India A closed in on an emphatic victory as they reduced hosts South Africa A to 142 for seven in their second innings after following on at tea on the fourth and final day of the opening unofficial Test at Olympia Park here today.
Seam bowlers Mohammed Shami (3/29) and Ishwar Pandey (2/22) shared five wickets between them, while left-arm slow bowler Shahbaz Nadeem and part-time spinner Suresh Raina scalped one wicket each after the hosts were asked to follow on in the morning.
At tea, South Africa A further need another 84 runs to make Indians bat again with three second innings wickets in hand. Temba Bavuma (45) and Simon Harmer (0) were at the crease at the break.
Earlier, resuming at overnight 312 for nine in 98.3 overs, Kyle Abbott (33 not out) and Andrew Birch (18) provided resistance for 12.5 overs before Raina trapped the latter LBW as South Africa A folded for 357 in their first innings.
Bavuma is the top-scorer for South Africa A in their second innings. So far, his 114-ball innings was laced with three boundaries.
India A struck early in South Africa A's second innings with Pandey dismissing Reeza Hendricks (4) in his third ball.
Shami then struck twice in the sixth over, removing Dean Elgar (3) and J P Duminy (0) in the space of four deliveries.
Newman Rilee Rossouw then tried to break the shackles and cracked three boundaries in the 10th over bowled by Shami. He was dismissed by Raina in the 20th over, cleanbowled while trying to play a sweep shot.
Bavuma picked up a couple of boundaries in the 23rd over off Raina, while Ontong (19) too blasted two fours off Shami's over in the 25th over.
But Shami came back strongly to clean up Ontong in the fourth delivery of the same over as South Africa slipped to 93 for five.
Pandey took his second wicket in the form of Tsolekile in the 35th over before Nadeem then got rid off Wayne Parnell (10) as South Africa A further slumped to 140 for seven in 41.4 overs.
