Day2: Ponting, Langer join forces to crush Pakistanis' spirits
A week can be a long time in cricket, but not lengthy enough it seems to prevent another pair of Australian batsmen from combining to rewrite the pages of Test history for the second time in just five days. After the batting feats of Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist in Hobart had seen to it that several old marks fell by the wayside last Monday, the former found a new record-smashing ally in Ricky Ponting today, the duo combining in magnificent fashion to place their team in a commanding position in the Third Test against Pakistan in Perth.
After an even tussle with Mohammad Akram (5/138) and Wasim Akram (1/55) through the first forty minutes of the day, Ponting and Langer slowly worked their way on top before launching a merciless crusade. Indeed, after the odd moment of anxiety through that crucial phase of the match, they were able to increasingly open their shoulders and take more liberties against a ball that seemed, in sharp contradiction to day one, to be moving little either through the air or off the suddenly benign looking wicket.
The former (who went on to make 197) was the chief aggressor throughout, executing several exciting horizontal bat shots and driving powerfully down the ground on innumerable occasions. During an innings in which he ultimately came to substantially exceed his previous best individual score (of 127) at this level, the Tasmanian was constantly on the lookout for runs and played some glorious shots. One advancing straight drive off Saqlain Mushtaq (2/75) to the fence shortly after lunch was probably the shot of the match to date, another off Azhar Mahmood (1/91) not far behind it in quality, and he executed several other magnificent strokes.
Suddenly at the apogee of his powers as a Test cricketer, Langer (144) also played brilliantly. He did dawdle during the middle session, only accumulating twenty-runs in those two hours, but there was hardly any great compulsion upon him to gather runs speedily given the vast amount of time which still remains in the Test. Much as it was in Hobart, his concentration was meticulous and his capacity to place the ball into gaps on the off side highly skilful. His cover and off driving was superb acoss a blindingly fast outfield, especially in the half hour before lunch and in the quarter hour immediately following the tea break. These were each of the players' fifth Test centuries and they earned every piece of the milestones.
As if their individual performances were not impressive enough in themselves, the pair's effort in registering the tenth most productive partnership for their country in the history of the game was also monumental. Their association of a mammoth 327 was additionally the fourth best for the fifth wicket for Australia, and an all time record liaison for any wicket in contests between these two nations. In truth, they complemented one another excellently - with Ponting playing gloriously off the back foot and Langer similarly well off the front - and they afforded an appreciative crowd some terrific batting throughout the 382 minutes during which they were together.
On a day which diverged acutely from its predecessor, they offered barely any semblance of a chance until Langer (144) eventually exited the stage when he at last lost concentration and ballooned a top edged hook into the hands of Moin Khan off the bowling of the wholehearted Shoaib Akhtar (1/74). That unexpected dismissal actually came just one ball after he had executed the same shot with aplomb, and it represented the first real rush of blood to his head during a magnificent 437 minute occupation of the crease. Similarly, just as the combination of his tremendous strokeplay and iron-willed tenacity seemed set to afford him his maiden Test double century, Ponting's first genuine mistake also resulted in his downfall - an airy square drive at Mahmood ending in the hands of Ijaz Ahmed at point after he had spent exactly seven hours at the crease.
By stark contrast, the Pakistanis found little inspiration at any stage. This was especially the case after leader Wasim Akram sustained a groin injury in the middle of the day and spilled into almost complete frustration when Mohammad Akram earned the wrath of Umpire Darrell Hair (and a potential hearing with Match Referee John Reid) for crashing into Shane Warne in the middle of the pitch in the final session. Continual adjustments to the field, a regular shuffling of the bowlers, and even notable variations in line and length, did virtually nothing to disconcert either Ponting or Langer as the two batsmen provided the impetus for the home team to register a total of 451 and a massive first innings advantage of 296 runs. And, as if the tourists did not seem a totally spent force both mentally and physically already, the sight of two wickets falling in quick time as they stumbled to 2/40 in their own second innings late into the Perth evening was probably enough to bring them completely to their knees.
Day3: Ijaz stands tall but Australia completes the formalities
Notwithstanding the effect of some stern rearguard action from their opponents, Australia has completed a comfortable win over Pakistan in the Third Test between the teams at the WACA ground in Perth today. A triumph which came shortly before the scheduled tea break on the third day, the final margin of victory was an innings and twenty runs - a result which adequately reflected the extent to which the home team had assumed command of this match from virtually the beginning of the piece.
After they had thoroughly disheartened their opponents over the previous two days, it was unlikely that victory was ever going to be denied Australia in this match. Nevertheless, the pre-eminent tale of this day was of Ijaz Ahmed (115) gallantly standing in the way of the near inevitable. The clubbing thirty-one year old, in fact, not only summoned an innings of characteristically unorthodox brutality but also took it upon himself to inspire several of his lower order teammates to themselves exhibit the same sort of belligerence that marked what was his twelfth Test century overall and his sixth such milestone against Australia.
Admirably trusting his attacking instincts in the midst of an almost futile cause, it was Ijaz (115) who bravely repulsed the Australians' hitherto almost irresistible momentum after two of his teammates had lost their wickets - and a third retired hurt - in little over half an hour at the start of the day. Having initially reined himself in against the always tight line of Glenn McGrath (4/49) at the outset, he broke the shackles immediately after drinks had been taken and continued on in savage mood. Typically, it was his hitting through the off side which served as the trademark, but he also stepped religiously on to the back foot to play with attacking intent through the leg side. Three tremendous shots in the thirty-third over of the innings - two pulls and one cut - in successive balls from Damien Fleming perfectly highlighted his mindset and there was rarely a period of any significant length during his 230 minute occupation that he did not continue to unleash some outrageous shots.
He also received loyal support in successive half century partnerships with Azhar Mahmood (17), Moin Khan (26) and Wasim Akram (52), the latter's forceful half century made even more courageous by the fact that he was still suffering visibly from a groin injury. But once Moin was beaten by a superb leg cutter from McGrath and thin edged the delivery to Adam Gilchrist behind the stumps, the end always seemed nigh. Having survived a confident caught behind appeal against McGrath himself with his score at 76, Ijaz finally perished when he played probably his only false back foot shot, a top edged hook at Michael Kasprowicz (3/79) ending in the hands of Michael Slater at deep square leg. Wasim continued his power-laden display but, once that critical breach in the tourists' defences was exposed, the persistent accuracy and hostility of Kasprowicz punctured repeated holes in the lower order and left the Australians to merely complete the formalities. Not even what looked to be another controversial decision from Umpire Willey - Saqlain Mushtaq (12) the victim of a doubtful lbw decision - could be said in any genuine way to have altered the pattern of the Test. The Australians were indeed duly able to hammer the final nail into the coffin when Fleming (2/86) induced Shoaib Akhtar (8) to edge a catch into the slips with the score at 276.
In front of a crowd that may well have been bemoaning the sight of another WACA Test failing to last anywhere near the full distance, that permitted the Australians the chance to reflect upon their first clean sweep of a series since 1995/96 and the Pakistanis to look back upon three matches in which they repeatedly failed to make the most of their chances. By far the most lopsided of the three contests in the series, this was another excellent win for the Australians, two fine efforts with the ball from McGrath, Kasprowicz and Fleming wonderfully complemented by the outrageous batting performances of man of the series Justin Langer and man of the match Ricky Ponting.
