Axar bags five wkts as Proteas shot out for 260

Test opener Stiaan van Zyl misses out on a hundred

Well-placed at 185 for 2 in the 59th over, South Africa 'A' lose eight wickets for 75 runs

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel scalped five wickets as India ‘A’ spinners shot out South Africa ‘A’ for 260 on Day 1 of the second and final unofficial 'Test' in Wayanad, Kerala, on Tuesday.

Opting to bat at the picturesque Krishnagiri stadium, the South Africans were cruising comfortably at 185 for 2 in the 59th over before losing eight wickets for 75 runs.

Left-handed Test opener Stiaan van Zyl (96) missed out on a century but his dismissal led to a collapse.

Axar finished with figures of 5 for 92 in 27.5 overs. Off-spinner Jayant

Yadav (3-53) also turned in an improved showing, which included picking the prized wicket of Quinton de Kock (0), while burly leg-spinner Karn Sharma bagged two wickets for 36 runs.

South Africa openers Reeza Hendricks (22) and Van Zyl started on a cautious note, adding 58 for the opening stand. Patel then got rid of Hendricks, caught by Baba Aparajith. There was another 49-run stand between Van Zyl and Gihahn Cloete (26) before the No 3 batsman became Yadav's second victim, caught by Vijay Shankar.

Van Zyl, however, waited patiently for loose deliveries to score. His four hour-16 minute knock, comprising 193 deliveries, had 13 fours and a six.

His partnership with last match's centurion Omphile Ramela (30) yielded 78 runs before Karn got into the act with Aparajith taking his second catch.

After Van Zyl was dismissed -- bowled by Yadav while playing a wrong line -- things changed.

Yadav then fooled De Kock with a flighted delivery and Ankush Bains effected a smart stumping.

Once half of the team was back in the pavilion with barely a 200-plus score on the board, Axar bowled tight lines to polish off the lower order in quick time.

Skipper Dane Vilas (24) was out trying to accelerate as the last four wickets fell for five runs in a space of two overs.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe (0) was the last man dismissed by an arm ball from Patel.

Scorecard

South Africa ‘A’ (1st innings):

R Hendricks c Aparajith b Patel 22

S van Zyl b Yadav 96

G Cloete c Shankar b Yadav 26

O Ramela c Aparajith b Sharma 30

T Bavuma c Aparajith b Patel 17

Q de Kock st Bains b Yadav 0

D Vilas b Patel 24

D Piedt c Shankar b Patel 12

GC Viljoen lbw b Sharma 0

L Tsotsobe lbw b Patel 0

B Hendricks not out 0

Extras: (b-24, w-1, nb-8) 33

Total: (all out; 89.5 overs; 351 mins) 260

Fall of wickets: 1-58, 2-107, 3-185, 4-204, 5-206, 6-230, 7-255, 8-256, 9-260.

Bowling: Thakur 10-0-35-0, Shankar 7-3-8-0, Patel 27.5-6-92-5, Yadav 21-5-53-3, Sharma 19-8-36-2, Aparajith 5-0-12-0.

Image: Axar Patel

Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images