Kallis scores 9 beautiful boundaries

South Africa: 159/4 (Kallis 50, Amla 37, Smith 34, Umar Gul 2/34, Younus Khan 1/16, Junaid Khan 1/32)

There was a measure of intent in South Africa’s approach after the morning session of the first day of the Test in which they lost both openers within four balls of each other.

South Africa scored more runs in the after-lunch session than they did in the morning session.

Jacques Kallis cashed in on some loose Pakistan bowling and scored nine delightful boundaries in his 74-ball 50.

For the best part of his career, Kallis has had to anchor the South African batting, earning him the selfish batsman tag.

There was an element of selfishness in his shot-making, but when you have spent years scrambling for morsels left by your struggling fellow batsmen, there is nothing wrong with gorging when the buffet presents itself.

But his aggression has also been his downfall and it took a special catch by Asad Shafiq at square leg to get rid of him.

It ended a 79-run partnership that put South Africa back on the rails after Pakistan had Graeme Smith and Alviro Petersen back in the shed within four balls of each other.

With the pitch showing signs of flattening out, the partnership needed to go into three figures.

The pitch still offered movement off the seam and Junaid Khan, easily Pakistan’s best bowler, made the ball take and made the South Africans think twice about fiddling outside off stump.

He was treated with the utmost respect and his teammates followed his lead.

Hashim Amla was more conspicuous in his accumulation and, even though there were six cleanly punched boundaries, Gul in particular never allowed him to get away.

Like that of Smith, he gave away his wicket weakly, slashing part-timer Younus Khan to Azhar Ali at short gully.

Pakistan’s number three may not be the most nimble of movers, but his reflexes did not fail him, snatching a full-blooded cut shot from a long hop.

Pakistan were glad to see the back of Amla but they still have to negotiate South Africa’s deep middle order.