BRISBANE, Nov 24 (APP)::Josh Hazlewood took four wickets for Australia to beat Pakistan by an innings and five runs on the fourth
day of the first test match of the series at the Gabba here on Sunday.
Pakistan required 341 runs on the fourth morning to avoid an innings defeat and make Australia bat again but they were bowled out
for 335 runs despite a brilliant century by Babar Azam and a gtsy
knock of 95 from Muhamamd Rizwan.
Yasir Shah also offered some resistance with his 55 balls 42 but Josh Hazlewood got the better of four batsmen including Iftikhar Ahmed, Yasir Shah, Muhammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah in his fiery spell and buried any hopes of Pakistan’s revival of fortunes. Mitchell Starc claimed three wickets including the last wicket of Imran Khan.
The fourth day was expected to be a short affair, considering Pakistan’s batting debacle in the first innings, but it was marked by extraordinary resistance from Pakistan and some individual achievements.
If the first day of the test match was won by the bowlers, second day belonged to David Warner and the third day to Labuschagne, then the fourth day went to Babar Azam who scored a brilliant century, displaying his free-flowing stroke play and resilience.
Babar Azam, staying true to his name Babar (brave) and Azam (Great), played a brave and error-free innings of 104 runs which he rated his so far the best. Babar Azam’s second hundred in test cricket included 13 boundaries and it was remarkable for the ease with which he played his innings and never looked like a batsman who had got out to for one while playing an extravagant stroke against Hazlewood too early into his innings.
But he made amends for his poor stroke-play and played with restraint, authority and ease in the second innings. He got out to Nathan Lyon in the second innings while playing his favourite stroke in the covers to a quicker ball from the off-spinner.
Muhammad Rizwan stood up to his reputation of a natural stroke-player and played a free flowing innings to score his first fifity in test cricket, although he was unlucky not to score his first century in test cricket at the Gabba. His innings was a good omen for Pakistan cricket as no team could dream of ascendency in test cricket without the services of a good wicket-keeper and Pakistan has long waited for a wicket-keeper batsman who could anchor the batting line-up in the middle order.
Muhammad Rizwan played a solid knock of 37 before was he given out in a controversial manner on a ball which the experts believed should have been called a no-ball as Cummins had overstepped and re-plays confirmed the fact.
Pakistan’s top-order had capitulated under pressure once again as three top-order batsmen including Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail and Asas Shafiq had fallen on the third day while Shan Masood got out playing a poor stroke after a solid start of 27 and 42 in the first and second innings respectively.
Iftikhar Ahmed got out cheaply in the second innings as well, he could manage 7 in the first innings, and showed his frailty to the moving balls. He was unimpressive with his part-time bowling as well in the match.
Pakistan fast bowlers with the exception of Naseem Shah who bowled with pace and purpose, all failed to extract any swing from the Gabba turf. The bowlers also failed with a consistent line and length and gave away lots of runs for which Azhar Ali had to admit, in his press conference, that Pakistani pacers were off the mark. Inefficacy of the fast bowlers put extra burden on leggie Yasir Shah who had to bowl almost fifty over and conceded 204 runs for four wickets, on a wickets which was hostile to spin bowling.
Earleir, Australia had posted a mammoth total of 580 runs through centuries by David Warner (254) and Marnus Labuschagne (185) while Joe Burns missed on a hundred with 97. Matthew Wade had also played an innings of 60 runs in the run-spree.
Pakistan may draw some positives from the Gabba despite the defeat. They were sent on cherry-hunting for throughout the second day but fought back on the third day while Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan brightened the somewhat dull and cloudy day at the Gabba with their fine stroke-play and resistance.
Second and the last test of Pakistan’s Australia tour is a day/night test match which will be played in Adelaide between 29th November and 3rd Decemebr.