Second day belonged Kasprowicz & Warne by ILyas Hasan Choudry

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Ground:	Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth
Event:	Pakistan in Australia 2004/05

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DateLine: 18th December 2004

 

Thanks to Ricky Ponting, the first Test between Pakistan and Australia at Perth may not finish in three days!

 

The only chance for that happening is if Pakistan can get Australia out for less than 150 runs in their second innings and then get bowled out themselves for around the same score. An unlikely scenario.

 

Has Pakistan ever got Australia out for that low a score? Yes - not too long ago, during the 2002-03 Colombo Test on neutral territory when Shoaib Akhtar took 5 for 21 and Saqlain Mushtaq 4 for 46 and Australia were all out for 127 (Pakistan still lost by 41 runs).

 

In this ongoing Test, it was feared that the opening spell by Glen McGrath and Jason Gillespie would be too much for the Pakistani batsmen, once Australia had reached 381, a huge score considering the nature of the Perth pitch and the wind at the ground in the afternoon.

 

But the Pakistani opening batsmen set-off to a confident start. For a while It even looked like Pakistan would reach somewhere around 300. Imran Farhat hit four superb boundaries before he gave Adam Gilchrist a catch down the leg side off Gillespie, which was dropped. Justin Langer had earlier done the same, when at 13, he was dropped down the leg side by Kamran Akmal. Langer eventually made 191 and was finally out on the second day. Had Langer got out for 13, Australia's score would have been a mere 203.

 

However Farhat did not take advantage of this luck or learn a lesson and in the next over he gave Gilcrest another chance, this time off Michael Kasprowicz and world class wicketkeepers don’t let you off twice. The partnership had produced 32 runs and till then the batsmen had been playing confidently. If the next five partnerships between the recognised batsmen could have yielded 30 to 50 runs each, Pakistan would have been looking at a total of between 250 and 350 runs.

 

Instead, this is what happened:
Salman Butt – Younis Khan (13)
Inzamam-ul-Haq – Younis Khan (10)
Yousuf Youhana – Younis Khan (5)
Younis Khan – Abdul Razzaq (48)
Abdul Razzaq – Kamran Akmal (2)

 

Was Kasprowicz unplayable? No – he was maintaining a good line and length but the batsmen over-anxious for being bottled-up, lost concentration. The result was Pakistan all out for 179 and all credit belongs to Kasprowicz for his 5 for 30 scalping. Along the way, Shane Warne helped his world record tally grow to 555 wickets in Test cricket with a fine spell of 3 for 38.

 

Then we saw Mohammad Sami and Shoaib Akhtar show everybody the kind of technique and committment needed and put on 60 runs. It's very reasonable to ask how come the more seasoned batters could not at least have produced a few 30 to 50-run partnerships?

 

Although two of the other pairings made a few runs but were admittedly a pretty average performance: Imran Farhat – Salman Butt (32) and Younis Khan – Abdul Razzaq (48). But the Salman Butt – Younis Khan, Inzamam-ul-Haq – Younis Khan, Yousuf Youhana – Younis Khan and Abdul Razzaq – Kamran Akmal partnerships did little to prevent the Pakistanis finding themselves on the verge of defeat. Only the most diehard fans would be hoping that the Aussies could be bowled-out cheaply a second time and then hope, that the batsmen having learnt a harsh lesson, would be able to chase 350 odd runs. A tall order indeed! Younis Khan and Abdul Razzaq both suddenly decided to play one-day cricket slog shots, rather than holding firm resolve and hitting according to the book. Their partnership (48) could have been much more and even if not as spectacular as the Langer – Gilcrest one, it could have put Pakistan in a better position. Both committed the cardinal sin of slogging in a Test, but had it been Shahid Afridi, it may have been understandable. Is his allround ability not being missed – one could softly say, yes.

 

As the second day ended Ricky Ponting did not want to risk batting last chasing even a small target that Pakistan may have set for a win and as such despite having a 202-run lead, he did not enforce the follow-on.

 

Let's see if Kim Hughes' prediction of a three-day Test really comes true which would mean an even worse batting performance by the Pakistanis assuming of course the Aussies don't bat most of the third day.

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2004 Choudry786@Yahoo.Com)