Published: Oct 22, 2014, 07:55 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 28, 2014, 09:31 PM (IST)
On a flat deck at Dubai Sports Club, Pakistan and Australia fought hard and made for an interesting watch on Day One of the first Test. Abhijit Banare looks back at the key moments of the day.
Australia were coming into the match at the back of a defeat at the hands of Pakistan A side. Pakistan’s senior team was demoralised after the T20 and One-Day International (ODI) series losses. Both captains had agreed before the start that spin and reverse swing would play a big role in the eventual result of the match. In front of a near-empty stadium, Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and predictably elected to bat. Both teams had picked two debutants in the form of Yasir Shah, Imran Khan for Pakistan and Mitchell Marsh and Steven O’Keefe for Australia. When it’s Pakistan, there is no short of some dramatic moments and this Test too had some.
Stat: With Mitchell’s debut, the Marsh family becomes the third set of father and two sons playing Test cricket.
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Mohammad Hafeez’s horrible review: Social media has already termed it as one of the worst reviews ever taken. Mitchell Johnson came over the wicket and just checked the bounce of the pitch by dropping one short to Mohammad Hafeez. Off the fifth ball of the over, Johnson steamed in and darted it straight at the base of middle-stump. Hafeez, making his comeback had no clue about that and the ball crushed in to the boot of Hafeez. The umpire’s finger was already on its way up before Johnson turned back for approval. Despite being caught plumb in front, Hafeez went ahead and reviewed it after consulting with Ahmed Shehzad. The review only embarrassed Hafeez further and he had to walk back.
Within not time, Peter Siddle running in from the other end got rid of Ahmed Shehzad. He was moving too far across and the bowler had noticed it.
Short spells for Aussie bowlers: Skipper Michael Clarke used his bowlers in short spells of two-three overs. Not sure whether it was to conserve the energy of his bowlers due to the heat in Dubai but it certainly seemed an effective ploy. Every time Johnson ran in to bowl on the lifeless wicket he looked fresh and aggressive. It also led to Johnson bowling a riveting spell in the first session. Both Azhar Ali and Younis Khan progressed at a snail’s pace.
The gutsy partnership: Azhar and Younis stitched a gritty partnership. Both the batsmen dealt with Johnson very cleverly. They were expecting the short stuff and didn’t fiddle with it and neither the deliveries that were cutting across him. Not only did they hang in and pick a few runs but also grew in confidence. And when it came to spin, you don’t need to tell a subcontinent batsman how to deal with them.
The partnership flourished and the 108-run stand brought Pakistan back in the game before Azhar threw his wicket away for 53
Stat: Younis Khan is the first Pakistan batsman to score a ton against each of the Test playing nations.
Younis, reaffirms his greatness: He made the headlines for the wrong reasons after being dropped from the 50-over side. But Younis never looked like he was out of form. There was a jittery start to his innings but when the spinners came on, Younis settled in his zone. There is an inevitability of Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq scoring. While the duo continued building a partnership, Younis displayed his class propelling Pakistan ahead.
He seamlessly moved towards his ton and eventually got there. It was his 25th Test ton and equalled Inzamam-ul-Haq as the leading centurion for Pakistan. This was Younis’ first Test ton against Australia and notched up a ton against each of the Test playing nations (12th batsman to do so).
However, Johnson came back to bowl with the new ball and got rid of Younis for 106. Johnson bowled 22 overs of which 13 were maiden and picked three for 13. Switching sides, mixing up his length well, Johnson was at his best even in unhelpful conditions.
Australia end on a high: Towards the end of the day, Nathan Lyon flattened Pakistan with his turn. Asad Shafiq in particular plonked his front foot and often found himself in trouble by not offering a shot. He survived two vociferous appeals in the last over of the day but survived.. That would’ve certainly damaged his confidence.
At 219 for four, there’s still a long way to go. But Misbah is still batting on 34 and you can never rule out Pakistan’s chances until he is there.
Complete coverage of Pakistan vs Australia 2014 in UAE
(Abhijit Banare is a reporter at CricketCountry. He is an avid quizzer and loves to analyse and dig out interesting facts which allows him to learn something new every day. Apart from cricket he also likes to keep a sharp eye on Indian politics, and can be followed on @AbhijitVirgo)
