| Ground: | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney |
| Scorecard: | Australia v Pakistan |
| Player: | Shoaib Akhtar, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Yousuf |
| Event: | Pakistan in Australia 2004/05 |
DateLine: 31st December 2004
Although Pakistan lost their final Test of 2004 at Melbourne by a big margin of nine wickets, it can still be called an improvement over the earlier massive 491-run capitulation at Perth. They certainly lost the match but credit should be given for a spirited performance especially after everyone had written them off. Till the third day, Pakistan held an upper hand but some unfortunate injuries and inexperience, played their part in the loss. While analysing the performance we should keep in mind they are a pretty inexperienced side compared to the Aussies who are a battle-hardened unit. And, there are hardly any teams in the world today who can challenge the might of the Australians as the Pakistanis did, in their own backyard.
In present day cricket, other than Pakistan, it is only England who have the capacity to give the Australians a run for their money. Even the most optimistic fans of India's showing last season in Australia, will agree as they didn't win the Test or one-day series and that too when the Aussie bowling attack was missing Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. In both Tests so far, Pakistan initially held an upper hand before losing their grip and the match, a clear indication of inexperience. In Melbourne they also missed the services of their skipper and best batsman, Inzamam-ul-Haq, which was surely a big blow for a young side.
Nevertheless, in Melbourne Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first which was a brave decision against an Australian attack in Australia. Not many would have expected Pakistan to pile up 318 for 6 at the end of the first day. The batsmen, led by stand-in skipper Yousuf Youhana himself, did an excellent job with support from Younis Khan and Salman Butt. It was Youhana in his second Test as captain who led the charge and played a gem of an innings by scoring 111. It was the late order which failed to capitalise on the good start and the visitors were bowled out for 341. Disappointingly, players like Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal failed to put their hands up to help their team post a possible score in excess of 450.
When Australia batted, the Shoaib Akhtar led Pakistan bowlers, reduced them to 171 for 5 and then to 254 for 7 but with little support other than from Danish Kaneria, the hosts ended up with a lead of 38. It was strangely surprising and depressing to see Mohammad Sami bowl like an ordinary bowler right throughout the series even in helpful conditions. He has the talent but one wonders why he has been unable to produce consistent results. Also, the strategy of going into the match with only three specialist bowlers was a mistake as Razzaq and Malik are only support bowlers and cannot be categorised as specialists. The Pakistan management can take a cue from the Australians who have quality allrounders in one-day cricket like Andrew Symonds, Brad Hogg, Ian Harvey and Shane Watson but never play them in Tests and always go for specialists as they should, in the longer version of the game.
Second time round the Pakistan batting failed to get going although a target of something in the vicinity of 250 could have been a tough proposition for the Australian with Kaneria bowling in the last innings. All the batters failed to get going and were out to mostly unnecessary and reckless shots. Yousuf Youhana was unlucky as he fell to a dubious umpiring decision when his stay at the crease was of paramount importance. Australia had little problem in getting the 126 runs for a Test and series victory although both Hayden and Ponting gave chances and had they gone Pakistan's way could have made things a little bit interesting.
Now that the series is gone for Pakistan with the final Test to be played at Sydney, it will, however, be a new day and a new Test. Both teams will start from zero and Pakistan should look to play for pride and as solace, the Sydney pitch should be much more to their liking.
It is always very easy to criticise but can these critics answer how many Pakistan teams have returned from Australia with their heads held high? This is a young team and they will only improve with this exposure. Although some things do need to be sorted out like Shahid Afridi coming in as should Asim Kamal and Naved-ul-Hasan. Even if Abdul Razzaq is fit, he should be rested as his inclusion currently disturbs the balance of the side. Inzamam is expected to return which will be a big boost for the side and we should always look to playing specialists.
Finally, a well-deserved pat on the back to Shoaib and Kaneria who have done a fine job for the team despite being all alone and receiving almost no help from other bowlers. Both have bowled well, especially Shoaib who has been targeted by the Australians and called a "a showman," but still manages to run through them like a hot knife through butter!
Pakistan team has the potential and if they are more resolute and manage to remain consistent throughout the match, rather than a few sessions, there is no reason why they can't beat Australia at Sydney, which will be a big morale booster for the VB Series and their future.
(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2004 Nabeel Sabir)
