If you said a few days ago that Shahid Afridi would play in the Third Test against Australia you would probably have been greeted with a raise of the eyebrows. If you said that Afridi would bowl on the opening day, and take three Australian wickets, you would more than likely have met with a shake of the head. If you said that Afridi would take the wickets of both Waugh twins within three balls of his debut innings, you could expect to be greeted with the telephone number of the nearest straitjacket retailer.
Yet all of these things actually happened yesterday. Australia, choosing to bat first, squandered a good start to finish day one at the National Stadium, Karachi on 207 for 6. Test debutant Shahid Afridi finished the day on 3/36, his first two victims being Mark and Steve Waugh.
With both teams playing a three-man spin attack, Mark Taylor was the first batsman to go. Last week's triple centurion top-edged a pull shot from Arshad Khan straight into hands of Inzamam ul-Haq after scoring 16 runs. Michael Slater and Justin Langer advanced the score from 38 to 105 before Langer was given out lbw to a yorker-length ball from Shoaib Akhtar. Langer had scored thirty. Mark Waugh joined Slater at the crease. While Slater showed moments of aggression, runs were hard to come by and by tea Australia were 141 for 2.
Shortly after tea Shoaib left the field for treatment in the middle of the over after injuring his forearm in an accidental clash with Waugh as the latter was running between wickets. Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi, bowling his second spell of the day, removed Mark Waugh when Inzamam ul-Haq took a sharp reflex catch at first slip which rebounded from Yousuf Youhana at second slip. A spectacular wicket to open Afridi's account, but more was to come just two balls later, as a quicker ball from Afridi beat Steve Waugh and trapped him lbw. Australia were now 169 for 4. Darren Lehmann, so consistent earlier in the tour, was Afridi's third victim as he played on attempting an off-drive. Lehmann made three.
Slater, who earlier in the day had been hit twice on the helmet by Wasim Akram, was on 96 with his team on 189 for 6 when he charged Arshad Khan, was beaten and stumped by Moin Khan. Slater's 96 included nine sixes and two balls, but the manner and timing of his dismissal must again bring his place in the Australian team into question. Matthew Elliott, who carried his bat for 120 not out for Victoria a few hours earlier, will be in competition with Slater to be Taylor's opening partner against England next month. Healy and Robertson saw Australia through to 207 for 6 at the end of the day, a much shakier position that they would have expected at tea-time.
Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar both bowled with fire for Pakistan yesterday, while Afridi and Arshad Khan showed that they will be key players in this game as the pitch wears. With Australia seeming headed for a low score, the match could be decided by the comparative strength of each side's spin attack. Pakistan's spin trio, despite having one Test in past experience between them, may well have the edge. Pakistan are undefeated in 32 Tests at Karachi, and number 33 looks to be on the cards.
Approximate odds on this match shortly before the start of day two: Pakistan 6-5, Australia 3-2, Draw 3-1.
After about two hours play on Friday, Australia had fought back slightly to be 261 for 8.
Day 2: McGrath pins Pakistan down
Everyone expected the spinners to hold the key to the Third Test at Karachi, but paceman Glenn McGrath was the star on Friday as Australia took the honours on the second day against Pakistan. The home side finished the day on 170 for 6, 110 runs behind.
Australia began the day on 207 for 6. Miller and Robertson fell quickly before Stuart MacGill (24*) added a 55 run partnership for the ninth wicket with Ian Healy (47). When Glenn McGrath was dismissed to become Shahid Afridi's fifth wicket in his Test debut innings, Australia had advanced their total to 280 all out. Afridi's 5/52 gave promise of a bright future as a Test leg-spin bowler, Arshad Khan's offies producing 3/73.
The Pakistan innings began straight after lunch with Afridi opening the batting with Aamer Sohail. Afridi had scored ten before going for a reckless drive outside off stump from McGrath, getting a thick edge to Mark Taylor at first slip. Afridi's style of batting is probably better suited to number six or seven in the Test order, regardless of how he is used in one-day games. Ijaz Ahmed followed soon after, caught behind attempting to pull a McGrath bouncer, having made five. Inzamam ul-Haq (9), Saleem Malik (0) and Yousuf Youhana (9) all fell quickly and Pakistan were 69 for 5.
After Moin Khan departed for twenty, Wasim Akram joined Sohail at the crease. Sohail is playing in this match battling the flu, and with Akram had added 54 for the seventh wicket when stumps were drawn with Pakistan 170 for 6. Sohail's 83 should be remembered as one of the gutsier knocks of this series. McGrath bowled with fire to finish the day with four wickets. MacGill looked better than he had at Peshawar. Miller's lack of success suggested that Australia would have been better served with Fleming or Kasprowicz to provide pace support for McGrath. However, it was really the failure of Pakistan's middle order batsmen that was the main difference between the two sides with three days to play.
At lunch on Saturday, Pakistan were fighting back to be 239 for 7, Aamer Sohail still at the crease unbeaten on 133. A report on Saturday's play in our special Sunday edition of CricInfo365.
Day 3: Captains' knocks the key to the Test
Saturday's third day's play in the Third Test at Karachi belonged to the two opposing captains, Aamer Sohail for Pakistan and Mark Taylor for Australia. Sohail scored 133 in Pakistan's first innings while Taylor was unbeaten on 64 at stumps. Australia are 158 in front with nine second-innings wickets in hand. A draw will be enough for Australia's first series win in Pakistan since 1959, a win will be Pakistan's first Test defeat ever in Karachi.
Pakistan resumed their innings on Saturday morning in trouble at 170 for 6 in reply to Australia's 280. Aamer Sohail, playing this match with the flu, reached his fifth Test century. He received solid support from Wasim Akram, recovered from his illness for this game. Akram scored 35 and added 98 for the seventh wicket before he was given out lbw not offering a shot to a MacGill leg-break.
What followed was extraordinary as Shakeel Ahmed appeared to be batting for the draw. Barely one run an over was scored as Sohail dominated the strike before falling to a brilliant outfield catch at deep mid wicket by Justin Langer shortly after lunch. Sohail made 133, and when he left the crease, Pakistan were 41 short of Australia's first innings mark. Shakeel Ahmed had faced 23 balls when, in an rare exhibition of getting bat to ball, he nudged it to short leg from the bowling of McGrath, again Langer taking the catch. Shakeel scored one run from 36 deliveries. If, as is quite likely, this is his only Test match, this will not be a good career batting record to show the grandchildren.
When Arshad Khan was out plumb lbw to a MacGill full toss, Pakistan were all out for 252, having failed by 28 to match Australia's first innings. Glenn McGrath took 5/66 and MacGill 3/64, but it was only Sohail's knock that kept Pakistan in the game to this point. Nevertheless the go slow while Shakeel was at the crease was baffling and may have cost Pakistan a first innings lead.
After a fine burst with the new ball by Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan made the an early breakthrough in Australia's second innings when Slater popped a ball from Arshad to Yousif Youhana at bat-pad. Slater made 11. The remainder of the day was dominated by the two left-hand batsmen, Mark Taylor and Justin Langer. With off-spinner Arshad Khan holding up one end, Taylor and Langer were playing their shots against the other bowlers. When on 55 Taylor brought up 500 runs for the series, 426 of those having come at Peshawar. At the end of the day Australia were 130 for 1, Taylor on 64 and Langer on 45. Taylor had a life shortly before stumps when Aamer Sohail dropped a difficult chance from a pull shot at square leg.
On a pitch that is looking good for the batsmen, Australia will be looking to bat through day four and build sufficient lead to give MacGill, Robertson and Miller something to bowl at on Monday. Pakistan will be looking towards engineering an Australian collapse on Sunday to set up a chance at victory to keep their unbeaten 39-year home series record against Australia intact.
Day 4: Aussies one day from history
Only once in the history of the game has a side scored 400 runs in one day to win a Test match. Sir Donald Bradman was in that team. Only one player has done anything even remotely Bradmanian in the current Pakistan-Australia Test series, and he's on the fielding side today. Pakistan need to score 419 runs with all ten wickets in hand to win the Third Test. Any other outcome and Australia win their first series in Pakistan since 1959. None of the players on either side were born then, not even Colin ``Funky'' Miller.
Australia resumed their second innings on Sunday morning on 130 for 1, a lead of 158. Mark Taylor's prolific run in this series ended when he was bowled by an Arshad Khan ball that just turned away from the bat and removed his off stump. Mark Waugh was next man at the crease, and with the score on 152 a bad call for a single lured Langer into a suicidal run out for 51.
A 56-run partnership between the Waugh twins ended when Steve was caught behind by Moin Khan to become Shakeel Ahmed's first Test victim. Out for 28, it will be interesting to see if Waugh retains his number one ranking when the next PriceWaterhouseCoopers batting list is released. With Aamer Sohail off the field due to his cold, Lehmann joined Mark Waugh. A confident appeal for a stumping was ruled in Lehmann's favour when none of the three camera angles available could provide an unobstructed view of the incident. Lehmann went on to make 26, and with Ian Healy on 3, Australia were 294 for 6. The question now became when, and if, Taylor would declare and make a game of this Test.
Soon afterwards, Mark Waugh brought up his fifteenth Test century. For all the criticism of his form on this tour and in the past couple of years, this was his fourth Test ton in the 1998 calendar year. Unfortunately he rarely moves on to build a larger score, and he was stumped by Moin Khan off the bowling of Shakeel Ahmed, his 117 coming from 229 balls (nine fours, one six). Colin Miller, no longer proceeding with the First Test experiment of the bleached blond crewcut in this game, equalled his first innings score when he holed out to Shahid Afridi at long-off from Shakeel's bowling for a second-ball duck. If this is his last Test he bows out with a career batting average of 1.00.
Stuart MacGill knocked up a quick ten, six of them from one hit over long on. As Gavin Robertson lashed out late in the afternoon, it was evident that Taylor was going for an overnight declaration with as big a lead as possible behind him. Robbo went for a quick slog before being dismissed for 45, the declaration being unnecessary as Australia were all out for 390 at the end of the day. Glenn McGrath improved his batting average with an unbeaten 4 (2 balls, 1 four, 0 sixes). Shakeel Ahmed, the only member of this Pakistan eleven dropped for the one-day series in Bangladesh, took the best figures in the second innings with 4/91. Arshad Khan bowled 56 overs for his 2/141, while Shahid Afridi's Test debut drifted back to earth with an analysis of 0/49.
Day 5: Australia's series but Karachi's virtue intact
Australia drew the Third Test against Pakistan yesterday to win the series 1-0. Mark Taylor became the first Australian captain since Richie Benaud in 1959 to achieve this milestone on Pakistani soil. The draw ensured that the National Stadium, Karachi's extraordinary record of no loss to an away in its 33-Test, 43-year history remained intact.
Pakistan began the final day Monday needing 419 runs to win the match with all ten wickets intact. As well as defying history it would have required a run rate almost double the prevailing rate for this Test. Aamer Sohail and Shahid Afridi came out with guns blazing, but with 20 runs scored in the first three overs Afridi edged a Colin Miller outswinger to Ian Healy. Afridi made six, and this must surely be the end of his career as a Test opening batsman. His future in the Pakistan team must be as backup to Mushtaq Ahmed, not to Saeed Anwar. (In fact, Mushy would probably make a better Test opener than Afridi.) Sohail kept the runs ticking like he took the 419 target seriously, but Miller trapped him plumb in front after he had scored 25 (from 26 balls) of the first 33 runs of Pakistan's innings.
Saleem Malik, in his 99th Test, was Miller's third victim, another lbw. Malik faced two balls without scoring and bagged a pair. It would not surprise if Malik does not celebrate his centennial. With defeat looming, Yousuf Youhana joined Ijaz Ahmed and scored eleven when he pushed a MacGill full toss onto his boot and then to Mark Waugh at bat-pad. Pakistan were 75 for 4, Australia six wickets from victory.
>From this point, however, Australia's hopes of winning the Test evaporated. Loose bowling and uncustomary sloppy fielding played into the hands of Ijaz and Moin Khan as the two Pakistan batsmen batted right through the afternoon session without further loss. A total of 153 runs had been added in fifty overs before Moin skied a Lehmann delivery to MacGill at fine leg. Moin made 75. A short while earlier Ijaz had pulled Robertson to the mid-wicket fence to bring up his tenth Test century, his second in the two Tests he had played this series. The selectors decision to leave him out of the first Test now looked totally absurd.
Ijaz and Inzamam played out the remainder of the final session before the Test, and the series, was called off half an hour before the scheduled end of the day. Pakistan had saved the match, scoring 262 for 5. Ijaz was unbeaten on 120 and the injured Inzamam, by now withdrawn from the Bangladesh tour, was 21.
A tired Glenn McGrath bowled economically for 0/40 from his 18 overs. He missed the support of a fast bowler at the other end in this game. Colin Miller took 3/82 in this innings. Despite this belated success, there really should be no place for Miller in Australia's defence of the Ashes. He is a good Sheffield Shield player who should now return to playing good Sheffield Shield cricket. Stuart MacGill (1/66) may have the raw talent, but he needs to display it more often. He was frequently wayward on the last day. Gavin Robertson (0/56) may be a regular in Australia's one-day side, but at the first-class game he will now return to the position he occupied before being chosen for the Indian tour - struggling for a place in the New South Wales eleven.
At the customary ``something for everyone'' awards ceremony, Mark Taylor won Australian man of the series, and Ijaz Ahmed the Pakistani man of the series. Aamer Sohail was man of the match, while Shahid Afridi won a cash prize, apparently related to his debut five wickets in the first innings. Regrettably, there is no trophy at stake in Australia-Pakistan cricket.
For Mark Taylor, another high in an illustrious career as Australian captain. A series win in Pakistan breaks down another seemingly impregnable barrier, and his fourth overseas series win is a record for an Australian captain. Richie Benaud and Bobby Simpson have gone into print in today's papers spreading accolades, as has Australian Prime Minister John Howard. If today's Australian media are to be taken seriously then sainthood for Tubby can surely not be too far away!
Eight members of the Australian squad (Waugh, Waugh, McGrath, Fleming, Kasprowicz, Lehmann, Ponting, Robertson) flew to Bangladesh early this morning to prepare for tomorrow's Wills International Cup quarter-final against India. The remaining six players, including captain Taylor, are on their way home. The one-day squad will return to Pakistan for a three-match series beginning November 6. The Pakistan fourteen, with late changes Saleem Elahi and Akhtar Sarfaraz replacing Saeed Anwar and Inzamam ul-Haq, face the West Indies in the last Dhaka quarter-final on Thursday. The next Australia-Pakistan meeting could be as early as this Saturday's semi-final.