PAK draw AUS Highlights- Babar Azam showed impeccable nerves of steel to churn out a draw in a 500+ chase set by Australia over two days after the hosts suffered an early blow. Shy of just 4 runs from a double ton, Babar Azam scored a flamboyant 196 before falling prey to Nathan Lyon in the final session of the match. Pakistan vs Australia LIVE Updates with InsideSport.IN
PAK draw AUS Highlights: Babar Azam’s magnificent 196 salvages draw in Karachi Test, Australia squander 500-runs lead
Skipper Babar Azam produced a career-best 196 under immense pressure as Pakistan snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat in the second Test against Australia on Wednesday.
Chasing a record 506 for an improbable win, Pakistan’s best bet was to bat out the final day and Babar led by example as they finished on 443-7, the sixth-highest fourth innings total of all time. Babar’s majestic knock, which included 21 fours and a six, will be an inspiration for his team heading into the third and final Test in Lahore on Monday.
“The plan was to bat session-by-session and build partnerships,” the Pakistan captain, who was adjudged player-of-the-match said at the presentation ceremony.
“It was a team effort, as others chipped in with useful contributions too. We tried to be positive and play our shots. The team needed this knock, so I tried to bat for as long as I could.”
A thrilling stalemate in Karachi 🤝
It ebbed and flowed in the final session but Pakistan, led by centuries from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, have managed to draw the second Test.#WTC23 | https://t.co/lcSa2P7Q3l pic.twitter.com/KiSCEEaDIO
— ICC (@ICC) March 16, 2022
The hosts were on the back foot after folding for 148 in reply to Australia’s massive first innings total of 556-9 at the National Stadium.
The record victory target was never within Pakistan’s reach but Babar’s marathon 228-run partnership with opener Abdullah Shafique (96) kept them afloat in the contest.
Nathan Lyon (4-112) injected fresh drama in the final session dismissing Babar and Faheem Ashraf with successive deliveries but Mohammad Rizwan’s unbeaten 104 helped Pakistan salvage a draw.
“I’m just really proud of the efforts. The way we batted was fantastic, the way we hunted we took those wickets on day three with reverse swing, that was brilliant as well. We were always ahead in the game, so really proud of the boys,” Cummins said after Australia were stranded three wickets away from victory.
The opening Test in Rawalpindi had also ended in a draw.
Pakistan innings:
- Match Drawn; Babar Azam’s imperative knock of 196 saved Pakistan’s blushes in Karachi as Australia failed to convert a mammoth 500+ runs lead over two days in their favour.
- WICKET! Lyon strikes back to back. This time gets Faheem Ashraf on duck but fails to convert it into a hattrick.
- WICKET! Big blow to Pakistan. Babar Azam falls prey to Lyon and departs just 4 runs shy of a double ton.
- Consecutive maidens; Australia have managed to check the run-flow towards the penultimate stage as both Rizwan and Babar Azam pry to find the big shots.
- TEA; Pakistan need 196 more to win; Australia need 6 more wickets- Will Karachi see an outcome today?
- WICKET! Pakistan seems to be losing momentum as Pat Cummins tips the scale removing Fawad Alam.
- 150! What an innings it’s been so far from Babar Azam to maintain nerves of steel and reach the 150-mark.
- LUNCH BREAK; Pakistan end the first session at 254/3 (need more 252 runs to win)
- WICKET! Finally the Aussies have found a break, courtesy of skipper Pat Cummins who put an end to the 200+ runs stand sending Abdullah Shafique back to the pavilion just short of a century on 96.
- 200 up; Azam-Shafique has now scripted an unbeaten partnership of 182 as they cross another yardstick in the mountainous chase.
- PAK resume innings; Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique walks out to the middle in a bid to script history in Karachi. Can the Aussies come out on top or will the hosts find a way to surprise them?
PAKISTAN BATTING SCORECARD- 422/7
| BATTING | R | B | M | 4s | 6s | SR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdullah Shafique | c Smith b Cummins | 96 | 305 | 465 | 6 | 1 | 31.47 | ||
| Imam-ul-Haq | lbw b Lyon | 1 | 18 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 5.55 | ||
| Azhar Ali | lbw b Green | 6 | 54 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 11.11 | ||
| Babar Azam (c) | c Labuschagne b Lyon | 196 | 425 | – | 21 | 1 | 46.11 | ||
| Fawad Alam | c †Carey b Cummins | 9 | 27 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 | ||
| Mohammad Rizwan † | not out | 104 | 177 | – | 11 | 1 | 58.75 | ||
| Faheem Ashraf | c Smith b Lyon | 0 | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Sajid Khan | c Smith b Lyon | 9 | 10 | – | 2 | 0 | 90.00 | ||
| Nauman Ali | not out | 0 | 18 | – | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Extras | (b 8, lb 2, nb 5, w 7) | 22 | |||||||
| TOTAL | (171.4 Ov, RR: 2.58) | 443/7 | |||||||
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Did not bat: Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi
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Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Imam-ul-Haq, 5.5 ov), 2-21 (Azhar Ali, 22.2 ov), 3-249 (Abdullah Shafique, 108.6 ov), 4-277 (Fawad Alam, 118.3 ov), 5-392 (Babar Azam, 159.4 ov), 6-392 (Faheem Ashraf, 159.5 ov), 7-414 (Sajid Khan, 163.6 ov)
|
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| BOWLING | O | M | R | W | ECON | WD | NB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Starc | 21 | 6 | 58 | 0 | 2.76 | 1 | 1 |
| Pat Cummins | 26 | 6 | 75 | 2 | 2.88 | 0 | 1 |
| Mitchell Swepson | 53.4 | 8 | 156 | 0 | 2.90 | 4 | 0 |
| Nathan Lyon | 55 | 20 | 112 | 4 | 2.03 | 0 | 0 |
| Cameron Green | 15 | 4 | 32 | 1 | 2.13 | 2 | 3 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 |
PAK draw AUS Highlights: Babar Azam’s magnificent 196 salvages draw in Karachi Test, Australia squander 500-runs lead
DAY 4 Highlights: On Day 4, Babar Azam gave the Aussie bowlers a fitting reply to keep Pakistan’s hopes alive in the Karachi test with a confident ton. Azam along Abdullah Shafique showed strong character to make amends for Pakistan’s poor start. After losing Imam and Azhar Ali early, Pakistan looked to be heading for another dismal show, but the pair of Babar-Shafique has kept the Aussie bowlers thinking with their respective half-centuries.
PAK draw AUS Highlights: Babar Azam’s magnificent 196 salvages draw in Karachi Test, Australia squander 500-runs lead
.@babarazam258 reflects on his incredible century, partnership with @imabd28 and the passionate support of Karachi fans. #BoysReadyHain l #PAKvAUS pic.twitter.com/vpgerEaP6p
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 15, 2022
Babar Azam registered his sixth Test hundred on Tuesday while Abdullah Shafique is steadily progressing towards his second to lead Pakistan’s fourth innings charge in Karachi. The hosts were 192/2 at the end of the fourth day’s play, 314 away from a mountainous 506-run target.
Australia resumed the day on 81/1 and carried on until Marnus Labuschagne (44) chopped one on while attempting a pull off Shaheen Afridi, 25 minutes into the day’s play. The visitors added 16 runs in 5.2 overs to declare their second innings at 97/2, with first-innings centurion Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 44*.
PAK draw AUS Highlights: Babar Azam’s magnificent 196 salvages draw in Karachi Test, Australia squander 500-runs lead
PAK draw AUS Highlights: Babar Azam’s magnificent 196 salvages draw in Karachi Test, Australia squander 500-runs lead
In reply, Pakistan didn’t enjoy a great start as Nathan Lyon dismissed Imam-ul-Haq inside the first 10 overs. Abdullah Shafique and Azhar Ali then remained solid as Pakistan stood at 18/1 from 21 overs at lunch.
In the afternoon session, Pakistan’s No.3 Azhar was adjudged leg-before to a Cameron Green delivery that kept low from the back of a length. Pakistan scored 86 from 27 overs in the session and were 104/2 going into Tea.
The pair added another 88 in the final session, with the skipper and Shafique returning unbeaten at 102 and 71 respectively at stumps.
As for Australia, they might just be one breakthrough away, given the quality of their attack and a challenging fifth-day surface.
PAK draw AUS Highlights: Babar Azam’s magnificent 196 salvages draw in Karachi Test, Australia squander 500-runs lead
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