AB de Villiers' Record Keeps South Africa's Sights on Victory against Pakistan in 2nd Test

The first three days of Test cricket in the second Test of the Pakistan South Africa series has put South Africa once more in a strong position of pressing for victory after AB de Villiers reopened the record books.

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South Africa will try to push to enforce the follow on as Pakistan still trail by 267 runs in their first innings at the end of the third day's play at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi with the Pakistan Test captain, Misbah ul Haq, himself standing tall amidst the rubble that appears Pakistan's innings after South Africa's huge first innings total of 584 for nine declared.

AB de Villiers scored the highest number of runs in a single day's batting by making 278 and remained unbeaten as South Africa declared. The crux of South Africa's innings came from the huge partnership with Jacques Kallis, who scored a well timed thirty-seventh Test century himself, that yielded 179 runs for the fourth wicket. South Africa's cause was further extended by the tail wagging right to the very end with Mark Boucher who made forty-five.

Pakistan have had two partnerships to rely on, the 117 run partnership between Taufeeq Umar rand Azhar Ali for the second wicket and 107 between Asad Shafiq and Misbah for the fifth wicket. Yet Pakistan are not out of trouble yet, although they do have four wickets in hand and Misbah batting on seventy-seven.

Pakistan's bowling debutant, Tanvir Ahmed, did pick six wickets in South Africa's first innings, but it is the batsmen who will now have to up the ante to edge as close as possible to South Africa's score before Ahmed can make this Test truly memorable after Younis Khan helped draw the first Test. Dale Steyn, with three wickets, and Paul Harris, are certainly keeping matters interesting for South Africa.