may have played a part in what, if it transpires, will be a change of heart around the new position.

Until Wednesday, both Srinivasan and Clarke were the frontrunners in assuming the role of the chairman which had been recommended by the ICC Board in 2012, in which both Clarke and Srinivasan are members. The move to introduce a chairman in 2012 was taken in order amend the ICC constitution and turn the role of the ICC president into a ceremonial one, while vesting executive powers in a new chairman.

At the time the Board had said then that the creation of the post of chairman was "consistent with recommendations in the Woolf Report." Lord Woolf, leading the ICC's independent governance review, had submitted a 60-page report last year wherein he made 65 radical recommendations around the governance of the ICC. One of his recommendations was a complete revamp of the ICC's executive structure, while another suggested a decline in the role of Full Members and the handover of powers to independent directors. Of all the Woolf recommendations, the creation of the post of chairman was being taken on by the ICC's executive board with alacrity, but may be curtailed even before it begins.

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Pakistan of Abu Dhabi v Pakistan of Harare

Self-belief, brave selection and an aggressive mindset helped Pakistan bounce back from a loss to Zimbabwe to beating the No. 1 Test team comprehensively

There is supposed to be some kind of certainty in covering the teams at the top and bottom of the Test rankings. You have a fair idea of who is expected to win and who is expected to lose. In the last month, that assumption has been twisted out of shape and it's all because of Pakistan.

It was barely believable that they lost to Zimbabwe in Harare and almost equally surprising that they dominated South Africa to earn such a comfortable win in Abu Dhabi. Misbah-ul-Haq put it down to conditions but there's much more to Pakistan's performance than just the comfort of a flat track.

For a start, the pitch at Harare Sports Club would be flattered to be classed under the bowler-friendly category. Although conducive to quicks in the morning, especially on the first and second days, it's closer to the harmless Natal green snake than the mamba it has been made out to be.

Pakistan's defeat was a result of carrying an unsuccessful opening pair, who were separated all too easily, having their younger batsmen frustrated by an inability to score runs through disciplined if not exactly scary seamers and three batsmen, Tino Mawoyo, Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor, who have developed as players of spin and have the temperament to bat out tough periods.

Those who were at HSC may well say Zimbabwe won because they were the more determined side, or in clichéd, cricket-speak, the side which 'wanted it more.' And the same could be applied to describe the way Pakistan performed at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

They went into the game confident of their ability in the UAE. The insecurity of an unfamiliar surface was absent and so was their biggest weakness. Dropping Mohammad Hafeez robbed Pakistan of experience and an additional bowler, but it appears the bravest, and perhaps even the best decision, the administrators have made.

Hafeez's awareness of the off stump may have been better in these conditions but his form against top-class bowlers has been wanting and benching in him in favour of players with a more sound technique to man the opening slot was the right decision.

That does not mean Khurram Manzoor or Shan Masood are the future. Not yet. They were both dismissed in Hafeez-esque ways in the second innings but they showed promise. They have a balance between patience and intent that saw Pakistan score at a rate between three and four runs an over, while giving them a base to build from and allowing the middle-order to bat without the pressure of survival is what set Pakistan up for victory.

The quality of Pakistan's innings was aided by a confused performance from their opposition, who misunderstood the length required of them. But it was also spurred on by a more aggressive mindset from Pakistan. Everyone from Manzoor to Adnan Akmal seemed to understand they could score runs. In Zimbabwe and in South Africa earlier this year, Pakistan played as though they thought they could not.

Since 2010, Pakistan have not lost in the UAE. It is not their home but they have come to think of themselves as having ownership here. They allowed themselves to drive Dale Steyn through the offside when he ventured too wide or pulled Morne Morkel if he dropped it short.

It is also on these surfaces where they know their ability against spin can come to the fore, be it while bowling or batting. South Africa's spin department for this Test was weak and Pakistan took full advantage. While Robin Peterson offered them too much flight and bowled too many full tosses, the South African middle order were easy targets for Saeed Ajmal and Zulfiqur Babar.

South Africa are not bunnies against spin. They have decent records against the likes of Graeme Swann and even Ajmal from the last tour. But just as they have improved in their footwork and ability to read a turning ball, Ajmal has become more cunning. Faf du Plessis and most of the tail were troubled by him and because he can bowl all day, Pakistan used him in that capacity.

Though, Pakistan did not rely solely on Ajmal. Babar was a more than adequate back-up and the two seamers were exceptional. Mohammad Irfan has worked on his stamina and can bowl longer spells without the fear of breaking down. Junaid Khan was described by Zimbabwe's players - who will be quietly chuckling to themselves that they are now the yardstick - as the most improved bowler from the Pakistan of two years ago. He is dangerous with both the new and old balls and creates problems with his angle.

With all of these elements working together, Pakistan put on an all-round performance they can be proud of. They were committed in the field as well, with Irfan showcasing many inelegant but effective methods of saving runs. This was the performance of a team who had something to prove, against one who may have felt their long unbeaten record on the road meant they had already shown what they are capable of.

It is not like South Africa to take things for granted but with minimal preparation and a long absence from Test cricket, they still declared themselves ready to play, from mid-way through the warm-up match when some of their players said they would be able to walk into a Test match, "tomorrow." Pakistan might have sensed that as over-confidence and they pounced on it.

The importance of this result for Pakistan and their personnel was highlighted merely by watching Dav Whamore's reaction. When Misbah launched Peterson for six, Whatmore was out of his seat almost before the ball had landed on the other side of the boundary and was on his way to shake hands with the South African support staff.

He waited on the sidelines for Misbah, to whom he offered no outstretched hand. The pair were couched in a bear hug which said more than any words could. They were joined in relief and joy, knowing some part of the job is done but there is still more to do. Just a few weeks ago, they were united in embarrassment following the loss to Zimbabwe.

Is this the same team who were humiliated in Harare? Some parts of it are and the parts that are not appear improved, infused with optimism and in touch with what they need to do to win.

'Pakistan will get stronger after win' - Waqar Younis

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Batsmen must be self-reliant - Katich

Last week, Cricket Australia assembled more than 20 of the nation's sharpest cricket minds at the SCG in an attempt to work out how to help the nation's struggling batsmen. Simon Katich was not among the delegates, but he has a simple piece of advice for those players fighting to establish themselves as consistent run-makers at state and international level - no one else can do it for you.

Katich's message of self-reliance was significant both for how true it was to him, as the owner of a proven batting technique few coaches would admit to having suggested, and for how far out of step it is with the ways of the 21st century game. Australian batsmen have never been surrounded by more mentors and minders. But as Katich stated so bluntly, at the moment of critical importance it is just them against the bowler.

"The harsh part of this game is that even though it's a team game it's very much an individual game, particularly batting," Katich said after making 67 for Western Australia against Victoria at North Sydney Oval. "So you can help as much as you can with advice and passing on experience, but at the end of the day you're out there on your own.

"One thing I've gathered from my career is the more self-sufficient you become as a batsman the better off you'll be, because unfortunately no one can bat for you. Everyone can help, coaches and team-mates can help with advice, but in the end it's just you against the bowler and you've got to win that battle. There's some good kids floating around the state system, no doubt, and it's a matter of them grabbing their opportunities and making the most of it."

Alongside the grabbing of opportunity and the fostering of independence, Katich joined his fellow late 30-somethings Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey in arguing that the current crop of international batsmen needed to be granted faith and continuity. He recalled taking time to feel settled as an international batsman himself, and wondered if his successors have been given enough of a chance to find their feet.

"I just think people have got to be patient because it's not that easy to step into international cricket and perform straight away," he said. "There's many guys in the past that have taken time, I know myself it took time to feel comfortable at Test level. So it doesn't happen straight away but if there's patience and persistence with guys then hopefully at some point they'll reward the selectors and keep churning out consistent runs."

Katich is playing for WA after a decade out of the yellow cap due to a request by his former team-mate Justin Langer to reinforce an alarmingly thin Warriors batting order, beset by injuries, national call-ups and a wider malaise affecting the state. So far he has agreed only to play in the domestic limited-overs matches in Sydney, but Langer is pushing him to go on to four-day duty.

"I want to be able to walk in the front door of my house in the next couple of months," Katich joked in reference to a Sheffield Shield schedule of six matches in as many weeks after the limited-overs tournament concludes. "I'm pretty sure Justin will keep chipping away at me, he has been the last few months.

"But I'm happy with my decision, I'm happy to be helping the boys out as well, in extreme circumstances, where a number got injured before the Champions League and we've lost three or four of our senior players to the India tour. I guess the timing of it all was nice to try to help the boys out by playing this week and giving them some experience. I am grateful for having started my career in WA, and from that point of view it's nice to help out in this way."

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Tendulkar available for Mumbai's season opener

Sachin Tendulkar will warm up for his farewell Test series by appearing in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy opener against Haryana, to be played in Lahli from October 27 to 30.

A day before Mumbai's selection panel, headed by former India opener Sudhir Naik, is to select the squad for the match and name the captain for the season, Mumbai Cricket Association joint secretary Nitin Dalal confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that Tendulkar "has made himself available" for the Ranji match.

Tendulkar will then join the Indian team one last time for the two-Test series starting on November 6. He had announced his decision to retire after the second Test, his 200th, to be played at his home ground, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After leaving international cricket, Tendulkar is unlikely to return to the domestic circuit, so Mumbai's match against Haryana may mark Tendulkar's last appearance in Indian domestic cricket.

He had made his maiden first-class appearance almost 25 years ago, against Gujarat on December 10, 1988, and has played 37 Ranji Trophy games so far over the years. Despite wanting to be part of the Mumbai dressing room more often, a packed international calendar prevented him from doing so. After retiring from ODIs last year, Tendulkar appeared in four Ranji games for Mumbai last season, scoring two centuries and a fifty in five innings. It was the first time since 1994-95 that he played more than three Ranji games in a season.

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South Africa err in length and selection

The over-reliance on short-pitched bowling and lack of a penetrative spinner forced South Africa to endure their toughest day in the field in 11 months

On pitches that do not facilitate bounce, like the one at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, fast bowlers need to be patient and disciplined. Their reserves of guts and imagination will be tested and the levels of intensity and mental focus needed are higher than normal. That's what South Africa's bowling coach Allan Donald said was required of his attack before the series began. However, with Pakistan on 263 for 3, ahead by 14 going into the third day, the challenge has seemingly proved more than what the bowlers could handle.

South Africa endured their toughest day in the field in 11 months, since Brisbane 2012. On day four at the Gabba, they had conceded 376 runs for one wicket. It wasn't as bad this time but the same issues remained: an over-reliance on short-pitched bowling and the lack of an attacking spinner.

The problem with length can be fixed through technical adjustments, which Donald seemed certain his charges would make in time for the first Test. He said he had impressed on them that they could not simply, "turn up, bowl back of a length and expect to take wickets." That is the default South African way of doing things as the coach Russell Domingo admitted, but Donald will have to strategise a plan B for pitches that do not have much in the way of bounce.

Donald was looking for a slightly fuller length, a line that did not stray down leg side and early breakthroughs created by making batsmen play as much as possible in the first 20 overs. South Africa's four quicks allowed Pakistan to leave more than six overs' worth of deliveries, 37 to be exact, in the first 19 overs.

Some of those deliveries were too far outside off stump to tempt Shan Masood and Khurram Manzoor, but the majority of them allowed the pair to duck underneath or watch them pass tamely over the stumps. There were 27 short balls in the first 114 deliveries. The surface did not suit the ploy and the openers, particularly Manzoor, displayed solid defensive ability on the back foot. As Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander discovered, the better plan was to bowl fuller and try to induce an edge. Steyn got it right against Masood but the chance he created was fluffed in the slips.

Where the quicks, barring Steyn, did well upfront was in keeping the run-rate down. Morne Morkel and Philander were miserly and built pressure but could not sustain it because of their continued relapse into old habits. Domingo, however, did not regard the approach as a mistake even though it yielded so little. "Every time we play subcontinent sides, we always look to target them with short-pitched bowling and it's definitely something we will continue doing," he said.

If that is the case, South Africa may only end up enabling Pakistan's batsmen, who showed greater intent than they have done recently. Against Zimbabwe, albeit in completely different conditions and against a different kind of attack, they rarely scored at more than three runs an over. Here, that was their regular pace - a refreshing change from the mindset of survival they have had to employ in recent matches.

Their scoring increased further against the slower bowlers. Robin Peterson was hardly threatening and expensive. For Pakistan, facing him was like asking a university graduate to write a high-school essay. They handled his flight with ease and brought South Africa's selection policy into question, because they did have another option in legspinner Imran Tahir.

Peterson was picked on protocol and sentiment. He has been South Africa's lead spinner since late 2012 and displacing him was considered unfair, especially because he had not done much wrong. That policy worked when all South Africa's spinner had to do was play a bits-and-pieces role in the shadow of the quicks, and it even helped lengthen their batting line-up.

On a pitch that will suit spin, however, there is no legitimate excuse for not playing the person who can turn the ball most. Tahir is not the best spinner in the world and the practice match was evidence of that. His assortment of full tosses and needless variations bled runs in his first spell in Sharjah, but he caused problems once he got it together. In the circumstances, South Africa should have used him in Abu Dhabi.

Domingo disagreed, and said Peterson had good enough performances over the last year to bounce back. "I am sure he will be the first to admit he didn't bowl as well as he could have. We know he will get better."

Peterson's performance will lead to deeper questions about the development of the available spin talent in South Africa - with Warriors' offspinner Simon Harmer being bandied as a possibility for the future - but right now the situation does not merit such severe introspection.

All that should be questioned is why South Africa did not use their best resource and whether they made the right decision in expecting JP Duminy to be the second spinner. Duminy has potential and was the better of the two slow bowlers today.

This is not the first time they picked an XI not best suited to the conditions either. That day in Brisbane, South Africa were so convinced by the pre-match hype of a green top that they played four seamers and relied on Duminy to do the work of a spinner. The pitch was one of the flattest in recent memory, and Duminy was injured before he could play any part in the match, which was drawn after a day was lost to rain.

There's unlikely to be a similar reprieve in this Test so South Africa will have to rescue themselves, and before they can consider doing that with the bat, they have to rectify their shortcomings with the ball.

"Having not played for a lengthy period of time, it always takes some time to get going," Domingo said. "You have to go back and remind yourself why this side is No.1 in the world and how they got there." They can start by remembering their rise up the rankings came through solid performances away from home, which were achieved by adapting to conditions quickly. They will need to do the same here.

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From wildcard to senior

Khurram Manzoor looked tentative on his Pakistan comeback but, two Tests later, made a century against the No. 1 Test attack alongside a debutant opening partner

For a significant portion of Dav Whatmore's tenure as Pakistan coach, he has looked worried. Occasionally that expression becomes something less stressful and sometimes it completely disappears and is replaced by calm. Even rarer are the times when it moulds into optimism. One of those times was between Test matches in Harare.

"Khurram Manzoor, he's back and he's looking quite good," Whatmore said in casual conversation with journalists one evening. Manzoor had returned into the Pakistan side to partner Mohammad Hafeez and fix one of Pakistan's most pressing concerns. But he did not look too convincing on first sighting.

He scored 11 and 5 in the first Test, appeared uncomfortable with the angle created by Tinashe Panyangara from around the wicket and was out lbw twice. Height was a concern on both occasions but without referral technology it was difficult to know for sure. Even ignoring that, Manzoor looked tentative and even a little out of his depth.

Whatmore must have known something others did not because in the next match, Manzoor scored twin half-centuries. Hafeez departed cheaply twice. Manzoor was more settled against the quicks, more in control, especially on the drive, and used his feet well against spin. Although Pakistan suffered a surprise defeat, there was one positive to take out of it: Whatmore had found his man.

Those knocks meant that when Hafeez was dropped for this series, Manzoor went from a wildcard who was handed a comeback after being dropped following seven reasonable Tests - which included a 93 against Sri Lanka and a 77 against Australia - to the one certainty in the Pakistan opening pair. With the search on to find who would share top-two duty, Manzoor became the more experienced opener, almost overnight.

It was a responsibility he handled from the first ball when he took strike against Test cricket's top-ranked bowler. He could have been overwhelmed but he was bullish - with bat and in attitude - instead. Ten runs were scored off three deliveries in the opening over, a rarity for Dale Steyn, and an appetiser to what Manzoor and his partner, Shan Masood, went on to produce.

They put on Pakistan's best opening stand since January 2012 and gave the middle order a reprieve from their rescue-effort duties. They have also given Pakistan hope that another new combination at the top of the order could be a successful one by wearing down a lethargic South Africa attack through watchfulness and calculated aggression.

Masood said this was the third century stand they have shared in. He recalled previous occasions during a warm-up match in Pakistan and an A game in West Indies and said that explained their understanding. "He is my senior partner and I felt very comfortable with him," Masood said.

Manzoor seemed to allow Masood greater freedom earlier on, even though they scored at similar rates. While Masood took on the short ball, Manzoor was happy to get on the front foot, push forward and nudge into gaps to ensure runs accumulated.

	With the milestone out of the way, Manzoor played with freedom and a surprising amount of self-expression. He seemed to laugh in the face of a frustrated Steyn by blowing him a sarcastic kiss

In that way, Pakistan were never in the slow-scoring rut they have found themselves in before and were still applying the requisite caution needed against South Africa's pace bowlers. When spin was introduced as lunch approached, Manzoor came into his own. His footwork appeared second nature as he struck JP Duminy and Robin Peterson for three fours in three deliveries, placing the ball where he wanted it to go each time.

It was a small bit of fun and Manzoor did not allow himself to be carried away by it. After the break, he was back to holding the fort. His ease in handling the short ball was a hallmark of his defence as he judged expertly when he needed to be on the back foot. When he reached fifty, it seemed a natural progression from where he left off in Harare. This time, he also showed he could convert.

Masood made what he termed a mistake in "missing a straight one" from Duminy, which trapped him on the pads. He acknowledged that he and Manzoor had exceeded expectations by the time he departed. "We wanted to try negotiate the new ball and set a good platform for the experienced and dependable middle order," he said.

The way Manzoor played afterwards illustrated his maturity. Pakistan lost two wickets for five runs and Manzoor needed to consolidate, even though he would have had his own milestone in the back of his mind. He spent 29 deliveries getting from 85 to 100, including an over from Vernon Philander where the bowler showed glimpses of the line and length that has worked so well for him in other parts of the world.

When Manzoor started to get itchy feet and thought about chasing a wide one, he immediately meted out a self-inflicted punishment. A thump on his own helmet with his bat was enough to remind him to advance cautiously. He allowed himself to let loose against Peterson, against whom it was only fitting that he brought up his century.

With the milestone out of the way, Manzoor played with freedom and a surprising amount of self-expression towards the end of the day. He seemed to laugh in the face of a frustrated Steyn by blowing him a sarcastic kiss. That kind of attitude is what's needed to overcome an attack who rely on their reputation to do some work for them because it will send a message, as Masood outlined later, saying: "We wanted it more." And Manzoor seemed to want it most.

How much more he wants could be decisive in the lead Pakistan take after the first innings. Masood suspects it will be a large amount, given the time left in the game. "We've got a guy who is batting tremendously on 131 and the captain," Masood said. "If these can two can bat for the first hour or first session, we are talking about taking the game by the scruff of the neck. The pressure is on them."

South Africa have already conceded their first century opening stand in 34 Test innings and could have another record against them broken too. Manzoor is now six runs away from overtaking Azhar Mahmood as the holder of Pakistan's highest individual score against South Africa. If you'd asked Whatmore in Harare that night whether he thought a feat like that was coming, despite all his confidence in Manzoor, he may have been hesitant to commit that much.

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Pakistan ruing lack of third seamer

Mohammad Irfan's temporary exit from the field illuminated the issue of not having a third seaming option, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq having Saeed Ajmal operate at one end in order to rotate his depleted attack

When Mohammad Irfan left the field two balls into his fourth spell, Pakistan were already playing with limited bowling options. With only a pair of specialist seamers and spinners each, without him, Pakistan were down to three bowlers, and when he walked off, it seemed that could cause some problems.

Hashim Amla and JP Duminy were playing fluently, and with barely any turn on a deck that was flattening out, Pakistan seemed to be in for the long haul. They had already shown their reluctance to use Younis Khan's medium-pace when Zulfiqur Babar was brought on as first-change in the 10th over. The left-arm spinner's first spell was placid, as he tossed it up generously and offered some relief from one end.

Despite that, they managed to put the world's top-ranked team in a precarious position using only four bowlers, thanks largely to the efforts of Junaid Khan upfront, and the spinners later on. Junaid opened with a four-over spell and obtained significant movement to make Graeme Smith's stay at the crease uncomfortable. After a four-over break, he returned for another, beating Hashim Amla's bat on occasion, and getting the crucial wicket of Jacques Kallis with what was probably his delivery of the day - one which bent back in and took the inside edge.

But with the older ball, the South Africans found him easier to play, and that may have been where Pakistan missed a third seam-bowling option. Their lack of a pace-bowling all-rounder seems to offset the balance of their team and they will have to rely heavily on the spinners to make up for that.

The early signs suggest they can. Saeed Ajmal's stamina meant he could easily operate from one end all day once he was brought on, and it seemed that would be the case when he came on before lunch. He bowled non-stop from the 22nd over till tea, making it 17 overs on the trot.

Although he was fairly unthreatening in that time, the South Africans treated him with the respect his reputation has earned, and having him as a constant allowed Misbah-ul-Haq to rotate the rest of the bowlers from the other end. That may be the way Ajmal is used in the early exchanges between these two sides, as a slow poison of sorts to create frustration and allow things to happen at the other end before striking himself.

An example of that came when the man stationed in an unconventional position behind square leg for JP Duminy's sweep shot gave Babar his first Test wicket. And then things started to turn for the spinners, with Babar and Ajmal taking advantage. With South Africa at 222 for 8, they could have finished them off for under 250, but it was perhaps the lack of an additional bowler which made it difficult for them to achieve that.

Misbah will probably have to call on Younis at some stage, but will be relieved that Irfan was able to get back on to take the second new ball. The tall man later confirmed it was nothing more than a case of cramp, exacerbated by slight dehydration, and that he felt better after increasing his water intake. He confirmed he would be able to play a part in the rest of the match but predicted he may not be the danger man.

"At the end of the day, the spinners dominated," Irfan said. "Although it is not turning that much, our spinners are still getting something out of it, and will hopefully have more in the second innings."

Pakistan would have thought they were in a similar position of advantage after they bowled South Africa out for 253 in their first innings at the Wanderers in February. That was the first, and only time, in the home summer that South Africa were challenged, and that too in conditions tailor-made for their pace attack. All Pakistan could muster in response was 49 all out, thanks to a Dale Steyn special of 6 for 8 in 8.1 overs.

Nothing as emphatic should be expected tomorrow, given the conditions, but Duminy hinted the seamers are already smarting on behalf of their batsmen and will want to make up for a day which they "definitely" felt they ended "behind" on. "Having the bowling line-up that we do, you've got to back us to do a great job," Duminy said.

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Tucker appointed captain for qualifiers

38-year-old veteran Janeiro Tucker has been appointed Bermuda captain for next month's World T20 qualifier, for which they named a 15-man squad.

Bermuda aim to shrug off the one-hit wonder tag at the tournament as they target a place back at a major event for the first time since the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies - to date their only appearance at a global competition.

"I am happy to congratulate Janeiro Tucker on his appointment," Bermuda Cricket Board president Lloyd Fray said. "Janeiro has been an outstanding player at domestic and international level for a number of years and has a keen cricket mind. He is respected by the players and our community and is a proven leader on and off the cricket field.

"Many of us remember one of Bermuda's proudest moments in July 2005 when Bermuda qualified for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. I hope that we all remember that is was Janeiro Tucker who was captain at that time, he had taken over the reins when Clay Smith was injured in an early match, and he lead our country to qualification. I hope that proves to be a lucky omen for our country in next month's tournament."

The squad will travel to Dubai on November 8 for two warm-up matches against Italy and Canada before their first qualifier in Group B against Scotland on November 15.

Bermuda squad for World T20 qualifier
Janeiro Tucker (capt), Dion Stovell, Kwame Tucker, Christian Burgess, David Hemp, Terryn Fray, Tre Manders, Christopher Douglas, Allan Douglas Jnr, Jacobi Robinson, Derrick Brangman, Lionel Cann, Malachi Jones, Kamau Leverock, Kamal Bashir

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