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Pakistan fail to impress

East London - At close of play on the opening day of the tour warm-up match between a South African XI and the touring Pakistan team, the visitors were on 178 for six wickets on a day badly affected by light rain and bad light.

At the crease were Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan wicketkeeper on 10 and hard-hitting Umar Gul on 23, who despite the poor light, managed to lustily drive a six off spinner Simon Harmer moments before the players left the field.

The two have so far added a valuable 33 for the seventh wicket, after the tourists had at one stage lost six wickets for 40 runs in the second session.

Both Mohammad Hafeez and his opening partner Nasir Jamshed looked most comfortable at the crease and up to the lunch interval the pace attack of Kyle Abbott, Beuran Hendricks and Wayne Parnell, gave the batsmen little problems.

Hafeez was the more aggressive of the two, and stroked five boundaries off Abbott, racing to 36 out of the first 50.

Jamshed showed plenty of determination as he played himself in on what would be to him a strange surface as this is the first time he has played away from the sub-continent.

Hafeez brought up the 100 and his half-century for Pakistan in the 27th over as the tourists went to lunch at 100 without loss with Jamshed on 45.

After lunch Hafeez did not last long, being caught for 55 by Andrew Puttick in the slips off Abbott at 105 for one wicket. He faced 95 balls and stroked 10 fours.

Therafter the Pakistan middle order looked at sixes and sevens as they lost four wickets in quick succession.

Azhar Ali (2), Younis Khan (5), captain Mizbah-ul-Haq (4), and Asad Shafiq (4) all joined Hafeez in the pavilion with the score on 145 for five wickets.

Most of the batsmen looked anxious to succeed and Khan, normally a fluent scorer, spent 38 minutes facing 25 to make his five.

Without any addition, the anchor of the innings, Jamshed tickled a ball from Harmer to short-leg where Cody Chetty grabbed the chance and a very subdued Pakistan went to tea at 150 for six wickets.

The wickets have been evenly shared by Abbott, Hendricks and Harmer, who have each taken two scalps.

About 90 minutes were lost to the elements.

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