LAHORE, Pakistan, 18 October 2003 — Mark Boucher hit a valuable 72 to lift South Africa to 320 all out on the first day of the first Test against Pakistan yesterday.
Pakistan had no chance to start their innings after bad light forced stumps to be drawn five overs early.
The day’s proceedings were watched by a near empty stadium with a complete absence of the noise and din that accompanied the earlier one-day matches.
Boucher batted for 117 minutes and faced 96 balls in making his 16th Test half century. He shored up the innings with two valuable partnerships after Gary Kirsten had retired hurt shortly after lunch on 53.
Kirsten, who had just completed his 32nd half century, took a nasty blow on his left cheekbone as he tried to pull fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.
Bleeding profusely from a deep cut under the left eye, he went off to hospital where he had 10 stitches. Kirsten’s injury turned the tide toward Pakistan with the off-spinning all-rounder Shoaib Malik finishing with career-best figures of four for 42 from 17 overs in his fourth Test. Boucher shared partnerships of 70 with Boeta Dippenaar (24) and 53 with Shaun Pollock (28). He hit 11 fours in his enterprising innings which ended when he also fell victim to Malik, caught at leg slip with the score on 282.
Dippenaar was fifth man out when he was given caught at leg slip off Malik in what looked a debatable decision.
Electing to bat first, South Africa suffered some anxious moments before lunch as Pakistan dropped easy chances and Jacques Kallis survived a confident inside edge catch. But openers Graeme Smith (33) and Herschelle Gibbs (27) both went before the interval, parted after putting on 52.
South Africa coach Eric Simons said of Kirsten’s injury: “It was a major blow to us as he was playing the spinners the best and positively. His retirement broke our momentum.”
