Day4: Warne, Anwar star in extraordinary Test day
Saeed Anwar and Shane Warne were the stars of an extraordinary fourth day's play at The Gabba between Australia and Pakistan. Shane Warne the batsman, that is. A day of twists and turns saw Australia take a stranglehold almost to the point that an innings victory today looked possible. A fighting Pakistani comeback was halted when rain descended on the ground during the tea break, a draw now looking almost certain.
Pakistan ended day four on 4/223 in their second innings, a lead of 15 after Australia were dismissed for 575.
When play began early at 9.30am, Australia resumed their first innings on 9/515, with Warne 34 and Muller 1. Warne was clearly intent on adding quick runs to give Australia a sizeable lead. Two immaculate straight driven fours off Shoaib Akhtar brought him to 49. On the final ball of the over, keen to farm the strike, Warne was almost run out taking a third run, but the return throw was wide as he was out of his ground. Warne's fifty came up in 67 balls with eight fours. The fifty partnership came up afterwards with Muller contributing two.
Mushtaq Ahmed was brought back into the attack. First ball, Warne lofted over long-off several rows back into the stand. Two more sixes came from in the over, and with Warne against taking a last-ball single, Mushtaq's spell began with 19 runs conceded.
Warne took a single from the sixth ball of Akram's next over but it was called a no-ball. Muller, with one ball to face, duly glanced it to fine leg to treble his score.
Warne took a four and a six off the first two balls of Mushtaq's next over, and a single to reach 86, easily passing his previous best Test (and first-class) score of 74 not out. Mushtaq was on 3/194, but took things into his own hands to prevent his personal 200 coming up. First ball of Akram's next over was misjudged by Warne who lofted to Mushtaq at deep mid-on.
The tenth wicket partnership of 86 (a new record for Australia against Pakistan) between Warne and Muller was raised in just 15.1 overs. Muller contributed just six. Australia all out for 575. Mushtaq Ahmed (3/194) avoided the infamy of conceding 200 runs in an innings, while Shoaib Akhtar (4/153) went for nearly five an over. The absence of a second spinner, even of a part-time variety, was noticeable.
Beginning their second innings 208 in arrears, Pakistan lost Mohammad Wasim in the second over of the day when Damien Fleming trapped him lbw with a ball that nipped in and stayed low. Wasim failed to score. Ijaz got off the pair immediately with a two forward of point, followed by a three to square leg that gave him the strike next over. First ball of McGrath's new over, Ijaz displayed appalling lack of footwork attempting a drive outside off-stump. He got an edge, taken by Gilchrist, and Pakistan were 2/8. Ijaz was gone for 5, and one wonders perhaps we will see him in a Test match again soon.
Two wickets down could have been three down soon after, Saeed Anwar having a life on 4 when he edged Fleming to Mark Waugh who dropped a sitter at second slip. Anwar celebrated with two consecutive boundaries later that over.
In McGrath's fourth over of the day, Anwar, on 12, edged low to Warne at first slip who scooped up the ball low. While some of his slip partners appealed for a catch, Warne signalled to the umpires that he was not sure and felt a tv replay would be a good idea. With doubt as to whether the ball carried to Warne before he held it, video umpire Peter Parker gave Anwar not out.
While Anwar was living dangerously, it was Inzamam ul-Haq who was the third wicket to fall. Fleming pitched the ball well up outside off, Inzi didn't get to it properly when attempting to drive, Ponting took the catch coming forward at third slip.
Saeed Anwar and Yousuf Youhana consolidated their position in the period before lunch and controlled a lot of the damage created by the upper-order batsmen, pushing Pakistan to 3/108 at the break, exactly 100 runs behind. Anwar brought up his second half-century of the match from 59 balls faced, driving Warne through mid-wicket for his ninth boundary of the innings. His innings has not been all smooth sailing, as he has edged just short of slip on a number of occasions.
Youhana also played aggressively as Muller in particular found himself conceding more than a run a ball. The fifty partnership came up in 47 minutes.
An extraordinary pre-lunch session saw 168 runs scored in 140 minutes by both sides, with fortunes flucatuating heavily in Australia's favour, and then back towards a more even keel.
Saeed Anwar and Yousuf Youhana continued to pile on the runs after lunch at a rate in excess of four an over. Anwar brought up his tenth century of his Test career about twenty minutes after the drinks break, with a single to mid-wicket off Ricky Ponting, who was the fifth bowler of the innings. His hundred, his third in consecutive Tests against Australia, took 133 deliveries, including seventeen overs. Yousuf Youhana also scored his second half-century of the match off 79 deliveries. When on 60 he hit a simple but low return catch to Glenn McGrath who put it down, after smashing the bowler for six earlier in the over.
A total of 115 runs were scored between lunch and tea, with Saeed Anwar and Yousuf Youhana setting a new fourth wicket partnership record for Pakistan against Australia of 177. Youhana, having made 95 in the first innings, fell for a ball he should have left well alone. Scott Muller bowled an outswinger wide of off stump, Youhana reached for it and drove it straight to Mark Waugh who was the finer of two gullies. Youhana made 77.
Saeed Anwar, who had the physio attending to his neck during a ball change delay, was on 118 at the tea break. Abdur Razzaq, coming in ahead of Azhar Mahmood, was on 2. The Australian bowling attack lacked sharpness today, with the two main strike bowlers, Glenn McGrath (1/56) and Shane Warne (0/45) both lacking their usual fire.
With the Pakistan score on 4/223, rain descended on the ground minutes after players left the ground for the 2.40pm tea break. Steady rain continued, and the umpires called the rest of the day off at 4.25pm. Play will commence once more at the earlier time of 9.30am Brisbane time Tuesday with an extra half-hour scheduled at the end of the day. Once more, however, afternoon storms could spoil hopes of an outright result to what has been a highly entertaining Test match.
Day5: Australia win First Test by ten wickets
Australia have won the First Test against Pakistan by ten wickets. Australia need 74 to win after Pakistan were dismissed for 281 about an hour before lunch today. The last six wickets fell for 58 in the space of an hour and a half. The winning runs were scored at a rate of five an over, the Test ending fourteen balls after lunch.
Although Monday's rain continued till around 11pm last night, and the super soppers were used overnight, conditions were clear and sunny today. Play began half an hour earlier to make up for lost time on previous days, with Pakistan on 4/223, a lead of 15.
The day began disastrously for Pakistan. First ball, a rank full toss from Warne was pushed by Abdur Razzaq to Ricky Ponting at point. Razzaq gone for 2, the score 5/223. Saeed Anwar flashed high outside off at a McGrath delivery for his first ball faced today, however he did settle down afterwards.
After half an hour in which two runs were scored, Anwar flashed outside off once againt to McGrath, Adam Gilchrist taking the catch. Saeed Anwar was dismissed for 119, adding just one to his overnight score, Pakistan adding 2/2 in thirty minutes.
Azhar Mahmood, who batted at seven following Moin Khan, was stumped for a seventh-ball duck. Warne pitched a leg break just outside off stumped, Mahmood was drawn forward and Gilchrist whipped off the bails for his first Test career stumping - no video replay required.
Moin Khan was playing an unusually defensive innings, but new batsman Wasim Akram decided to take the long handle, a tactic that would have been better served by some of the earlier batsmen.
Akram went on the attack to Shane Warne and Damien Fleming, hitting four fours, and a six off the leg-spinner, but lost his wicket on the first ball after the drinks break.
An off-cutter from Fleming removed Akram's off bail, the Pakistani captain's run-a-ball innings of 28 over. The last ball of the over saw Moin Khan, who had been playing defensively, open up and flick Fleming off the hips high to fine leg. Scott Muller ran in from the boundary to take a fine running catch. Moin made 17.
Muller missed another running catch in Warne's next over when Shoaib lofted a ball which the fielder lost in the sun.
The innings ended with the first ball of Fleming's next over when he sent Shoaib Akhtar's off-stump cartwheeling. Pakistan were gone for 281, Fleming finishing the innings with 5/59 including two wickets from his last two deliveries of the match. Warne (2/80), McGrath (2/63, his 248 career wickets equalling Richie Benaud) and Muller (1/55) were the other wicket-takers for Australia.
With Australia batting for fifty minutes before lunch, the main questions now where (a) whether they could finish the match before the interval, and (b) whether they could complete their second ten-wicket Test victory in a row.
With little assistance from the pitch for the Pakistani bowlers, Australian openers Greg Blewett and Michael Slater played conmfortably to reach 0/55 at lunch, bringing up the half-century in 44 minutes. Just fourteen balls were needed after lunch for Michael Slater (32*) and Greg Blewett (40*) to score the balance of the runs, sixteen of them being hit by Slater off one Mushtaq Ahmed over.
Blewett has hit five fours in his 40 not out (47 balls), playing one false stroke with a lofted pull to fine leg which fell short of the field. Slater played the junior role in the early part of the chase, but finished with 32 (38 balls, five fours).
With Australia taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, it was their second consecutive ten-wicket victory following their win over Zimbabwe at Harare on October 11.
Michael Slater was named man of the match for his first innings 169, ahead of Damien Fleming who took nine wickets in the Test. Pakistan now have a four-day match against South Australia starting Friday before the Second Test at Bellerive Oval, Hobart, commencing November 18.