Exactly two decades ago, speedster Shoaib Akhtar registered his maiden Test five-wicket haul during the second Test of Pakistan’s tour of South Africa in 1998 at Durban. Hansie Cronje, the then South African captain, had won the toss and chose to bowl.
On the back of Azhar Mahmood’s third Test century, 132 (163), with the help of 24 fours, Pakistan had scored 259-10 in 73.2 overs. With bowling figures of 19.2-4-79-5, Allan Donald was the pick of the South African bowlers in the first innings.
Also read: Shoaib Akhtar Promises To Improve Cricket Structure In PakistanPlaying in only his third Test, Akhtar did most of the damage to the home team’s innings. His spell was instrumental in Pakistan earning a vital 28-run lead in the first innings.
He dismissed Jacques Kallis (43) and Andrew Hudson (0) in the same over to jostle South Africa’s middle order. His other three wickets came down the order as he got rid of Mark Boucher (2), Lance Klusener (6) and Fanie de Villiers (7) in consecutive overs. He ended up with bowling figures of 12-1-43-5.
Watch the full video:
