Fawad earns advantage, but South Africa still in it

It's on days like Wednesday that everybody in cricket earns their keep. From batters to bowlers to fielders, to wicketkeepers, captains and coaches, to umpires and scorers, groundskeepers, spectators and broadcasters. Yes, even writers. It's what transpires on days when important things do happen, but slowly and incrementally with no single instant changing the narrative enough to proclaim it as definitive.

Coming after Tuesday, when 14 wickets fell, Wednesday was the opposite of a shock to the system. Like drinking a cup of lukewarm tea after stepping out of a cold shower. A pitch that had turned square and offered inconsistent bounce the day before did nothing. A suggestion of reverse swing was never confirmed. And all the while Pakistan were content to grind their way towards the lead, which they took ownership of in the 12th over after tea. As well they might have in the wake of losing four wickets in the 18 overs they faced before the close on Tuesday.

First a resolute Azhar Ali took on the responsibility of finding a way through the fire, batting in four partnerships and for more than three-and-a-half hours for his 51 before, after lunch, committing a rare error - cutting too close at Keshav Maharaj - and being caught behind. Then Fawad Alam, Azhar's partner in a stand of 94 that started on Tuesday, took over.

Fetching his front foot from across Pakistan's western border with Iran, splashing his back foot into the Indus River to the east, then somehow putting his feet on the same longitude - and all as the bowler is thundering towards him - the wiry, forebodingly bearded and moustachioed left-hander makes a striking sight. The South Africans saw more than enough of him in the six hours he spent on his 109. Fawad's innings started in the rubble of Tuesday's teetering ruins, when Pakistan were 27/4. It endured until the 11th over before stumps on Wednesday, when he bunted uppishly to Lungi Ngidi and was caught at midwicket. Younis Khan, now Pakistan's batting coach, was the first to offer his congratulations when Fawad returned to the dressing room.

That Fawad was unperturbed after edging Maharaj onto Dean Elgar's boot at slip when he was 35 was unsurprising. That he got up and got on with it after being dealt a fearful blow on the wrist by Lungi Ngidi shortly after tea was expected. That he reached his century with a six launched over long-on off Maharaj was an outrage of the most inspiring kind. He was the rock in partnerships of 55 with Mohammad Rizwan and 102 with Faheem Ashraf, who made a sturdy 64.

If you're in the kind of trouble Pakistan were in when Fawad took guard, who else would you want at the crease? Bizarrely, on the strength of this performance, Pakistan preferred others for almost 11 years - from November 2009 to August 2020 - while he was overlooked. Impressively, he offered grace to garnish his glory, telling an online press conference: "I've never blamed anyone because I've always believe you get what fate has in store for you. I don't think about 10 years going to waste." Fawad earned his keep, and more.

Less so Quinton de Kock. South Africa's captain wasted all three of his team's referrals on leg-before decisions that the on-field umpires clearly made correctly in the first. He also spilled the catch, off Kagiso Rabada, that would have seen Faheem dismissed for 21 and the stand snuffed out at 52. On De Kock's shoulders, too, rests the decision to hand the second new ball, taken in the fourth over after it was due, to Maharaj. That was at least defendable. But not Aiden Markram, a part-time off-spinner, being introduced after Rabada and Anrich Nortje had had only four overs from the other end - one of which gleaned the chance De Kock squandered.

That Fawad and Faheem are both left-handers, and thus Markram would have had a chance of troubling them, would have been a better argument if Markram had bowled more than 182 balls in his 22 Tests before this match. De Kock's field placings were too puzzling too often. The blame for all that isn't his entirely. He is in only his third Test as captain and he should have been better advised - and convinced, if required - by the able leadership lieutenants he has in Faf du Plessis and Elgar. But the buck stops with De Kock. It eluded him on Wednesday. His frustration got the better of him when he had words with Hasan Ali after Maharaj had bowled Pakistan's No. 9 with what turned out to be a no-ball. If nothing untoward was said, that's a good sign that De Kock remains in the fight. He cares a lot. Sometimes too much.

Three wickets before and after tea - Fawad's and Faheem's among them - gave the South Africans hope that Thursday's narrative might turn the match back in their favour. Pakistan have a lead of 88, which is worth at least twice as much in the context of the match.

"We're in a very good situation right now," Fawad said. "If we make 30 or 40 more runs we have a very good chance of gaining the upper hand because the pitch is very slow and turning. If we get a lead of 150 we have a very good chance to win this Test match."

That was true, but so was Maharaj's view: "Pakistan have a bit of lead so I'll probably give [the advantage] to them a bit more. Having said that, I don't think we're too far behind simply because we controlled the rate - we didn't let the scoring get out of hand."

If the pitch remains as sound as it was on Wednesday for most of Thursday's play, there will be plenty of runs in it. And plenty of cricket left in the contest.