Du Plessis‚ Bavuma pile on the misery for Pakistan

Faf du Plessis and Temba Bavuma batted South Africa to the verge of a series victory at tea on day two of the second Test against Pakistan on Friday.

Already 1-0 up in the three-Test series‚ South Africa applied the squeeze on Pakistan in the middle session as captain Du Plessis and Bavuma drew the sting from the Pakistan attack. South Africa reached tea on 281/4 after Du Plessis (80 not out) and Bavuma (60 not out) kept the visitors at bay from the lunch break.

The pair joined forces in the morning session after Theunis de Bruyn fell to an irresponsible shot to leave South Africa 149/4.

The pair‚ despite variable bounce on the second day rode the storm and fashioned an unbroken stand of 132 for the fifth wicket. Du Plessis‚ who got a pair in the previous Test in Centurion‚ played a watchful innings. It needed to be‚ as some deliveries spat disconcertingly from a decent length.

Given the state of the wicket Pakistan adopted a straighter line‚ but when they threw the bait wider outside off stump Du Plessis early in his innings‚ he resisted temptation. He cashed in later however as the attack grew weary.

Given the conditions and the match situation‚ Du Plessis found the near-perfect foil in Bavuma who equally applied himself in wearing down the Pakistan attack.

Although they were watchful‚ the pair proved ruthless when scoring opportunities presented themselves. Du Plessis also played through the pain barrier having again been hit on his fingers.

With Quinton de Kock still to come‚ the hosts can potentially quickly extend their advantage in the final session.