Latest Update and highlight Pakistan vs Australia 2ND ODI 2017
Shafiq leads Pakistan resistance against frustrated Aussies with thrilling ton
Pakistan made a recovery on the back of a composed, unbeaten century by Asad Shafiq as the team looks to chase down a daunting total of 490 runs in the first day-night Test against Australia in Brisbane.
Shafiq rallied Pakistan's resistance with a thrilling ton, frustrating Australia's push to wrap up victory on the penultimate day and keeping alive his own slim hopes of a record-breaking win in the series-opening day-night test.
Asad Shafiq celebrates his century during the fourth day of the day-night cricket Test between Australia and Pakistan in Brisbane. ─ AFP
The middle-order batsman raised his 10th test century in the second-to-last over of the day, reaching the milestone from 140 balls and stroking 10 boundaries and a six.
He was not out 100 at the close and Yasir Shah was on four, surviving three balls after Wahab was caught at slip in the last over.
After an extended, rain-interrupted fourth day, Pakistan reached stumps at 382/8. The team added 312 runs today and lost six wickets.
That left Australia three sessions Monday to take two wickets. Pakistan needs 108 runs for an improbable, record run chase. Australia needs two wickets to win.
Pakistan's hopes of prolonging the test into a fifth day appeared to plummet when it slumped to 173-5 in the middle session when Younis Khan (65) attempted an impetuous reverse sweep and got an edge off the bat. The ball rolled up his arm and floated up to Steve Smith, who ran behind the wicketkeeper to take a simple catch.
But the resistance was far from over, with Shafiq marshalling the lower order.
Pakistan's batsman Wahab Riaz (R) hugs Asad Shafiq for his century. ─ AFP
He shared partnerships of 47 with Sarfraz Ahmed (24), 92 with Mohammad Amir (48) and 66 with Wahab Riaz (30 ) to defy an Australian attack that was unable to replicate the dramatic spell in Pakistan's first innings that netted 7-24 with the pink ball under lights.
Compounding the frustrations for Australia were dropped catches, including two good chances at second slip by skipper Smith one off Mitch Starc's bowling when Shafiq was on 72.
Pakistan has set a record for the biggest fourth innings at the Gabba. England previously held the record with 370 in the 2006-07 Ashes series, but that was in a 277-run loss. Now Pakistan is hopeful of going one further.
The two highest successful fourth-innings chases in test history have come against Australia the West Indies scoring 418-7 at Antigua in 2002-03 and South Africa making 414-4 in Perth in 2008-09.
Pakistan resumed Sunday at 70-2 and survived the shortened first session without loss. But after a long delay for a thunder storm, and a 15-minute interruption for showers, Pakistan lost opener Azhar Ali (71), skipper Misbah-ul-Haq (5) and Younis before dinner.
Starc ended Azhar's defiant innings after a barrage of short-pitch bowling. The Pakistan opener was 41 overnight and hadn't added a run when he was hit on the back of the helmet by a short ball from Josh Hazlewood.
He shrugged off the pain to lead a 91-run stand with Younis before succumbing to the short ball, attempting a pull shot and giving a leg-side catch to Wade.
Younis appeared to be Pakistan's best hope of salvaging something from the contest but when he went out, Shafiq took up the challenge.
He had excellent support from Sarfraz, who was clean bowled by Starc's full, in-swinging ball to reach 220 with four wickets left.
Amir batted at No. 8 and surpassed his highest test score 39 not out before he was caught behind off Jackson Bird, ending a 66-ball, 86-minute cameo.
Wahab took over, hitting two sixes and two boundaries to continue the rearguard effort.
Australia set up the game by scoring 429 after winning the toss and then bowling Pakistan out for 142 on day three.
Smith opted not to enforce the follow-on, despite the 287-run lead, and declared later Saturday at 202-5, setting Pakistan an improbable target of 490.
Any hope for Pakistan rests with a rearguard action from Sarfraz and Shafiq, but the batsmen will certainly face nerve-shredding tests during the evening session when the pink ball is at its most lively.
In the first inning, Australia set a target of 429 runs for Pakistan. In the second inning, Pakistan tried to match it but only got to 142 all out in just 55 overs.
Play will begin 30 minutes early tomorrow, ESPN Cricinfo reported
Rahul, Patel post record opening stand for India vs England
Lokesh Rahul and Parthiv Patel put on a record opening stand as India reached 173-1 at lunch Sunday on day three of the fifth cricket Test against England.
At the break, Rahul was unbeaten on 89 runs, while Cheteshwar Pujara was batting on 11 not out, leaving the hosts trailing by 304 runs in the first innings. They added 21 runs for the second wicket and India scored 113 runs in the morning session.
Starting from an overnight total of 60 without loss, Rahul and Patel extended their opening partnership to 152 runs.
It was the highest stand for the first wicket for India against England in India. The previous best was 135 runs by Sunil Gavaskar and Farokh Engineer in Mumbai in 1973.
Rahul hit two sixes within the first hour of play as India scored at more than four runs per over. India's 100-mark came up in the 30th over as Rahul reached his second Test half-century and first in India off 96 deliveries, including three fours and two sixes.
Patel reached his sixth Test half-century off 84 balls. Later, they brought up their 150-partnership off 249 balls.
The left-handed keeper-batsman was then caught at midwicket off Moeen Ali (1-53), as he tried to attack the bowler. Patel scored 71 runs, facing 112 balls and hitting four fours.
It was Patel's highest Test score, exceeding the 69 runs he scored against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2004. India has a winning 3-0 edge in the series.
King Kohli jumps to 2nd in batting chart
NEW DELHI: Indian batsman Virat Kohli climbed to a career-best second place in the Test rankings Tuesday after his third double century of the year helped the hosts seal their series victory over England.
Kohli, who is in the form of his life after striking his third double ton of the year, jumped a place in the Test table and is in line to top the rankings in all three forms of the game.
Kohli, who is currently ranked second in ODIs and tops the Twenty20 chart, is just 11 points behind Australia captain Steve Smith in the International Cricket Council Test ratings.
Dubbed King Kohli by the media, the Indian skipper hit a career-best 235 at Mumbai´s Wankhede Stadium over the weekend as his team romped to victory over England in the fourth match of the five-Test series.
While India consolidated their ranking as the top Test side, the Alastair Cook-led England are in danger of losing their second place if they lose to their hosts in the fifth and final Test in Chennai starting Friday.
Third-placed Australia and fourth-ranked Pakistan will be looking to displace England during their three Test series starting with the day-night Test in Brisbane on December 15.
Meanwhile Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has claimed 27 wickets in the four matches so far, comfortably held on to his top Test spot in the bowlers´ chart.
SYDNEY: Pakistan have never won a series in Australia and last claimed a test Down Under more than two decades ago but Mickey Arthur's squad are confident they can end at least one of those droughts over the next four weeks.
That the three-match series commences with the first day-night test at Brisbane's Gabba on Thursday adds an element of unpredictability to the start of the contest that the tourists will hope to exploit against an Australian side in transition.
For their part, the hosts will be hoping to maintain Brisbane as the fortress it has been since they last lost a test there in 1988 and for the extra pace and bounce of the home wickets to confound touring batsmen and bowlers alike.
Pakistan coach Arthur knows plenty about Australian conditions having coached the men in the baggy green from 2011 to his sacking in 2013, and is convinced he has the weapons at his disposal to hurt the hosts.
"If we can adapt to conditions quick enough we'll be fine," said Arthur, who also led South Africa to their first tour triumph in Australia in 2008.
"I constantly remind the players if we can be getting 270, 280, 300, we're in the game because we've got the ability to take 20 wickets.
"If we can use the new ball particularly well against Australia, we'll be good. And seven left-handers in their 11 makes our left-armers even more potent."
Frontline left-arm quicks Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir, the latter now rehabilitated after a spot-fixing ban, will be hoping leg spinner Yasir Shah is fit enough to offer his support.
Yasir missed the warm-up match in Cairns because of a back injury but took a five-wicket haul with the pink ball in Dubai when Pakistan played their maiden day-night match against West Indies in October.
BATTING TOUCH
Pakistan's batting showed some fragility in the recent 2-0 reverse in New Zealand but their line-up is at least far more settled than that of the hosts.
Australia overhauled their side after losing the first two tests of their recent series against South Africa and having returned to winning ways in the third test at Adelaide Oval, have retained the same squad for Brisbane.
For all the inexperience, though, they have plenty of proven performers on home tracks, not least the world class pace attack of Josh Hazlewood and left-armer Mitchell Starc.
Opener David Warner and skipper Steve Smith were in sparkling batting form in Adelaide as well as in the one-day series against New Zealand squeezed in between the two test series and lefthander Usman Khawaja has also been in good touch.
Islamabad-born Khawaja scored a brilliant 145 in the third test against South Africa and is determined to cement his place in the Australia side against the land of his birth on his adopted home ground.
"We obviously have a really good record here so hopefully if we can get off to a really good start we can drive the game from there," he said on Tuesday.
"But, lesson learnt from the first test against South Africa, you can't take anything for granted and we're going to have to respect the opposition and play our best cricket."
No comments:
Post a Comment