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Australia in Pakistan - Past encounters M. Shoaib Ahmed - 2 October 2002
With the first Test of the Australia in Pakistan 3-Test series scheduled from October 3 at P. Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo, a look at the past series will refresh memories and gear up for some exciting cricket ahead
THE INAUGURAL TEST Ian Johnson, the Australian captain, won the toss and elected to bat on a matting wicket. Fazal Mahmood and Khan Mohammad forced the Aussies into their shell. The visitors struggled throughout their innings on opening day and were all out for 80. Fazal and Khan bowled unchanged to capture six and four wickets respectively. Australia staged a comeback by restricting the home side to 70 for five by the second afternoon. Wazir Mohammad and captain Abdul Hafeez Kardar shared a sixth wicket stand of 104 which anchored the innings. A first innings lead of 119 on the unpredictable track was likely to prove decisive which is exactly what happened. Australia faced a humiliating defeat when their cream was polished off with only 47 runs on the board in the second innings. All-rounders Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson revived the tourists' hopes but another mini collapse near the end simply delayed the inevitable. Pakistan won the inaugural Test against Australia by nine wickets. Pakistan were given a target of 69 runs, which they achieved for the loss of just one wicket. Pakistan took 48.4 overs to reach the target. It was a great achievement by the Pakistan team against stalwarts like Neil Harvey, Keith Miller, Richie Benaud, Alan Davidson and Ray Lindwall---all world class cricketers.
BENAUD'S INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP In the first Test played in Dacca (now Dhaka, Bangladesh), Australia emerged victorious by eight wickets. Pakistan were skittled out for just 200 runs. Only Hanif Mohammad (66) and debutant Duncan Sharpe (56) offered any resistance. Benaud and Davidson were the pick of the bowlers. They returned figures of 4-69 and 4-42, respectively. Pakistani bowlers hit back but Australia still managed to get a lead of 25 runs. Neil Harvey (96) and 'keeper Wally Grout (66) coming in at No. 9, did the bulk of the scoring. For Pakistan, Fazal took five for 71 off 35.5 overs. Pakistan in their second turn with the bat, however, failed again. Home batsmen were unable to cope with the bowling of Richie Benaud and Ken Mackay and were shot out for 134 runs. Mackay took 6-42 in the innings while Benaud returned match figures of 8-111. Out of the 100.3 overs the Australians bowlers delivered in the second innings, this pair bowled 84.3 overs. Australia chasing a target of 109 runs, reached it for the loss of just two wickets. The second Test in Lahore also marked the inauguration of Gaddafi Stadium (then known as Lahore Stadium), Australia again triumphed by seven wickets. Fazal was indisposed, so Imtiaz Ahmed took over the reins of captaincy. Imtiaz elected to bat first, but Pakistan paid dearly for the decision. They crashed for a mere 146 runs, with Hanif (49) getting a noteworthy score. Australia in reply took full advantage of Fazal's absence. Norman O'Neil (134) helped Australia reach a healthy 391 for nine before Benaud declared. Pakistan, 245 runs behind, made a valiant attempt to fight back in the second innings. With Saeed Ahmed (166) leading the way, Pakistan reached 366. Kline took 7-75, the best bowling by an Australian in Pakistan, todate. Australia were thus given a target of 121 runs, which they achieved with no fuss at all. Pakistan thus entered the last Test, played in Karachi, with the knowledge that they had lost their first rubber at home. Fazal was back to lead the side. The Test ended rather tamely. Apart from superb knocks by Hanif Mohammad in both the innings (51 and 101 not out) and the usual deadly swing bowling by Fazal in the first innings (5-74) from Pakistan side and a marathon spell of leg-spin bowling by Richie Benaud 49.5-17-93-5 for the Australian side, the Test offered nothing else to write about.
TAME DRAW Skipper Bobby Simpson held the Australian innings together with a colossal century. Despite Simpson's brave 153, the visitors conceded a first innings lead of 62. Pakistan declared their second innings at 279 for 8 leaving Australia 342 to win. Simpson opted for batting practice instead of risking wickets in pursuit of the big target, and completed his second century of the match, which ended in a tame draw.
NARROW ESCAPE Medium pacer, Arif Butt enjoyed the bounce of the MCG wicket and was rewarded with figures of 6-89 in the first innings. After finishing 161 behind on the first innings, the tourists did well to escape, with Intikhab Alam (61) at number nine, providing much-needed support to his captain. The home side's attempt of scoring 161 in 127 minutes was hampered by both rain and tourists' slow over rate. The match was finally called off when a bad light appeal by the fielding side was upheld by the home umpire.
UNLUCKY VISITORS In the first Test at Adelaide, Australia won by an innings and 114 runs. Australia' first win against Pakistan in a home Test was gained off the 14th ball of the fifth morning. Ian Chappell's highest Test innings was then the record for this series, as was Australia's total of 585 which is still their highest against Pakistan in Australia. Rodney Marsh, became the first Australian wicket-keeper to score a Test hundred. Talat Ali, his right thumb fractured by a ball from Lillee, batted one-handed in the second innings to take the match into the last day. In the second Test at Melbourne, Pakistan lost the match by 92 runs. Majid's first Test hundred, scored in his 20th innings and eight years after his debut, remains Pakistan's highest score in a Test in Australia. John Benaud's, Richie's younger brother, hundred in his second Test included 93 before lunch on the fourth day after being told that he had not been selected for the next Test. At Sydney, Australia gained a remarkable victory to win the rubber 3-0. Pakistan needed to score only 159 runs in their second innings, despite a record ninth wicket partnership of 83 in 150 minutes between Watkins and Massie. Walker, who took five wickets for three runs with his last 30 balls, and Lillee, restricted by a vertebral injury, bowled unchanged throughout the 138 minutes of play on the final day to dismiss Pakistan.
IMRAN'S MEMORABLE FEAT The first Test ended in a draw. Australia' seventh-wicket pair needed to score 56 runs to win the match when the first of the mandatory last 15 overs began. They were content with a draw and finished 24 runs short of their target. Thomson, attempting to catch Zaheer off his own bowling, collided with Turner (short leg) and dislocated his collar bone. He took no further part in the rubber. The partnership of Asif Iqbal and Iqbal Qasim (whose contribution was 4) remains the highest for the tenth wicket in this series. Australia won the second Test at Melbourne by 348 runs. This remains Pakistan's heaviest defeat by a runs margin. In the Sydney Test, Australia batted first. Sarfraz made the initial breakthrough. Now the scene was set for Imran who broke the back of Australia's 'invincible' batting line-up. He restricted them to a meagre 211, getting a lion's share of 6-102. Pakistan scored 360 with Asif's graceful 120. Imran demolished the Australian batting twice in succession. His match haul of 12-165 was indeed a memorable feat. Pakistan required only 32 runs for victory. When Majid Khan hit the winning stroke, Pakistani supporters invaded the ground.
ASTONISINHING SPELL BY SARFRAZ The opening Test at Melbourne, Pakistan's 100th, will be long remembered for Sarfraz's astonishing spell of seven wickets for one run in 33 balls with the second new ball, as he triggered a collapse that saw Australia melting from a winning position of 305 for 3 to be all out for 310. Sarfraz became the first Pakistani to take nine wickets in an innings. The second and final Test at Perth saw Pakistan failing twice in putting up formidable totals, despite Miandad's unbeaten 129 in the first innings and Asif Iqbal's unconquered 134 in the second. Three of the players Majid Khan, Wasim Bari and Sikander Bakhat bagged pairs, which resulted in Australia requiring 236 in 210 minutes plus 15 overs. The home side, which had lost six of the seven Test matches in the season, achieved the target with the loss of only three wickets to level the series.
TAUSEEF'S SENSATIONAL DEBUT They were spun out in the Karachi Test while the second and third Tests were high-scoring draws. Off-spinner Tauseef Ahmed made a sensational debut at Karachi and in collaboration with Iqbal Qasim, baffled the Australian on a pitch tailor-made for spinners. On a turning pitch, Australia were bundled out for 225. Pakistan, due to an uncharacteristic 89 from Majid, were able to gain a lead of 67 runs on the first innings. Not surprisingly Ray Bright did the bulk of the bowling and had the lion's share in the wickets (7-87 in 46.5 overs). Australia could only manage 140 in the second innings. Iqbal Qasim and Tauseef Ahmed shared 18 of the Australian wickets. They had match analysis of 11-118 and 7-126, respectively. Pakistan reached the target of 73 for the loss of three wickets. All second innings wickets fell to Bright, who finished with match figures of 10-111. Dennis Lillee went wicketless in the first two Tests, which emerged a startling feature and at the same time it highlighted the slow pitches prepared for the series. Greg Chappell and Taslim Arif posted double centuries in the Faisalabad Test while Allan Border distinguished himself by hitting two fighting 150-plus hundreds in the drawn Lahore Test.
MIANDAD VS LILLEE In the second Test at Brisbane, captain Greg Chappell treated the home crowd to a majestic 201 (417 minutes, 296 balls, 22 4s) that earned his side an easy 10-wicket victory. In the final Test of the series on a much-debated Melbourne wicket, Pakistan achieved an innings win to avoid a whitewash. Pakistan gained their first victory against Australia after compiling the second-highest Test total without a century. Imran Khan became Pakistan's leading wicket-taker when he dismissed Rodney Marsh. Allan Border became the 13th Australian to be run out in both innings of a Test and the sixth to suffer this misfortune at Melbourne. Majid Khan, partnered by Mudassar Nazar, scored an all-run 7 when he drove Lillee almost to the long-off boundary and completed four runs before Yardley, having fielded Wellham's return, overthrew the wicket.
THE WHITEWASH Australia collapsed to 284 in the first Test allowed Pakistan a first innings lead of 135 runs. They dropped innumerable catches, probably the heat contributing to the extremely poor fielding. Pakistan won the Karachi Test by nine wickets. Australia were outplayed in all departments of the game at Faisalabad where Pakistan emerged victorious by a margin of an innings and three runs. The third Test at Lahore ended in another comfortable victory for Pakistan. The Test saw Imran in his true element for the first time in the rubber. He carried his form of that Test to the subsequent series against India. His match figures of 8-80 off 44.2 overs clearly reflects his dominance and how cleverly he utilised his skill in the Test. Australia succeeded in compiling a good first innings total at Lahore in the third Test. But their bowlers failed to take advantage of a lively strip and Pakistan got a handsome first innings lead. Imran and his men completed the destruction on the final day with Australia losing by nine wickets. Not once were the Aussies bowlers able to dismiss the entire Pakistan batting line-up.
WITHOUT A LEADER
CONTROVERSIES GALORE The Australian captain Allan Border together with manager Colin Eager and coach Bobby Simpson threatened to call off the tour after the first Test, which the visitors lost. Pakistan achieved its largest margin of victory in the Karachi Test. Australia in the controversy marred Test lost by an innings and 188 runs, in a period of under five days. Pakistan skipper Javed Miandad batted ten minutes short of ten hours for 211, his fifth double century and survived chances on 126 and 186. Pakistan's 469 was its highest score against Australia and also featured Shoaib Mohammad's 94 in a partnership of 196 with Miandad. In Australia's first innings of just 165, only Peter Taylor was able to read the mysteries of recalled veteran left-arm spinner Iqbal Qasim. He bowled 39 overs and took 5/35. The second innings was a repeat of the first except that the tail failed to wag. The next two Test were badly hit by rain and petered out as tame draws.
A MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT In a marvellous exhibition of Test cricket, Pakistan lost to Australia in the first Test by 92 runs. There were only 22 minutes remaining in the match when Australia clinched victory. It might have finished much earlier, but for a heroic second innings stand by Ijaz Ahmed, who held firm against the Aussies pace attack for 450 minutes. Ijaz scored 121, including 11 fours, before losing his wicket to an extraordinary left-handed catch from Geoff Marsh. Ijaz had just hit a beautiful square cut to point, when Marsh dived to take the ball fully stretched. Wasim Akram ended with match figures of 11-160. Wasim's dismissal of Terry Alderman (0) was his 100th wicket in Test cricket. The match was full of tension. Six batsmen were given out leg-before wicket and both Wasim and Imran each took two Australian wickets with successive deliveries. Pakistan deserve great credit for overcoming a deplorable first innings (107) to almost save the match. Dean Jones scored centuries in both innings of the second Test, but did not earn the man-of-the-match award. He scored 116 and 121. He showed great style with his full-blooded drives, confidence and athleticism highlighted by some superb running between the wickets. Jones is the tenth Australian to achieve centuries in both innings of a Test. The honour went to Wasim Akram, who not only had figures of 5-100 in the first innings, but also scored 52 and 123 in two brilliant innings. Akram's second innings stand of 191 with skipper Imran salvaged a draw for Pakistan. The third Test at Sydney was washed out due to heavy rain.
KARACHI THRILLER The second Test at Rawalpindi, was again a scene of missed opportunities for Mark Taylor's side after being in the driving seat for the best part of the four days. Michael Slater (110) and Steve Waugh (98) launched Australia to a first innings score of 521 for 9 declared. and a winning position. But Pakistan captain Saleem Malik ended Australia's hopes with a career best 237 in a marathon innings of 443 minutes, after his team had followed-on. The draw was repeated in Lahore, with Pakistan making 373 (Warne distinguishing himself with 6/136) and Australia 455 (Bevan 91, Mark Waugh 71). Pakistan captain Saleem Malik (143) and Aamer Sohail (105) added 196 for the sixth wicket to save their team from another certain defeat for the second time in a row.
COMFORT ZONE Australia won the first Test at Brisbane by an innings and 126 runs. Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne captured seven wickets for just 23 runs. Pakistan's Aamer Sohail hit fifteen fours in his second innings 99, but without a doubt, Shane Warne's match aggregate of 11/77 was the highlight of the first Test. Defeat at Hobart was Pakistan fourth loss in a row following two home defeats at the hands of Sri Lanka. After convincing wins in the Tests at Brisbane and Hobart, everyone was expecting that the Sydney Test to be a walkover for Australia, but the Pakistani leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed put an end to that. Pakistan emerged victorious by 74 runs, a face-saving win. Mushtaq captured nine wickets for the match, 5/95 in Australia's first innings and 4-91 in the second. The ball he called his 'wrong one' generally proved to be the right one, but it was unsuccessful against Australia's Mark Waugh, who notched up a fine century. Ijaz Ahmed, who was flown out to Australia as a replacement, scored a magnificent 137, which set his team up for a win. Wasim Akram returned his best bowling of the series (4-50).
PROFESSIONAL DISPLAY Before Mark Taylor's 1-0 Test series victory in Pakistan, only Richie Benaud had succeeded in beating Pakistan in Pakistan in the 1959-60 season with the Australians recording a 2-0 win in a three-match series. The Test series was also notable for some big knocks by the tourists. They amassed 513 in the only innings in the first Test at Rawalpindi, 599 for four declared and 289 for five in the second Test at Peshawar; and 280 and 390 in the final Test at Karachi. But more than these high totals, it was the batting of skipper Mark Taylor in the second Test that left a lasting impression on those who had the fortune to watch his marathon innings. Although, the left-handed Australian opener decided not to make the highest individual score in cricket history, which still stands in the name of another left-hander, West Indian skipper Brian Lara, yet history was still made. In the fourth over of the fifth morning, Australia gained their first success in Pakistan since November 1959 and the first innings-win by any visiting country there since 1986-87. Colin Miller dismissed Saleem Malik with his fifth ball in Test cricket. Saeed Anwar was ninth out in the first innings after sharing a series record ninth-wicket partnership of 120 with Mushtaq Ahmed. Michael Slater and Steve Waugh retrieved a poor start with a fourth-wicket stand of 198. In his 104th Test Ian Healy overhauled Rodney Marsh's world record of 355 dismissals from 96 matches when he caught Wasim Akram on the fourth day. In the second Test at Peshawar, Mark Taylor batted throughout the first two days to score the first triple hundred by a visiting batsman on the sub-continent. Only Sanath Jayasuriya (340) had scored more. His undefeated 334, then the seventh-highest Test score, is statistically superior to the Australian record of 334 (out) set by Don Bradman at Leeds in 1930. Dropped on 18 and 27, he became the fourth to score 7,000 Test runs for Australia and was within reach of Brian Lara's world record 375 when he declared in pursuit of victory. His second-wicket stand of 279 was with Langer. He subsequently became the second batsman after Graham Gooch to score 400 runs in a Test. In reply Pakistan's Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed shared a match-saving second-wicket partnership of 211. In the third Test at Karachi, Shahid Afridi set a bizarre record by making his debut after appearing in 67 Limited Overs Internationals. Aamer Sohail, Mark Waugh and Ijaz Ahmed registered their fifth, 15th and tenth hundreds respectively. Australia won their first rubber in Pakistan after 39 years but were unable to threaten the hosts' unbeaten 33-match record at National Stadium.
White-Wash In the first Test of 1999-2000 series played at Brisbane, although Pakistan compiled a respectable first innings total, they were overwhelmed by an outstanding batting display by Australia and lost with 51.4 overs remaining. Slater and Blewett shared an opening partnership of 269. Australia's (575) highest against Pakistan, before Mark Waugh added his 17th hundred and Warne contributed his highest score to a series record last-wicket stand of 86. Saeed Anwar added 177 with Yousuf Youhana in Pakistan's highest fourth-wicket partnership against Australia. Adam Gilchrist at last made his debut after appearing in a record 76 limted-overs internationals. In the second Test at Hobart, an outstanding series record sixth wicket partnership enabled Australia to compile the third highest fourth innings total to win a Test match. Langer and Gilchrist joined forces at 126 for 5 and added 238 to take the hosts to within five runs of their memorable victory. Earlier Saqlain Mushtaq had take his 100th wicket in 23 Tests, Moin had claimed his 100th dismissal in 49 Tests to become the third Pakistani after Wasim Bari and Saleem Yousuf to complete the wicketkeepers' double, and Inzamam had notches his 8th hundred. In the third and final Test at Perth, for the fifth time in 27 Tests in Perth, the result was achieved within three days, Australia achieving their second three-nil series won against Pakistan. Langer shared a series record fifth-wicket stand of 327, the highest for any wicket at the WACA ground, with Ponting. Ponting following three successive ducks with his highest score, Ijaz compiled his 12th hundred in 57 Tests. Season Teams Tests Series' Result 1956-57 Australia in Pakistan 1 Pakistan 1-0 1959-60 Australia in Pakistan 3 Australia 2-0 1964-65 Australia in Pakistan 1 Draw 0-0 1964-65 Pakistan in Australia 1 Draw 0-0 1972-73 Pakistan in Australia 3 Australia 3-0 1976-77 Pakistan in Australia 3 Draw 1-1 1978-79 Pakistan in Australia 2 Draw 1-1 1979-80 Australia in Pakistan 3 Pakistan 1-0 1981-82 Pakistan in Australia 3 Australia 2-1 1982-83 Australia in Pakistan 3 Pakistan 3-0 1983-84 Pakistan in Australia 5 Australia 2-0 1988-89 Australia in Pakistan 3 Pakistan 1-0 1989-90 Pakistan in Australia 3 Australia 1-0 1994-95 Australia in Pakistan 3 Pakistan 1-0 1995-96 Pakistan in Australia 3 Australia 2-1 1998-99 Australia in Pakistan 3 Australia 1-0 1999-00 Pakistan in Australia 3 Australia 3-0 © CricInfo Limited
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