World Greats Test Championship - TIME TO ANNOUNCE SQUADS FOR SERIES 2 - FREDDIE, DRAVID & INZY injured!! PLUS Pakistan v India!!
- Thread starter Welwyn
- Start date
Third Test. National Stadium, Karachi
The last thing Imran wanted after winning the toss and batting was to see Hanif Mohammad trapped in front for a golden duck by Mohammed Shami. When Saeed Anwar nicked off Srinath to make it 10-2 on an excellent batting track, the hosts looked in trouble on the back of their beating in Multan. Cue the Younis Khan and Javed Miandad show, they saw off the opening quicks and were still there when Shami & Srinath took the new ball and that did about as much as the old one. By the close, the partnership was 90-overs old and it was 284-2.
The two left-arm spinners were the only two who could even keep the run-rate under control and that's who Ashwin chucked the ball at to start day two. It was Bedi that eventually got the breakthrough, getting Younis Khan for an exceptional 163. 330-3 became 360-3 but then came a collapse as Bedi bowled Yousuf all ends up; Ashwin got Babar Azam caught behind with one Babar was convinced he hadn't touched before finally getting Miandad one run later and it was suddenly 371-6 at lunch. It was then Pakistan's skipper's turn to step up to the plate with a magnificent 80 whilst the rest of the bowlers hung around to help them to 504.
Sehwag and Gavaskar built a half-century partnership on the second evening but both were given lives by Hanif Mohammad behind the stumps. So it was no surprise when Waqar decided to take the stumps out of the equation on the third morning and bowled Sehwag without addition to his overnight score. Wasim joined in an over later and was probably delighted that Gavaskar's edge went to Younis Khan at 1st slip. Waqar repeated his trick to remove Ganguly for a duck and 69-0 overnight was now 70-3. Tendulkar and Laxman rebuilt, with Sachin reaching 50 by lunch and then they really went to work. Helped by Shoaib struggling with a hand injury, they batted all day breaking the record for the 4th wicket partnership in India v Pakistan contests, it reaching 275 before Waqar eventually ended it with the last ball of the day, bowling Laxman for 107.
Tendulkar continued on into the fourth day and when Jadeja was bowled by Mushtaq, Dhoni came in with obvious instructions to get on with it so they could get bowling in the overcast conditions that were due later in the day. Tendulkar eventually fell to Wasim for a wonderful double hundred and Ashwin couldn't succeed in his own advice to Dhoni as he fell second ball. Those overcast conditions came after lunch but Dhoni kept going, wiping the deficit with an incredible 53-ball 77, before declaring the minute he holed out.
India went on the attack and Sourav Ganguly took an outstanding catch at fourth slip to remove Saeed Anwar but despite the overhead conditions and several play and misses, they survived until tea just one down. Despite the overhead conditions, it was Bishan Bedi that stuck next, Laxman taking a catch at slip almost as good as Ganguly's to remove Hanif before Miandad was caught bat-pad for a duck in the same over. But with the ball doing less for the seamers as it got older, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf made sure Bedi didn't get the better of them and the reached the fifth morning with a lead of 149.
Younis Khan wasted that hard work with an ugly slog off Jadeja to start the last morning that precipitated a mini-collapse but that was halted by Wasim Akram digging in and Yousuf playing beautifully. Wasim's resistance was ended by Srinath with the new ball and then Shami was excellent in really cloudy conditions to prevent Yousuf getting to his hundred and also cleaning up the tail.
239 to win in half a day, quickly became 236 in one mammoth 45 over session after the predicted rain finally came. India's plan was that Gavaskar would play for survival, Sehwag would explore the posibility of victory. India's problem quickly became that of the first 19 overs until Gavaskar fell, he had faced 79 balls to Sehwag's 35. As a result, by the time we reached T20 range, it was 7 an over with 8 wickets in hand. Mushtaq added Ganguly cheaply to his vital wicket of Sehwag and then Waqar added Laxman just when he was looking dangerous.
This left it being 84 off 10 with 6 wickets left. Despite Tendulkar playing beautifully, Jadeja was struggling to score quick enough and suddenly it was above ten an over. Tendulkar was still making it possible until Hanif, after dropping so many in the series, took an absolute stunner to remove the little master for 94 and when the skipper then went first ball, leaving 21 needed off 10 deliveries, India shut it down and drew the game.
4th test pitch: @CerealKiller @pillowprocter (KOHLI FIT)
The last thing Imran wanted after winning the toss and batting was to see Hanif Mohammad trapped in front for a golden duck by Mohammed Shami. When Saeed Anwar nicked off Srinath to make it 10-2 on an excellent batting track, the hosts looked in trouble on the back of their beating in Multan. Cue the Younis Khan and Javed Miandad show, they saw off the opening quicks and were still there when Shami & Srinath took the new ball and that did about as much as the old one. By the close, the partnership was 90-overs old and it was 284-2.
The two left-arm spinners were the only two who could even keep the run-rate under control and that's who Ashwin chucked the ball at to start day two. It was Bedi that eventually got the breakthrough, getting Younis Khan for an exceptional 163. 330-3 became 360-3 but then came a collapse as Bedi bowled Yousuf all ends up; Ashwin got Babar Azam caught behind with one Babar was convinced he hadn't touched before finally getting Miandad one run later and it was suddenly 371-6 at lunch. It was then Pakistan's skipper's turn to step up to the plate with a magnificent 80 whilst the rest of the bowlers hung around to help them to 504.
Sehwag and Gavaskar built a half-century partnership on the second evening but both were given lives by Hanif Mohammad behind the stumps. So it was no surprise when Waqar decided to take the stumps out of the equation on the third morning and bowled Sehwag without addition to his overnight score. Wasim joined in an over later and was probably delighted that Gavaskar's edge went to Younis Khan at 1st slip. Waqar repeated his trick to remove Ganguly for a duck and 69-0 overnight was now 70-3. Tendulkar and Laxman rebuilt, with Sachin reaching 50 by lunch and then they really went to work. Helped by Shoaib struggling with a hand injury, they batted all day breaking the record for the 4th wicket partnership in India v Pakistan contests, it reaching 275 before Waqar eventually ended it with the last ball of the day, bowling Laxman for 107.
Tendulkar continued on into the fourth day and when Jadeja was bowled by Mushtaq, Dhoni came in with obvious instructions to get on with it so they could get bowling in the overcast conditions that were due later in the day. Tendulkar eventually fell to Wasim for a wonderful double hundred and Ashwin couldn't succeed in his own advice to Dhoni as he fell second ball. Those overcast conditions came after lunch but Dhoni kept going, wiping the deficit with an incredible 53-ball 77, before declaring the minute he holed out.
India went on the attack and Sourav Ganguly took an outstanding catch at fourth slip to remove Saeed Anwar but despite the overhead conditions and several play and misses, they survived until tea just one down. Despite the overhead conditions, it was Bishan Bedi that stuck next, Laxman taking a catch at slip almost as good as Ganguly's to remove Hanif before Miandad was caught bat-pad for a duck in the same over. But with the ball doing less for the seamers as it got older, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf made sure Bedi didn't get the better of them and the reached the fifth morning with a lead of 149.
Younis Khan wasted that hard work with an ugly slog off Jadeja to start the last morning that precipitated a mini-collapse but that was halted by Wasim Akram digging in and Yousuf playing beautifully. Wasim's resistance was ended by Srinath with the new ball and then Shami was excellent in really cloudy conditions to prevent Yousuf getting to his hundred and also cleaning up the tail.
239 to win in half a day, quickly became 236 in one mammoth 45 over session after the predicted rain finally came. India's plan was that Gavaskar would play for survival, Sehwag would explore the posibility of victory. India's problem quickly became that of the first 19 overs until Gavaskar fell, he had faced 79 balls to Sehwag's 35. As a result, by the time we reached T20 range, it was 7 an over with 8 wickets in hand. Mushtaq added Ganguly cheaply to his vital wicket of Sehwag and then Waqar added Laxman just when he was looking dangerous.
This left it being 84 off 10 with 6 wickets left. Despite Tendulkar playing beautifully, Jadeja was struggling to score quick enough and suddenly it was above ten an over. Tendulkar was still making it possible until Hanif, after dropping so many in the series, took an absolute stunner to remove the little master for 94 and when the skipper then went first ball, leaving 21 needed off 10 deliveries, India shut it down and drew the game.
4th test pitch: @CerealKiller @pillowprocter (KOHLI FIT)
pillowprocter
Panel of Selectors
Kohli comes back in for Ganguly
CerealKiller
Staff Member
Rizwan replaces Babar and will keep wicket.
Yasir replaces Akhtar.
Yasir replaces Akhtar.
